628024 SE Islamic Mysticism

winter semester 2023/2024 | Last update: 24.05.2023 Place course on memo list
Department of Islamic Theology and Religious Education Department of Islamic Theology and Religious Education
Mag. Dr. Khalid El Abdaoui Mag. Dr. Khalid El Abdaoui, +43 512 507 44815
628024
SE Islamic Mysticism
SE 2
3
weekly
annually
German

This seminary is a basic introduction into the Sufi tradition, which will provide an overview of the mystic dimension of Islam. Students will be introduced to its historical evolution, institutionalization, spiritual practices, epistemology, and concept of man and God. Examples of Sufi practices will also be presented in the various cultural contexts of the Muslim world.

The seminar starts by discussing basic religious concepts and ideas of Islamic mysticism and situating them within Islam. It then delves into historical development of Sufism, structure of Sufi orders, relation between master and disciple, stations of spiritual experience on the Sufi path, exemplary Sufi masters such as Ǧalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī (d. 1273), Manṣūr al-Ḥallāǧ (d. 922) und Abū Ḥāmid Al-Ġazālī (d. 1111), and the forms of knowledge and techniques of their spiritual practices.  In particular, the epistemic element of Sufism is emphasised.The lived Sufi Islam (especially through the practice of thinking about God) is also dealt with in detail in the seminar. 

The seminar consists of reading, analysis, evaluation and critical comparison of classical and contemporary texts to enable the students to understand and contextualize the teachings of Islamic mysticism in pluralistic societies and thereby to give them the opportunity to compare other mystical concepts within Islamic mystical discourses and approaches.

This methodological approach should also enable students to reflect on questions of Islamic mysticism in an overall theological and social perspective. In addition to reading and text analysis, this seminar particularly aims at interactive participation through questions and discussion. The content to be covered will be illustrated by the lecturer through power point presentations and videos as well as through the thesis papers and other teaching material.

 

 

 

active participation and seminar paper

  1. Al-Daghistani, Raid: Epistemologie des Herzens: Erkenntnisaspekte der islamischen Mystik. Köln: Ditib, 2017.
  2. Al-Daghistani, Raid: Rethinking Sufism. Spiritual Education as a Meanes to Counter Religious Radicalism in Islam. In: “Religious Education. Between Radicalism and Tolerance”, edited by Ednan A., Margaret R. Wien: Springer, 2018.
  3. Al-Ġazālī, Abū Ḥāmid: Der Erretter aus dem Irrtum. Hamburg: Felix Meiner, 1987.
  4. Al-Qušayrī, Das Sendschreiben al-Qušayrīs über das Sufitum, 1989.
  5. As-Sarrāǧ, Schlaglichter über das Sufitum, 1990.
  6. Frembgen, Jürgen Wasim: Journey to God. Karachi. Oxford University Press, 2008.
  7. Geoffroy, É., Introduction to Sufism. The Inner Path of Islam, 2010.
  8.  Gramlich, Richard: Der eine Gott. Grundzüge der Mystik des islamischen Monotheismus. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1998.
  9. Gramlich, Richard: Islamische Mystik: sufische Texte aus zehn Jahrhunderten. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1992.
  10. Knysh, Alexander: Islamic Mysticism: A Short History. Leiden: Brill, 2000.
  11. Ritter, Hellmut: Das Meer der Seele. Leiden: Brill, 1955.
  12. Schimmel, Annemarie: Mystische Dimensionen des Islam: die Geschichte des Sufismus. München: Diederichs, 1992.
  13. Schimmel, Annemarie: Gärten der Erkenntnis: das Buch der vierzig Sufi-Meister. München: Diederichs, 1991.
  14. Knysh, Alexander: Sufism. A New History of Islamic Mysticism. Princeton University Press, 2017.
  15. Meier, Fritz: Vom Wesen der islamischen Mystik. Basel: B. Schwabe, 1943.
  16. Rūmī, Mawlana: Das Masnavi: Erstes Buch. Edition Shershir, 2012.
  17. Schimmel, Annemarie: Ḥallādsch – Oh Leute, rettet mich vor Gott. Chalice, 2017.
  18. Sejdini, Zekirija: Die Nahrung der Herzen. Fr. a. M.: Peter Lang GmbH, 2013.