Unveiling Sufism : from Manhattan to Mecca / William Rory Dickson and Meena Sharify-Funk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dickson, William Rory, 1979- author.

Sharify-Funk, Meena, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sufism--History.

Sufism.

History.

Sufism--Doctrines.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 293 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Sheffield, UK ; Bristol, CT : Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2017.

Summary:

In contrast to most introductory texts on Sufism, this book begins not with the historical past, but with the contemporary present. Beginning with Sufism as it is lived today, each chapter further unveils the complexities of Sufism, journeying through a variety of historical, political, and cultural contexts, moving deeper into the past, and closer to the origin and heart of Sufism. This geneological framework enables the reader to understand the patterns of connection between contemporary manifestations of Sufism and past realities. To ensure that the full range of Sufism's varied expressions is taken into account, each chapter is divided into four sections: Politics and Power; Philosophy and Metaphysics; Arts and Culture; and Overview of Historical Developments. Dividing chapters into these four broad categories highlights some of the ways in which Sufism has influenced Muslim politics, philosophy, art, and culture in each historical period. In each category the relevant issues are illustrated through detailed case studies, whether of a particular Sufi figure, place, artistic expression, or philosophical view. This allows the reader to develop a genuinely three-dimensional appreciation of Sufism, neither reducing it to a private mystical experience divorced from social expression, nor limiting the tradition to historical names and dates. Book jacket.

Contents:

The many faces of contemporary Sufism in North America

Warriors, philosophers, and poets: Sufis in the age of colonialization

Commanding sultans to wandering dervishes: Sufism in the late medieval era

Synthesizers and saints: Sufism in the Medival Era

A reality without a name: early Sufis and the formation of tradition

Sources of Sufism: transmission of the Prophetic word.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781781792438

1781792437

9781781792445

1781792445

OCLC:

958585872

Publisher Number:

99973633498