Sufi Doctrine Research Articles

Articulation of Sufi Path and Doctrines in the Poetry of Khwāja Muḥammad Zamān Naqshbandī of Luārī

Abstract Khwāja Muḥammad Zamān Luārvī (i.e., of Luārī or Lowārī) was a much-revered eighteenth-century Sufi shaykh (master) who spent his entire life in Luārī and Thatta in lower Sindh. Spiritually affiliated with the Naqshbandī Silsilah, he was also an eloquent Sufi poet. Though small in volume, his poetic compositions are highly symbolic and replete with complex Sufi philosophical and cosmological themes. This article identifies and analyzes the Sufi doctrines in his poetry by undertaking a poetic exegesis of his verses within a Sufi framework. It briefly introduces the life and poetry of the Khwāja, analyzes the articulation of Sufi doctrines in his poetic verses, and assesses his poetry’s characteristics.

A female imam in Paris: Islam, gender, and secular normativity

ABSTRACT This article discusses Kahina Bahloul’s political and religiousengagement and her project to create the liberal ‘Fatima Mosque’, founded in 2019 in Paris. Bahloul is a complex figure, and her political and religious project touches on several dimensions: she was inspired by Sufi doctrines (Ibn ʿArabi and the ʿAlāwiyya) and Islamic modernist philosophy (Mohammed Arkoun). Furthermore, she advocates for a liberal and secular Islam, proposing radical reform and implying the compliance with secular constraints, the merging of social sciences with Islamic sciences, and the polarisation between liberal Muslims and ‘fundamentalist’ Muslims. Thisarticle will show that 1) Sufism is mainly used to justify an individualistic approach to Islam; 2) Bahloul’s epistemological hybridity, based on Islam andsocial sciences, implies a strong tension between her role as a scholar and as a religious authority; and 3) Bahloul’s reform of Islam is not new or radical. The peculiarity of her political and religious project is her compliance with the whimsical French debate on Islam and laïcité, which implies accepting new bans, the privatisation of Islam, and the polarisation between ‘good Muslims’ and ‘bad Muslims’.

Mu'īnü'l-Mürīd’de Yetkinlik Sıfat Fiili

In this study, it is aimed to examine the participles, which are an important component of the Turkish language, through the work "Mu'īnü'l-Mürīd". The work was written in the Khwarazm region and was penned to explain the principles of Islam and Sufi doctrines to the Turkmen people. In this study, the competence participles and their sub-functions found in the work are discussed. These sub-functions include suitability, skill, possibility, habit, and differentiation from others. In this study, it is explained how these sub-functions are addressed with examples from the work. By addressing an important linguistic element of the Turkish language through the work, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the functions and structural features of the language. Ultimately, examining the competence participles and sub-functions in the work "Mu'īnü'l-Mürīd" will help us better understand the structural elements of the Turkish language. Keywords: Mu'īnü'l-Mürīd, Adjective Verb, Function, Competence Function

The Religious Space of Badakhshan: Ismailism and Sufism

Nowadays, the culture and cultural identity of the Pamir peoples are largely determined by the widespread and predominance of Ismailism, the largest movement within Shiite Islam, in this region. Local folklore narratives associate the key role in the spread of the Ismaili madhhab with the name of the poet, philosopher and preacher (da‘i) Nasir-i Khusraw (11th century). Yet the available now written sources do not provide sufficient grounds to ascertain definitely the real character of Nasir-i Khusraw activities in Badakhshan and the subsequent history of the Ismaili da‘wa in the Pamirs. This article examines a range of issues and problems dealing with the morphology of the religious space of Badakhshan, forms, ways and methods of interaction between Ismailis and Sufi tariqas, the influence of Sufi doctrines on intellectual history and local Ismaili religious practices.

