The Sufi Tradition – Literary and Cultural Dimensions

Catalog description

This course is intended to be an introduction to Sufi metaphysics, poetry, and practice. First, we will examine the emergence, development, and continuation of Sufism over the centuries and its relevance in the modern era. The course will then focus on the details of Sufi metaphysics, its principles and applications in relationship to Islamic theological (kalam) and philosophical (falsafa) traditions. Lastly the course will examine the role of Sufi poetry in the expression of Sufi metaphysics and as a tool of acculturation. To this end we will closely read several central texts that have shaped conceptions of Sufism, written by such figures as Junayd al-Baghdadi, Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Mahmud Shabistari, Rumi, Yunus Emre, etc.