Mystic Regimes

Mystic Regimes PDF Author: Matthijs Bos, van den
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047401751
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Mystic Regimes is a social-scientific and Iranological study of two Iranian, Shi‘ite Sufi orders in the twentieth century. It studies their comparative social development in relation to political regimes and explores the cultural repertoires that Sufis have used to cope with these. The introductory part examines the interpretation and the development, until the end of the Qajar era, of Iranian Sufism. The second part explores Sufism in the Pahlavi era. The third part deals with the Sufi orders in the Islamic Republic. The fourth part provides afterthoughts on the relations between Sufi cultural repertoires and civil society. Because of its unique archival and field material, Mystic Regimes is especially important for scholars in Iranian and Sufi studies.

Mystic Regimes

Mystic Regimes PDF Author: Matthijs Bos, van den
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047401751
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Get Book Here

Book Description
Mystic Regimes is a social-scientific and Iranological study of two Iranian, Shi‘ite Sufi orders in the twentieth century. It studies their comparative social development in relation to political regimes and explores the cultural repertoires that Sufis have used to cope with these. The introductory part examines the interpretation and the development, until the end of the Qajar era, of Iranian Sufism. The second part explores Sufism in the Pahlavi era. The third part deals with the Sufi orders in the Islamic Republic. The fourth part provides afterthoughts on the relations between Sufi cultural repertoires and civil society. Because of its unique archival and field material, Mystic Regimes is especially important for scholars in Iranian and Sufi studies.

Sufism

Sufism PDF Author: Alexander Knysh
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069119162X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
A pathbreaking history of Sufism, from the earliest centuries of Islam to the present After centuries as the most important ascetic-mystical strand of Islam, Sufism saw a sharp decline in the twentieth century, only to experience a stunning revival in recent decades. In this comprehensive new history of Sufism from the earliest centuries of Islam to today, Alexander Knysh, a leading expert on the subject, reveals the tradition in all its richness. Knysh explores how Sufism has been viewed by both insiders and outsiders since its inception. He examines the key aspects of Sufism, from definitions and discourses to leadership, institutions, and practices. He devotes special attention to Sufi approaches to the Qur’an, drawing parallels with similar uses of scripture in Judaism and Christianity. He traces how Sufism grew from a set of simple moral-ethical precepts into a sophisticated tradition with professional Sufi masters (shaykhs) who became powerful players in Muslim public life but whose authority was challenged by those advocating the equality of all Muslims before God. Knysh also examines the roots of the ongoing conflict between the Sufis and their fundamentalist critics, the Salafis—a major fact of Muslim life today. Based on a wealth of primary and secondary sources, Sufism is an indispensable account of a vital aspect of Islam.

Sufism East and West

Sufism East and West PDF Author: Jamal Malik
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004393927
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
In Sufism East and West, the contributors investigate the redirection and dynamics of Sufism in the modern era, specifically from the perspective of global cross-cultural exchange. Edited by Jamal Malik and Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, the book explores the role of mystical Islam in the complex interchange and fluidity in the resonance spaces of “East” and “West.” The volume challenges the enduring Orientalist binary coding of East-versus-West and argues instead for a more mutual process of cultural plaiting and shared tradition. By highlighting amendments, adaptations and expansions of Sufi semantics during the last centuries, it also questions the persistent perception of Sufism in its post-classical epoch as a corrupt imitation of the legacy of the great Sufis of the past.

Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa

Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa PDF Author: Andrea L. Stanton
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 141298176X
Category : Culture
Languages : en
Pages : 1977

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Book Description
In our age of globalization and multiculturalism, it has never been more important to understand and appreciate all cultures across the world. The four volumes take a step forward in this endeavour by presenting concise information on those regions least well-known to students across Europe: the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The volumes convey what daily life is like for people in these selected regions. Entries will aid readers in understanding the importance of cultural sociology, to appreciate the effects of cultural forces around the world, and to learn the history of countries and cultures within these important regions. Key Features -Topics are explored within historical context, in three broad historical periods: prehistory to 1250, 1250 to 1920 and 1920 to the present. -One volume each is devoted to the regions of the Middle East and Africa and then one volume to East and Southeast Asia and a final volume to West, Central and South Asia. The volumes include extensive use of photographs and maps to explain cultural and geographic content. -Each volume has its own volume editor with expertise in that particular region. Key Themes Arts, Culture and Science People, Society and Dynasties Religion and Law Family and Daily Life Conflicts and Wars Politics and Government Health and Education Economy, Trade and Industry National Geography and History.

Islam in Historical Perspective

Islam in Historical Perspective PDF Author: Alexander Knysh
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317347129
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 549

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Book Description
Islam in Historical Perspective integrates history of Islamic societies with discussion of how Muslim scriptures, laws, moral values and myths have shaped lives and thought of individual Muslims and various Muslim communities from the rise of Islam until today. It provides carefully selected historical and scriptural evidence that enables readers to form a comprehensive balanced vision of Islam's evolution. Author Alexander Knysh shows Muslims have made sense of their life experiences by constantly interpreting and re-interpreting Islam's foundational ideas in accordance with ever-changing social and political conditions. In addition to the combined historical and chronological approach, the author offers in-depth discussions of intellectual dialogues and struggles within Islamic tradition. He shows Islam to be a social and political force, while addressing Muslim devotional practices, artistic creativity and structures of everyday life and provides a wealth of historical anecdotes and quotations from original sources that are designed to illustrate principal points.

