Law and Intellectual LifeOutline1. Intellectual life in the 14th centuryProblems in the analysisMajor figures2. Law“closing of the gate of ijtihad”?3. Varieties of religious expressionMore problems with the analysisProliferation of Sufi groupsSufism as social critiqueSufi Movements among the TurksMore Sufi movementsSlide 14Law and Intellectual LifeCarl W. ErnstIntroduction to Islamic CivilizationOutline Intellectual Life in the 14th CenturyProblem of “golden age” conceptMajor figures of the eraLaw“Queen of sciences”“closing of the gate of ijtihad”?The Varieties of Religious ExpressionProblem of defining “orthodoxy”/“heterodoxy”Proliferation of Sufi orders1. Intellectual life in the 14th centuryNot the end of the “Golden age” -- no interruption of cultural life after Mongols etc.Islamic law not dependent on any particular regimeTechnical and scientific tendency of Europe only after 16th-17th centuriesDebates on the causes of “Great Western Transmutation,” technicalismProblems in the analysis“by the 13th century… philosophical speculation had practically ceased” An error based on inadequate knowledge of schools of Islamic philosophy in the East (School of Shiraz Conference, December 2008)Lack of autonomous universities made it “next to impossible for a school of thought to develop” Also seriously ignores the continued existence of scientific and philosophical research up to 18th centuryMajor figuresIbn Taymiya (d. 1327), lawIbn al-Shatir (d. 1375), astronomyIbn Khaldun (d. 1406), historyHafez (d. 1391), Persian poetryIbn Battuta (d. 1368), traveler2. LawFour schools of Sunni legal tradition all mutually acceptable; but conformity (taqlid) strong within schoolsCharacteristics of the legal scholar (faqih, master of fiqh)Independent judgment (ijtihad) as the pinnacle of legal scholarship“closing of the gate of ijtihad ”?Expressions of exaggerated respect for legal founders misunderstood (by Europeans) as implying the end of independent thinking Importance of understanding shari`a (theoretical ideal of Islamic law) as the cumulative collection of traditional interpretations Greater emphasis on legal reasoning in Shi`ism3. Varieties of religious expressionOrthodoxy and heterodoxy dependent on a single center of religious authority such as the papacy; no Muslim equivalentExceptions in particular regimes: Kharijite movement; `Abbasid Mu`tazili “inquisition”; official support of Shafi`i school by SaljuqsRejection of “extremist” Shi`is (Druze, Nusayris) as a way of defining emerging 12er positions [but contrast modern Syria]More problems with the analysisThe Sunni tradition was one of self-censorship. It was inevitably conservative and traditional in spirit, leading to the withering of an independent philosophical tradition and the closing of the gate of ijtihad” (307) an overly broad statement that overlooks creative Sunni engagement with Sufi metaphysics and legal traditionProliferation of Sufi groupsIntegration of Sufism into everyday religious life of many or most MuslimsProvided women an acceptable avenue of religious expression and leadershipSocial roles of Sufi Masters and saintly shrinesSufism as social critiqueRarity of attacks on veneration of saintsInstitutional power of Sufi centers countered by “Sufi deviancy” of “self blamers” (malamatiyya) and Qalandar dervish dropoutsCharismatic figures in the Sufi hierarchy: Mahdi (Messiah), Qutb (center of the world), `AliSufi Movements among the TurksNaqshbandis stress intense discipline of silent dhikr meditation, adherence to shari`aBektashi order varies significantly from Sunni norms – seen in Turkish Alevis problematic concept of “syncretism” not very useful here; assumes that there are “pure” forms of religion that are superior erroneous connections made to Christian heretical movement (Paulicians)More Sufi movementsSafavid movement, founded by Sunni leader Safi al-Din (d. 1334), eventually turns into a Shi`i tribal movement that establishes a kingdom in Iran (1504).Chishtis in IndiaMevlevis in Anatolia (Rumi)Rifa`is in Arab regionsQadiris all overOutline Intellectual Life in the 14th CenturyProblem of “golden age” conceptMajor figures of the eraLaw“Queen of sciences”“closing of the gate of ijtihad”?The Varieties of Religious ExpressionProblem of defining “orthodoxy”/“heterodoxy”Proliferation of Sufi