“SEN VE BEN”: ON YEDİNCİ YÜZYIL BAŞI İNGİLİZ ŞİİRİ VE ON ÜÇÜNCÜ YÜZYIL ANADOLU TASAVVUF ŞİİRİNDE AŞK İLE BİRLİK DÜŞÜNCESİ

Early seventeenth-century English verse and thirteenth-century Anatolian Sufi poetry, though from different cultures and eras, converge in their exploration of going beyond material existence through love. In the verses of Edmund Spenser, John Donne, George Herbert, Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Yunus Emre and Haji Bektash Veli, love emerges as a medium for spiritual awakening that liberates individuals from mundane life and socio-political conflicts and leads to an elevated consciousness merged with the divine. Thus, this article will analyse Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” Rumi’s “You and I,” Spenser’s “Hymne in Honour of Heavenly Love,” Emre’s “Lovers Die Not,” Herbert’s “Love III,” and Veli’s “The Transcendence of Saints” in light of Plato's idea of Oneness and the Sufi doctrine of wahdat-i wujud and suggest that these poems reveal love as a transformative power enabling individuals to transcend their worldly existence and become One with the beloved, namely the divine.

Examining the Theoretical Foundations of Sufi Perspectives: An In-Depth Analysis of Ibn Sina's Views

The historical details in the article and the writings of Ibn Sina attest to his interest in Sufi doctrines, his personal acquaintanceship with many of them, and his friendship with some of them. The author claims that Ibn Sina's mystical worldview was greatly influenced by Aristotle's ideas. However, Sufi passion was not something unusual or accidental for the scientist. Due to its universality and scope, it became a model for later scientists and philosophers. During this period, the scientific heritage left by the great sages was a huge scientific treasure for their followers and an important fundamental basis for the development of their views, schools and heritage. The heritage of Al-Kindi, Ibn Majah, Farabi, Ibn Rushd and other thinkers became the property of human culture. One of the most prominent representatives of this school is Abu Ali ibn Sina. In addition to mastering, restoring, and spreading Aristotle's teachings, he was also able to critically perceive and develop them alongside his esteemed predecessors.

Abū l-Hudà al-Ṣayyādī (1850-1909), the niqābat al-ašrāf, and Sufism between Sunnah and Šīʿah in Late Ottoman Iraq (Šarīfism in Modernity I)

Abstract During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Ottoman state’s efforts to centralize the Syndicate of Prophetic Descendants (niqābat al-ašrāf) was paralleled by the massive growth of Prophetic descendants (sādah and ašrāf) and the mass conversion to the Šīʿah among the tribes in the Iraqi provinces. This contribution aims to shed new light on the role of Abū l-Hudà al-Ṣayyādī (1266/1850-1327/1909), the imperial naqīb al-ašrāf and paramount šayḫ and architect of the Sunnī Rifāʿiyyah Sufi order, in this context. Analyzing a selection of Ṣayyādī’s publications on genealogies, Sufi doctrine, and poem collections, the article focuses on his contribution to the emergence of a special subgroup of Prophetic descendants in the Arab tribal landscape, namely al-sādah al-rifāʿiyyah, and on the significance of his genealogical constructions for his understanding of Sunnī Islam as distinct from Šīʿism.

Religious Intetextuality in Jasim Mohammad Jasim's poetry

This paper deals with intertextuality as a critical literary phenomenon Known throughout history. Religious intertextuality in poetry is not out of this scope for this poet for he recollects texts from the past, applied the technique of intertextuality and presents them after endowing them with the spirit of modernism and making them open to the future according to a vision governed by poetic language, rich imagination, effective style and this is a revitalization of the religious heritage and a dialogue with it.This paper is only concerned with the texts with religious connotations in Jasim Mohammad Jasim's poetry in which he makes use of the Holy Qur'an, Hadith, Sufi doctrine and other religions. Some of the expressions with religious dimensions became material for his present texts as a source for enriching his poetic experience because they were rich with stories, teachings and moral lessons as well as their literary language of elevated style and accurate expressions. For these reasons they attracted the poet and tempted him to quote what enables him to come out with poetic texts of religious nature to satisfy readers, who long for the religious past, with literary, poetic art rich with feelings and emotions.

