RELG 367 H10 28684

Humanities, HistoryCiv, NotCore

A survey of Islamic mysticism, its foundation in the Quranic revelation doctrines and practices, subsequent development, significance within Islamic civilization, and role in the contemporary world, both Islamic and non-Islamic.

Notes:

A survey of Islamic mysticism, its foundation in the Quranic revelation doctrines and practices, subsequent development, significance within Islamic civilization, and role in the contemporary world, both Islamic and non-Islamic.Specifically, this course is an in-depth investigation of Sufism, the ascetic-mystical tradition within Islam, from its origins to the present day. We examine Sufism as a major tradition of Islamic piety that has shaped the devotional practices and theological understandings of millions of Muslims throughout history, despite the fact that it is sometimes viewed as at odds with “orthodox” Islam. Sufism arose from a cultural context far removed from the life-experience of most students, which can render it difficult to understand. Everyone in the class is thus asked to contribute their thought and energy to exploring ways to make Sufism more relatable and comprehensible, without sacrificing its historical and cultural embeddedness.