Unknowing and the Everyday

Unknowing and the Everyday PDF Author: Seema Golestaneh
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 1478024178
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
In Unknowing and the Everyday Seema Golestaneh examines how Sufi mystical experience in Iran shapes contemporary life. Central to this process is ma’rifat, or “unknowing”—the idea that, as it is ultimately impossible to fully understand the divine, humanity must operate from an engaged awareness that it knows nothing. Golestaneh shows that rather than considering ma’rifat an obstacle to intellectual engagement, Sufis embrace that there will always be that which they do not know. From this position, they affirm both the limits of human knowledge and the mysteries of the profane world. Through ethnographic case studies, Golestaneh traces the affective and sensory dimensions of ma’rifat in contexts such as the creation of collective Sufi spaces, the interpretation of Persian poetry, formulations of selfhood and non-selfhood, and the navigation of the socio-material realm. By outlining the relationship between ma’rifat and religious, aesthetic, and social life in Iran, Golestaneh demonstrates that for Sufis the outer bounds of human thought are the beginning rather than the limit.

Polished Mirror

Polished Mirror PDF Author: Cyrus Ali Zargar
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1786072025
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Islamic philosophy and Sufism evolved as distinct yet interweaving strands of Islamic thought and practice. Despite differences, they have shared a concern with the perfection of the soul through the development of character. In The Polished Mirror, Cyrus Ali Zargar studies the ways in which, through teaching and storytelling, pre-modern Muslims lived, negotiated, and cultivated virtues. Examining the writings of philosophers, ascetics, poets, and saints, he locates virtue ethics within a dynamic moral tradition. Innovative, engaging, and approachable, this work – the first in the English language to explore Islamic ethics in the fascinating context of narrative – will be a valuable resource for both students and scholars.

Sufi Castigator

Sufi Castigator PDF Author: Lloyd Ridgeon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113437397X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
Sufi Castigator investigates the writings of Ahmad Kasravi, one of the foremost intellectuals in Iran. It studies his work within the context of Sufism in modern Iran and mystical Persian literature and includes translations of Kasravi’s writings. Kasravi provides a fascinating topic for those with interests in Sufism and Iranian studies as he attempted to produce a form of Iranian identity that he believed was compatible with the modern age and Iranian nationalism. His stress on reason and the de-mystification of religion caused him to repudiate Sufism and much of the Sufi literary heritage as backwards and believed it a reason for the weakness of modern Iran. Kasravi’s historical observations were weak, and his writings indicate that he was working towards pre-determined conclusions. However, his works are of significance because they contributed to a major discussion in the 1930s to 1940s about the ideal image and identity that Iranians should adopt. Despite the academic weaknesses of Kasravi’s works he had a profound effect on the next generation of thinkers. Sufi Castigator is stimulating and meticulously researched book and includes two lengthy translations of Kasravi’s works, Sufism and What does Hafez Say? and will appeal to scholars of middle eastern studies.

The New Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 4, Islamic Cultures and Societies to the End of the Eighteenth Century

The New Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 4, Islamic Cultures and Societies to the End of the Eighteenth Century PDF Author: Robert Irwin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316184315
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1104

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Book Description
Robert Irwin's authoritative introduction to the fourth volume of The New Cambridge History of Islam offers a panoramic vision of Islamic culture from its origins to around 1800. The introductory chapter, which highlights key developments and introduces some of Islam's most famous protagonists, paves the way for an extraordinarily varied collection of essays. The themes treated include religion and law, conversion, Islam's relationship with the natural world, governance and politics, caliphs and kings, philosophy, science, medicine, language, art, architecture, literature, music and even cookery. What emerges from this rich collection, written by an international team of experts, is the diversity and dynamism of the societies which created this flourishing civilization. Volume four of The New Cambridge History of Islam serves as a thematic companion to the three preceding, politically oriented volumes, and in coverage extends across the pre-modern Islamic world.

Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism

Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism PDF Author: Mathieu Guidère
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538106701
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 651

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Book Description
After the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East and the new geopolitical landscape in this region, it is essential for the modern reader to understand the history that has allowed for and influenced these types of Islamic groups to form. Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism acts as a didactic resource that explains, from the Islamic perspective, the historical importance of the Islamic fundamentalist world. This dictionary provides a comprehensive and thorough analysis of various groups, events, movements, key figures, and dogmas that have influenced contemporary Islamic fundamentalism. A chronology spanning 600 years, graphs of complex Islamic group associations and alliances, and an Arabic-to-English glossary have all been included to facilitate a complete understanding of the nuances and generalities that have shaped this movement. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism also contains an introduction, appendixes, an extensive bibliography, and more than 700 cross-referenced entries on ideologies, people, events, and movements of the 20th and 21st centuries.