Explanation of Some of the Elements in the Work entitled Mazhar al-Anwār wa Kashf- al-Asrār in Terms of Sufi Perspectıve

In this study, some of the elements in the work Mazhar al-Anwār wa Kashf- al-Asrār, which is registered in Topkapı Palace Library, number EH1294, and which has a wide range of Sufi concepts and on which no study has been identified, have been analyzed and explained from a Sufi perspective. In al-Qushayrī's al-Risāla, which is considered one of the basic sources of Sufism, Sufism is defined as "the efforts of the elite of the Ahl al-Sunnah to be with Allah at all times and to avoid heedlessness against the bid'ahs that emerged over time by the group who paid great attention to the provisions of the religion after the period of Tābiʿū al-Tābʿīn." It would be appropriate to define this method as an effort to fulfill the manners of the Shari'ah in zāhir (outer) and bātin (essence), to act in moderation without excess in matters related to the world, to increase the quality of servitude and to purify the soul instead of multiplying one's worship. Sufism, an important field for researchers in Old Turkish Literature and has many aspects such as morality, worship, marifah, knowledge, and philosophy, has made a significant contribution to the literature. The expansion of Sufi works in the nature of sources in this field over time has led to an increase in the number of works waiting to be studied in the manuscript sections of our libraries, waiting to be discovered. There is no information about the author of Mazhar al-Anwār wa Kashf- al-Asrār, which is one of these works and which we have studied, and it has been determined that it was presented to Mawlānv İsmail Pasha in the 18th century. Consisting of 50 folios, the work in question is a prose work consisting of an introduction, two chapters and an epilogue, containing Sufi subjects, but its literary nature was strengthened by supporting it with verse pieces. The message given in the last chapter of the work, which is quoted as the last chapter, is that these worlds are the truth and if this subject is understood, the importance of the place where Sufism is built can be expressed more concretely. When we started the evaluation of the work, we thought that we would be walking within the framework of a reflection of the issues accepted by the zahiri sciences. As we progressed in the review, we realized that the Sufi doctrine aims at a doctrine that has the concepts of being closer to the Creator as well as the doctrine of going beyond by breaking down the walls of reason, and we tried to make this mysterious source more understandable by revising our study in this direction. Although the scope of our study has a very wide literature, due to the fact that it exceeds the limits of a paper, the general content of the work is revealed and the most prominent Sufi elements; the four worlds, namely lāhūt, jabārūt and mithāl, are discussed by comparing them with their definitions and examples in the work and in Old Turkish Literature. In addition, it is important in terms of bringing a new perspective to the field of Sufism and the reader because it is viewed from a different perspective during the evaluation phase of the work. With its prose and verse sections, the work is of a nature that will give a different impetus to the studies on Sufism today. We believe that it will be an achievement for Turkish literature in terms of its style and content.

Attribution of Wisdom to Prophets in Khaja Ahmad Yassawi’s works

The present research examines the spread of Sufi doctrine throughout Central Asia, with a particular focus on that of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi. We endeavored to demonstrate their fundamental worth by utilizing Ahmed Yassawi's "Divani Hikmet" and "Masnavi" poetry, among other religious writings. In this paper, we examine the relationship between the prophets' words (Yassawi’s list of main Sufi concepts) and other mystical concepts. Our objective was to determine the artistic and aesthetic significance of these concepts in the poet's works. In addition, Khoja Ahmed Yassawi's Islamic viewpoints on morality, empathy, spiritual purification, and other related topics are presented.

