Meis Al-Kaisi

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Mohammad Gharaibeh

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

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University of Arizona

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Leiden University

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International Islamic University Malaysia

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Papers by Meis Al-Kaisi

Abu Nu‛aym Al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038): His Professional Life

Jurnal Theologia, Jun 16, 2022

Abu Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038), a celebrated scholar and author of many works, famed for hi... more Abu Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038), a celebrated scholar and author of many works, famed for his Ḥilya, and mostly remembered as a Sufi advocate, historiographer, and hadith traditionist. Despite his renowned reputation, one struggles to find much research concerning his life and works. Classical Arabic literature presents some information about him in scattered short biographical entries. Modern scholarship has even less to offer in this regard. None of the existent sources presents a biography that delivers a precise examination of Abu Nu‛aym's life, journeys, teachers, students and works, all in one place. This paper is a sequel to my previously published piece entitled "Abu Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038): Conflicting Opinions" which evaluates the opinions of Abu Nu‛aym's supporters and critics. Published by "Teosofia" in December 2021, the article examines the praise Abu Nu‛aym had received from his proponents as well as the criticism from his opponents. In this current paper the focus is on Abu Nu‛aym's professional life. It includes lists of all his teachers, students, and works, along a detailed presentation of which of Abu Nu‛aym's works have been published, which survived in only manuscript form and which are considered lost. This paper is meant to complement the previous one and together present a concise biography that treats all the details of Abu Nu‛aym's life. This paper is the result of many years of search for information about Abu Nu‛aym in primarily classical sources, but also modern literature, as well manuscript and library catalogues for details on the available manuscript copies and printed editions of his works.

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Arab Influencers and Social Media

Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2022

A critical edition and a study of an extract of Hilyat Al-Awliya' Wa-Tabaqat Al-Asfiya

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Iraqi Folkloric Tradition of Mājīnā: The ‘Trick-or-Treat’ of Mesopotamia

Folklore

Abu Nu‛aym Al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038): Conflicting Opinions

Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, 2021

Abu Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038) is a renowned figure with a glorious reputation. He is known... more Abu Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038) is a renowned figure with a glorious reputation. He is known as a hadith traditionist, historiographer, advocate of Sufism, and author of many works, the most celebrated of which is Ḥilyat al-awliyā’ wa-ṭabaqāt al-aṣfiyā’. Nonetheless, despite his glorious reputation, some scholars have criticized him and his renowned Ḥilya. Scholarship, in its turn, both classical and modern, has served Abu Nu‛aym no justice. Classical Arabic literature presents some information about his life and works in scattered short biographical entries. Modern scholarship has even less to offer in this regard. None of the existent sources presents a single biography that delivers a precise examination of Abu Nu‛aym’s status treating the opinions of both supporters and critics. This paper evaluates the conflicting opinions. It puts the puzzle pieces together to deliver a focused study of particular biographical details in Abu Nu‛aym’s life that examine the praise he has re...

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Rethinking Conceptual Sufism: A Synthesis of Islamic Spirituality, Asceticism, and Mysticism

Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam, 2021

Far from being a school or a sect, Sufism is an ideology, a mode of life, a set of principles, an... more Far from being a school or a sect, Sufism is an ideology, a mode of life, a set of principles, and a ‘faith in practice.’ Sufism has been addressed and presented by scholars countless times. It has been primarily defined as either Islamic mysticism or as the spiritual dimension of Islam. Yet, as much as mysticism is ineffable as much as the published research is full of tangled definitions that only scholars can comprehend. The traditional approach to the study of Sufism makes the topic burdensome and mentally unattainable to the learned public. This article explains Sufism without using complex terminology or intense presentations of mystical states and stations. It is a scholarly attempt that is ultimately designed to provide a straightforward definition of Sufism. It presents Sufism in a three-fold manner, as a synthesis of three Islamic principles: Islamic spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Each of the three dimensions is explained in an Islamic context to demonstrate the ...

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Sufi Apologia in the Guise of Biography: The Case of Abū Nu‛aym al-Iṣfahānī’sḤilyat al-awliyā’ wa-ṭabaqāt al-aṣfiyā’

British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 2015

Abstract Ḥilyat al-awliyā’ wa-ṭabaqāt al-aṣfiyā’ by Abu Nu‛aym al-Isfahani (d. 430/1038) is a rem... more Abstract Ḥilyat al-awliyā’ wa-ṭabaqāt al-aṣfiyā’ by Abu Nu‛aym al-Isfahani (d. 430/1038) is a remarkable and timeless manual of instructions conveyed to us through eminent figures of Islam, who have been known for their piety, asceticism and great learning. With its 689 entries, this biographical encyclopaedia covers a time span of almost 400 years; from the time of the Prophet until the fifth/eleventh century. The author’s intention is to present elements of Sufi thought and practice in complete compatibility with Muslim orthodoxy in an attempt to vindicate Sufism in the eyes of its opponents. This article is mainly a study of the apologetic nature of Sufi biographical tradition with focus on the Ḥilya as representative material. Owing to its large scope, only an extract covering nine biographies has been selected for the purpose of this study.

Abu Nu‛aym Al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038): His Professional Life

Jurnal Theologia, Jun 16, 2022

Download

Arab Influencers and Social Media

Routledge eBooks, Jul 7, 2022

A critical edition and a study of an extract of Hilyat Al-Awliya' Wa-Tabaqat Al-Asfiya

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Iraqi Folkloric Tradition of Mājīnā: The ‘Trick-or-Treat’ of Mesopotamia

Folklore

Abu Nu‛aym Al-Iṣfahānī (d. 430/1038): Conflicting Opinions

Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, 2021

Download