Sufism in an age of transition : ʻUmar al-Suhrawardī and the rise of the Islamic mystical brotherhoods / by Erik S. Ohlander.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ohlander, Erik S.

Series:

Islamic history and civilization 0929-2403 ; v. 71.

Islamic history and civilization. Studies and texts, 0929-2403 ; v. 71

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Suhrawardī, ʻUmar ibn Muḥammad, 1145-1234.

Suhrawardī, ʻUmar ibn Muḥammad.

Suhrawardīyah.

Sufism--History.

Sufism.

History.

Physical Description:

xvii, 364 pages : illustrations, charts ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2008.

Summary:

Although the Early Thirteenth Century was a critical period in the development of Sufism, it has received little scholarly attention. Based on heretofore unexplored sources, this book examines a pivotal figure from this period: the scholar, mystic, statesman, and eponym of one of the earliest tariqa lineages, 'Umar al-Suhrawardi. In situating Suhrawardi's life work in its social, political, and religious contexts, this book suggests that his universalizing Sufi system was not only enmeshed within a broader economy of Muslim religious learning, but also furnished social spaces which allowed for novel modes of participation in Sufi religiosity. In doing so, this book provides a framework for understanding the increasingly ubiquitous presence of intentional Sufi communities and institutions throughout the late-medieval Islamic world.

Contents:

A Note on Transliteration and Dating xiii

Chapter 1 Situating al-Suhrawardi in Time, Space, and Text 15

The Political Setting 16

The Institutional Setting 27

The Textual Setting 42

Chapter 2 The Makings of a Sufi Master 57

The Banu 'Ammuya 66

Enter al-Nasir li-Din Allah 89

Meetings with Remarkable Men 113

Chapter 3 Writing Authority 137

Genealogies of Mystical Knowing 140

The Interior Dimension 154

The Geography of the Mystical Path 165

Chapter 4 Ma'rifa Disciplined and Institutionalized 187

The Exterior Dimension 190

Master and Disciple 198

Mendicants, Servants, and Lay Affiliates 226

Chapter 5 Imperial and Other Projects 249

A Sufi Creed 257

A Sethian Genealogy 271

Polemic in Service of Statecraft? 291.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [321]-337) and indexes.

ISBN:

9789004163553

9004163557

OCLC:

190785323