In the Crucible of Ottoman Taḥqīq: A Fifteenth-Century Case of Verifying Philosophy and Theology under Sufi Agnosticism

Abstract Verification (taḥqīq) was a post-classical practice in Islamicate scholarship that sought ways to attain syntheses between rational and religious sciences. This article argues, however, that the early Ottoman practice of taḥqīq was not limited to the “verification of theology and philosophy,” as it also included attempts to reconcile certain Sufi doctrines with philosophical theology. This tendency is evident in the works of fifteenth-century scholars, such as Sinān Paşa and his shaykh Vefā’, as well as al-Jāmī and İbn Kemāl, all of whom tried to reconcile conflicting aspects of philosophy and theology under the overarching rubric of the Akbarī worldview. These cases demonstrate that Sufi taḥqīq was already present very early in the development of Ottoman intellectual life, and that it was a diffuse and multi-variegated practice that drew upon the universalizing tendencies of Sufi agnosticism.

Muînüddin Çiştî'nin Hint Yarımadası’ndaki Tasavvufi Etkilerine Dair Bir Değerlendirme: Çiştiyye Tarikatı Örneği

This article aimed to analyse the life and works of Mu'in al-Din Ḥasan Ibn Sayyid Giyaseddin as- Sijzī al-Chishti (d. 633/1236) as well as the effects of the Chishti Tariqa of which he was the founder, in the Indian Subcontinent. The importance and effects of Chishti Tariqa, the first and largest sect of India, in the spread of Islam and the construction of the basic structure of Islamic civilisation and culture are mentioned. The Chishti Tariqa emerged around 930 CE in Chishti, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan, and this tariqa got its name from its founder Mu'in al-Din Chishti. The essential condition of the Chishti Tariqa is a life in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah, that is, following the Sharia. According to Mu'in al-Din Chishti, Sufism without Sharia is superstitious. People who follow the path of Sufism without following the Shari'a cannot enjoy spiritual life in any way. Mu'in al-Din Chishti settled the Chishti order in Lahore and Ajmer in India in the middle of the 12th century. Mu'in al-Din Chishti is among the most well-known scholars, thinkers and sufis in the Indian subcontinent. In addition, Mu'in al-Din Chishti has a distinguished personality in social life. He saw the religious life as a service to the creatures and inculcated his followers to be in the social life and to serve the creatures. For this reason, he considered meeting the needs of the needy and feeding the hungry as a requirement of obedience to Allah and never neglected this. Due to his influence in India, Mu'in al-Din Chishti was given titles such as "Merciful to the Poor, Sun of India and Spiritual Sultan of India". He first stayed in Bukhara and Samarkand for a while for his education and then went to Baghdad. Mu'in al-Din Chishti also visited many important Islamic science centres of the period, such as Damascus, Mecca, Medina, Hamadan, Tabriz, Herat, Nishapur, Isfahan, Gorgan, Sabzevar, Balkh, and came to Lahore in India via Ghazni. Mu'in al-Din Chishti was also an influential Islamic scholar who devoted himself to the spread of Islam. Due to his invitation, many people accepted Islam in groups. The rulers of the period were disturbed due to the increasing number of Mu'in al-Din Chishti's influence circle and the people around him. The Hindu Raja, the king of the period, who thought his authority would be in danger, started to persecute Mu'in al-Din Chishti and his followers in various ways. However, Mu'in al-Din's influence on the people increased continuously despite all these problems. According to historical records, approximately nine million non-Muslims became Muslims in India under the influence of Mu'in al-Din Chishti. The study aimed to delineate Mu'in al-Din Chishti's life, scientific personality, works, influences and sect, lineage, mystical views, his travels for science, the Islamic scholars he met during his travels and learned knowledge, and his societal influences. Chishti's sufi doctrines were discussed through essential concepts in his works and the sect's method. In addition, the article also described the relations of Chishti with the rulers of his own time, the difficulties he encountered during his guidance of the people, and the reasons for these difficulties.

