Sufism 2015

This Fall term I will be teaching one of my favourite classes, ISLA 330 Islamic Mysticism: Sufism. At present this introductory Sufism class is full, but there is always the possibility that students will drop out or that the cap will be raised if there are students on the waitlist who want in.

'This class will introduce students to the theory, practice, and history of Sufism, often referred to as "mystical" Islam. We will consider the emergence and efflorescence of Sufi orders throughout the world, from the Middle East and Iran to South Asia, China, and South-East Asia, and from Africa to Europe, Britain, and Canada. Sufi poetry will be read as well as experienced in the form of qawwali and other musical genres. The underpinnings of metaphysics and ontology will be represented by theoretical works by Ibn 'Arabi, known as the "Greatest Master" (Shaikh al-Akbar). We will look at distinctive ways of reading the Quran, at divine love, infidelity, and the social deviancy of dervish orders. The perceived danger of Sufi beliefs and practices and the consequences of such antipathies will be discussed and debated, from the martyrdom of Hallaj for his scandalous announcement, "I am the Real," to the bombings of Sufi shrines by Islamist groups in the present.'