SufismOutline1. Definition and the problem of “essentially contested terms”Arabic definitions2. Rediscovery of the Sufi tradition3. Who overlaps with whom? A quick vocabulary checkSlide 74. Ibn Khaldun on SufismIbn Khaldun: characteristics of SufismIbn Khaldun explains SufismIbn Khaldun criticizes SufismMore criticism of Sufism requires distinction of topicsIbn Khaldun’s final verdict5. Institutional development of Sufism, post 1200Tomb of Mu`in al-Din Chishti (Ajmer, India, d. 1235)Tomb of Ahmadu Bamba (Touba, Senegal, d. 1910)Scale of Sufi shrine pilgrimageMore institutional developmentsConclusionSufismCarl ErnstReli 180, Introduction to Islamic CivilizationOutline Problems of definitionModern European and fundamentalist concepts of SufismQuick vocabulary check on Sunni/Shi`IIbn Khaldun on SufismInstitutional development of Sufism, post 120021. Definition and the problem of “essentially contested terms”Examples: Liberal; justice; freedom (see George Lakoff, Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea)Different perspectives on Sufism: foreign & non-Islamic, or the heart of Islam?Where do definitions come from?Summaries of analytical observation (Plato)Historical record (Oxford English Dictionary)Authority (political/religious figures)3Arabic definitionsThe derivations of Sufisuf, wool, garment of ascetic denialSafa’, “purity”safwa, “the elite”Ahl al-suffa, “the people of the bench” (early Muslims who shared everything in common)Tasawwuf, “becoming a Sufi” explained by teaching definitionsHow might that differ from “Sufism” as part of the catalog of “isms”?42. Rediscovery of the Sufi traditionSpirituality, experience, mysticism: loaded terms from European/Christian historyEarly Europeans like Sufi poetry (love and wine), thought it couldn’t possibly be Islamic – must be from somewhere else?Recent colonial/postcolonial reformations of Islamic identity (“fundamentalism”) reject Sufi saints, intercession, Sufi lineages and practices, as evil innovations53. Who overlaps with whom?A quick vocabulary check6Sunni Sufis, and Shi`i Sufis7Human face composed of Allah, Muhammad, Ali4. Ibn Khaldun on Sufism“belongs to the sciences of the religious law that originated in Islam”Divine worship, devotion to God, aversion from the world, abstinence from wealth, retirement into solitude for worship – all common among early MuslimsSpecial name “Sufi” developed a couple of centuries later [compare special technical terms of Islamic law and hadith]8Ibn Khaldun: characteristics of SufismAsceticismIntuitive perception of psychological states and stationsSelf scrutiny and quest for knowledge and unity with GodSpecial language for inner experience, parallel to other fields of religious knowledge9Ibn Khaldun explains SufismPhilosophical psychology as an explanation of Sufi experiences“Removal of the veil” as a key metaphor for perception that goes beyond the sensesDifferent views on God as separate or one with creatures (362); alleged similarity with philosophical and Christian viewsDisapproval of Sufis by legal scholars (muftis, who give fatwas)10Ibn Khaldun criticizes SufismTheories of absolute oneness: only God existsTheory of cosmic imagination-- dismissed as contrary to reason and experience11More criticism of Sufism requires distinction of topics1. “pious exertions” of meditation and worship2. Removal of the veil, perception of supernatural realities3. The operation of divine grace in the world4. Ecstatic expressions that arouse suspicion (“I am the truth” – Hallaj)  These are the primary problem; they should be disapproved or reinterpreted12Ibn Khaldun’s final verdictSeeking inner experience is fine, but it’s better not to discuss them publicly!135. Institutional development of Sufism, post 1200“Saints” or living friends of GodProblems with using the term “saint”Tombs as centers of pilgrimage: local formsMasters (shaykh, pir) and disciples (murid)“Chains” (silsila) of master and disciple, going back to the Prophet [Sufi “orders”]“Ways” (tariqa) taught by ordersVeneration of the Prophet14Tomb of Mu`in al-Din Chishti (Ajmer, India, d. 1235)15Tomb of Ahmadu Bamba (Touba, Senegal, d. 1910)16Scale of Sufi shrine pilgrimageAjmer receives 1.5 million pilgrims at the annual festivalTouba receives over 2 million pilgrimsNeither pilgrimage center is aware of or connected to the otherBoth challenge the hajj to Mecca in sizeTo what extent should they be considered marginal in modern Islam?17More institutional developmentsChanting the Arabic names of God as a ritual of remembrance (dhikr)Rituals of music, recitation of poetrySometimes arms-length from politics, sometimes tightly involvedAbolition of Sufism in Turkey by secular govt., in Saudi Arabia by fundamentalistsModern phenomenon of Sufism for non-Muslims18ConclusionProblems of definition:“Once Sufism was a reality without a name; now it is a name without a reality”-- Abu al-Hasan Fushanja (11th