The Spread of Sufi Doctrine in the Golden Horde and its Spiritual Values

In recent years, a lot of research has been carried out on the religious history of the Golden Horde, a large state that formed the head of the Turkic-Muslim peoples of Eurasia. The importance of studying the religion and Confessions of the peoples of the Volga region and Deshti Kipchak is growing, and a number of scientific works in this direction are increasing. The increase in interest in the study of the spiritual, philosophical and cultural role of religion is due to the conduct of scientific work. One of the most important and urgent topics in science is the fundamental study of the spread of Sufi doctrine among the peoples of the Golden Horde and its socio-cultural and spiritual role, which is considered one of the most basic religious and philosophical trends in Islam. In the state of the Golden Horde, the history of Islam, its adoption and immersion in the minds of the people attract the attention of representatives of the humanities. Despite the rather high level of development of research on the history and spirituality of Islam in the Golden Horde, there is a need for scientific research. Of these, the most relevant is the history and philosophy of Sufi teachings, and the spiritual values of this direction in the minds of the Horde peoples are considered important. The proposed scientific article discusses the spread of the Islamic religion, including Sufi teachings, and its spiritual and philosophical values in the Golden Horde, which was the largest state of the Turkic era. A historical analysis of the adoption of Islam by the people of the Golden Horde and the spread of the teachings of Sufism here is carried out and a spiritual assessment is given.

Between Sunnah Currency and Sufi Doctrine: Mediating and Negotiating the Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham on Digital Platforms by the Indonesian Murabitun

The Murabitun World Movement promotes the gold dinar and silver dirham as authentic Islamic currency tools. However, their vision of establishing an independent Islamic currency is rejected by the socio-political dynamics of the communities’ home countries. Using Talal Asad’s theory of Islam as a discursive tradition, the study investigates the local practices of the Murabitun among Indonesian Muslims, with particular attention to their cultural identity. This study relies much on online data and cyber resources. The Indonesian Murabitun actively promoted the circulation of the gold dinar and silver dirham as an Islamic currency at the Pasar Muamala (exchange market) in Madiun and Yogyakarta. The Indonesian Murabitun movement was initially established in Depok, West Java by Zaim Saidi with his creation of the Pasar Muamala. After Zaim Saidi was formally charged with violating the currency law, his movement lose much its influence. However, utilizing the dynamics of the socio-political landscape this movement has continued to be actively involved in promoting the gold dinar and silver dirham currency—as an alternative transaction tool alongside the regular currency—on digital media platforms.

Manichæism as a World Religion of Salvation and Its Influence on Islam

Abstract Māni created a new religion of salvation out of the Mazdæan religion of ancient Iran and named himself as its final prophet. The decisive impact of Manichæism as a salvific faith on Islam is evident in the Qurʾan’s prophetology and Christology, its conceptions of wisdom and knowledge, and the idea of the salvation of the soul through light. Just like Māni, Mohammad in the Qurʾan is the “Seal of the Prophets (khātem al-nabiyyin),” though he is formally designated as the Messenger (rasul) of God. Moving beyond Mohammad and the Qurʾan, the subsequent independent influence of Manichæism on the emergence of Sufism in Iran is traced alongside the development of light symbolism in the Sufi conception of the journey of the soul in the realm of light as the final stage of mystical union with God and in the formulation of the Sufi doctrine of the Mohammadan Light (nur-e mohammadi).

Literal Meaning of Nur (the Light) Verse: Examining Unity of Being in the Translation of the Qur'an

Starting from the consensus of the principal Sufi scholars and non-Sufi scholars in affirming religious principles and the Qur'an as the main reference, this paper focused on the doctrineof Sufism through Nur (the Light) verse. The study aimed to enhanced their agreement through the literalism method, even in its most elementary form, namely literal translation. Using the literal translation method, the study tried to answer whether Wahdatul Wujud could be explored and confirmedby the literal translation of the Light verse. Besides helping to clarify Wahdatul Wujud, it also confirmed the Sufi's doctrine through comparing its results with other verses. The study pointed out that the doctrine of Wahdatul Wujud could be explained and elaborated through the literal translation of the Light verse; the explanation of Wahdatul Wujud confirmed its difference from the doctrine of hulul and ittihad; and the explanation and argumentation of Wahdatul Wujud did not only clear up misunderstandings but also opened the opportunity to reduce the tension between Sufi and others due to the polemic of the doctrine. The literal translation needs to be further examined for its application to verses other than the light verse referred to by the Sufis in explaining Wahdatul Wujud or other Sufism doctrines such as the concept of heresy (al-dhalal), the concept of injustice (al-dzulm), infidel, shirk, agnoseology (al-ta'thil), and the degree of essence (maqam al-dzat).

