Introduction: Sulūk as Sufism 177 4 Traditionalist Sufism: Outlining the Foundations of the Journ... more Introduction: Sulūk as Sufism 177 4 Traditionalist Sufism: Outlining the Foundations of the Journey 182 Contents 5 Progressing Towards the Beloved through the Degrees of Witnessing 233 1 Introduction 233 2 Putting Maʿrifa into Practice 236 2.1 Servitude through the Divine Names and Attributes 238 2.2 The Heart as the Locus of Witnessing 243 3 The Sequence of the Degrees of Witnessing (Tartīb al-Mashāhid) 248 3.1 The Heart's Witnessing of Divinity (Mashhad al-Ilāhiyya) 250 3.2 The Heart's Witnessing of Lordship (Mashhad al-Rubūbiyya) 255 3.3 Al-Wāsiṭī's Shaykhs and Their Teachings Regarding Divinity and Lordship 260 3.4 Other Degrees of Witnessing by the Heart 262 3.5 The Spirit's Witnessing of Union (al-Jamʿ) and Singularity (al-Fardāniyya) 264 4 Conclusion 274 Conclusion 277
This article provides yet another testament to the reality that some form of Sufism existed amids... more This article provides yet another testament to the reality that some form of Sufism existed amidst the circle of students and followers of Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328). Based on a unique manuscript from Damascus, presented here for the first time is an Arabic edition and English translation of Risālat al-sulūk (Epistle on the Spiritual Way) by al-Baʿlabakkī (d. 734/1333), a Ḥanbalite student of Ibn Taymiyya who was also trained in the Sufi way. This is preceded by a study that sheds light on al-Baʿlabakkī’s intellectual context, which is primarily concerned with the place of Sufism in Ibn Taymiyya’s circle. The article then proceeds with a biography of al-Baʿlabakkī, followed by some relevant notes on the manuscript of Risālat al-sulūk and its edition and translation.
This article presents a critical edition of item 0-691, an Arabic manuscript from the collection ... more This article presents a critical edition of item 0-691, an Arabic manuscript from the collection of the Tropenmuseum, part of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam (KIT, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen to refer to both museum and the institute. We therefore use "KIT collection" in the text to refer to the collection of the Tropenmuseum.). This is an undated manuscript of unknown origin that hitherto has not been described. In the study preceding our edition of the text, we propose both a place of origin and a probable function of item 0-691. The manuscript's content and physical characteristics, as well as similarities with other manuscripts, suggest that the most likely region of origin is the Indonesian archipelago, and, more specifically, the region of Aceh. In terms of its primary use, we argue that item 0-691 is a Qur᾿ānic talisman, and not a letter, as it is currently described in the catalogue of the KITcollection.
The Journeys of a Taymiyyan Sufi explores the life and teachings of ʿImād al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Wāsiṭī ... more The Journeys of a Taymiyyan Sufi explores the life and teachings of ʿImād al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Wāsiṭī (d. 711/1311), a little-known Ḥanbalī Sufi master from the circle of Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328). The first part of this book follows al-Wāsiṭī’s physical journey in search of spiritual guidance through a critical study of his autobiographical writings. This provides unique insights into the Rifāʿiyya, the Shādhiliyya, and the school of Ibn ʿArabī, several manifestations of Sufism that he encountered as he travelled from Wāsiṭ to Baghdad, Alexandria, and Cairo. Part I closes with his final destination, Damascus, where his membership of Ibn Taymiyya’s circle and his role as a Sufi teacher is closely examined.
The second part focuses on al-Wāsiṭī’s spiritual journey through a study of his Sufi writings, which convey the distinct type of traditionalist Sufism that he taught in early eighth/fourteenth-century Damascus. Besides providing an overview of the spiritual path unto God from beginning to end as he formulated it, this reveals an exceptional interplay between Sufi theory and traditionalist theology.
