Sufism: The Formative Period

Ahmet T. Karamustafa

Published by Edinburgh University Press 2007

Sufism

The Formative Period

Ahmet T. Karamustafa

In the series The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748628971

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book is a comprehensive historical overview of the formative period of Sufism, the major mystical tradition in Islam, from the ninth to the twelfth century CE. Based on a fresh reading of the primary sources and integrating the findings of recent scholarship on the subject, the author presents a unified narrative of Sufism's historical development within an innovative analytical framework. Karamustafa gives a new account of the emergence of mystical currents in Islam during the ninth century and traces the rapid spread of Iraq-based Sufism to other regions of the Islamic world and its fusion with indigenous mystical movements elsewhere, most notably the Mal?matiyya of northeastern Iran. He analyses extensively the formation of Sufi communities, the imbrication of Sufi sainthood with popular saints' cults as well as nonconformist dimensions of Sufism and fully explicates the reasons for the increasing social prominence of the Sufi mode of piety during this early period in Islamic history.

Key Features

Strikes a balance between social and intellectual history
Identifies and articulates questions of interest to scholars, students and general readers
Consistently locates Sufism within its broader social and intellectual context

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Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
1. The Sufis of Baghdad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Mystics outside Baghdad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	38
3. The spread of Baghdad Sufi sm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	56
4. Specialised Sufi literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
5. Formation of communities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
6. Sainthood triumphant Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	172
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	178
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	194

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 216
Keywords: Islamic Studies

eBook

Published: April 12, 2007
ISBN: 9780748628971