Constructing Religious Authority: Creating Exclusion along the Matrix of Knowledge and Power in Pakistan

This article argues that in Pakistan, intra-Islamic differences and the contested field of Islamic identity politics affected and moulded the country’s integrated and overlapping religious identities into distinct and disparate categories at the micro level. The article discusses the process of formation of the jamaat of the Sufi-inspired silsila, the Naqshbandia Awaisia, by Major Ghulam Muhammad among the military and an urban middle-class constituency. It shows how the jamaat conceptualised and imbued Sufism with an exclusivist approach, positioning Sufism and Sharia within an Islamic discourse that categorically rejected the religion’s ritual and devotional aspects. This embroiled these mutually constitutive and intersecting dimensions, Sharia, esoteric Sufi doctrine and the devotional and ritual aspects in an ambivalent relationship. The exclusion of the devotional and ritual aspects became a boundary-setting label of difference between the ‘proper’ Muslim and the ‘other’ along a matrix of knowledge and power.

Applying Ibn ʿArabī's Concept of Tajallī: A Sufi Approach to Environmental Ethics

This article examines the Sufi concept of tajallī and its application to environmental ethics. This study usesdescriptive and productive interpretation to analyze the data which are extracted from the main works of Ibn ͑Arabī, namely Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam and al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah. It finds that Ibn ʿArabī’s concept of tajallī can be understood not only in its philosophical sense but also in its spiritual and moral sense to develop a new approach to environmental ethics. This research has valid implications for taking a new direction in the study of mystic Islam and environmental ethic by incorporating tajallī and other Sufi doctrines such as waḥdatu-l-wujūd, maḥabbah, and maʿrifah.

Revelations of the Incarnation Vision in Selected Poems of Ibnul-Sabbagh Al-Juthami

Sufi poetry is one of the literary genres that enriched Arab poetry, its meanings and experiences, by including these poems many terms with special connotations, and pure spiritual experiences that are based on different things derived from the Sufi doctrine that poets employed in their poems. Therefore, this study came to examine the effect of the manifestation of the phenomenon of in Ibn ul-Sabbagh Al-Juthami's, and the methods he used to express this doctrine, and to reveal the relationship of the doctrine of to place, and the effect of that on the poetic text, taking into account the statement of what the term is and revealing some of the differences between the two terms: incarnation and mystical union. The paper ends with a conclusion which sums ap the findings of the study.

Manuscript of Kitab Sifat Dua Puluh: The Portrait of Moderate Islamic Theological Doctrines from Interior Borneo

The construction of religious moderation is not only derived from the context of practices but also the texts of its theological doctrines. Manuscripts of Kitab Sifat Dua Puluh from West Kalimantan is a primary source to study the basis of Islamic religious moderation in Interior Borneo. The texts of the manuscript are no longer presented as a copy of al-Sanūsī’s Umm al-Barāhīn but it has become a corpus that accommodates local genius dan tradition. This article aims to examine the moderation of Islamic theological doctrine derived from the texts of the manuscript of twenty attributes of God. The texts of a manuscript considered as one of the sustainable best practices of South-East Asian localisations of Islam because it was one of the basic references for local Dayak Muslim community learning Islam in interior Boneo. This article is based on the results of philological studies on the manuscript collection written by Abang Ahmad Tahir (1860-1945) in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The moderate Islamic theological doctrine in Abang Ahmad Tahir’s manuscript collection can be seen through three indicators namely the simplicity of the narrative articulation and arguments of the attributes of God, the synthesis of Islamic theological doctrine with Sufi doctrine, and the content of the text that gives no room for hate speech against local tradition and different systems of belief of the indigenous offspring of West Kalimantan.