Introduction: Sulūk as Sufism 177 4 Traditionalist Sufism: Outlining the Foundations of the Journ... more Introduction: Sulūk as Sufism 177 4 Traditionalist Sufism: Outlining the Foundations of the Journey 182 Contents 5 Progressing Towards the Beloved through the Degrees of Witnessing 233 1 Introduction 233 2 Putting Maʿrifa into Practice 236 2.1 Servitude through the Divine Names and Attributes 238 2.2 The Heart as the Locus of Witnessing 243 3 The Sequence of the Degrees of Witnessing (Tartīb al-Mashāhid) 248 3.1 The Heart's Witnessing of Divinity (Mashhad al-Ilāhiyya) 250 3.2 The Heart's Witnessing of Lordship (Mashhad al-Rubūbiyya) 255 3.3 Al-Wāsiṭī's Shaykhs and Their Teachings Regarding Divinity and Lordship 260 3.4 Other Degrees of Witnessing by the Heart 262 3.5 The Spirit's Witnessing of Union (al-Jamʿ) and Singularity (al-Fardāniyya) 264 4 Conclusion 274 Conclusion 277
This article provides yet another testament to the reality that some form of Sufism existed amids... more This article provides yet another testament to the reality that some form of Sufism existed amidst the circle of students and followers of Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328). Based on a unique manuscript from Damascus, presented here for the first time is an Arabic edition and English translation of Risālat al-sulūk (Epistle on the Spiritual Way) by al-Baʿlabakkī (d. 734/1333), a Ḥanbalite student of Ibn Taymiyya who was also trained in the Sufi way. This is preceded by a study that sheds light on al-Baʿlabakkī’s intellectual context, which is primarily concerned with the place of Sufism in Ibn Taymiyya’s circle. The article then proceeds with a biography of al-Baʿlabakkī, followed by some relevant notes on the manuscript of Risālat al-sulūk and its edition and translation.
This article presents a critical edition of item 0-691, an Arabic manuscript from the collection ... more This article presents a critical edition of item 0-691, an Arabic manuscript from the collection of the Tropenmuseum, part of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam (KIT, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen to refer to both museum and the institute. We therefore use "KIT collection" in the text to refer to the collection of the Tropenmuseum.). This is an undated manuscript of unknown origin that hitherto has not been described. In the study preceding our edition of the text, we propose both a place of origin and a probable function of item 0-691. The manuscript's content and physical characteristics, as well as similarities with other manuscripts, suggest that the most likely region of origin is the Indonesian archipelago, and, more specifically, the region of Aceh. In terms of its primary use, we argue that item 0-691 is a Qur᾿ānic talisman, and not a letter, as it is currently described in the catalogue of the KITcollection.
The Journeys of a Taymiyyan Sufi explores the life and teachings of ʿImād al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Wāsiṭī ... more The Journeys of a Taymiyyan Sufi explores the life and teachings of ʿImād al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Wāsiṭī (d. 711/1311), a little-known Ḥanbalī Sufi master from the circle of Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328). The first part of this book follows al-Wāsiṭī’s physical journey in search of spiritual guidance through a critical study of his autobiographical writings. This provides unique insights into the Rifāʿiyya, the Shādhiliyya, and the school of Ibn ʿArabī, several manifestations of Sufism that he encountered as he travelled from Wāsiṭ to Baghdad, Alexandria, and Cairo. Part I closes with his final destination, Damascus, where his membership of Ibn Taymiyya’s circle and his role as a Sufi teacher is closely examined.
The second part focuses on al-Wāsiṭī’s spiritual journey through a study of his Sufi writings, which convey the distinct type of traditionalist Sufism that he taught in early eighth/fourteenth-century Damascus. Besides providing an overview of the spiritual path unto God from beginning to end as he formulated it, this reveals an exceptional interplay between Sufi theory and traditionalist theology.
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The second part focuses on al-Wāsiṭī’s spiritual journey through a study of his Sufi writings, which convey the distinct type of traditionalist Sufism that he taught in early eighth/fourteenth-century Damascus. Besides providing an overview of the spiritual path unto God from beginning to end as he formulated it, this reveals an exceptional interplay between Sufi theory and traditionalist theology.
The second part focuses on al-Wāsiṭī’s spiritual journey through a study of his Sufi writings, which convey the distinct type of traditionalist Sufism that he taught in early eighth/fourteenth-century Damascus. Besides providing an overview of the spiritual path unto God from beginning to end as he formulated it, this reveals an exceptional interplay between Sufi theory and traditionalist theology.