The Sufi Doctrine of Man

Ṣadr Al-Dīn Al-Qūnawī's Metaphysical Anthropology
Erscheinungsjahr 2014
ISBN: 978-90-04-27123-4
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 90, 228 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 239 mm, Gewicht: 522 g

Reihe: Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science. Texts and Studies

In The Sufi Doctrine of Man, Richard Todd examines the life and thought of Ibn 'Arabi's chief disciple, Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi (13th century C.E.). Making use of manuscript sources, he analyzes and contextualizes Qunawi's esoteric vision of the nature and purpose of human existence, a doctrine which incorporates core elements of Qunawi's metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, and eschatology. Qunawi's thought is placed in relation to Ibn 'Arabi's and that of the Ikhwan al-Safa', and his interaction with the Avicennian tradition is explored by focusing on his dialogue with the philosopher al-Tusi. Although not as famous as his master, Qunawi is shown to have been a sophisticated metaphysician in his own right, who had a major impact on Sufi thought.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Todd, Richard

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Philosophie & Wissenschaften
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Metaphysik, Ontologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islamische Gruppen: Sufis

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Transliteration

Introduction

1. Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi

2. Qunawi’s anthropology in context

3. The political setting

4. The cultural and intellectual climate

5. Qunawi’s biography in medieval sources

PART ONE: QuNAWI’S LIFE AND WORK

I. Life and Times

1. Early life and education

2. Travels and teaching in the Near East

3. Konya

4. Students and disciples

5. Final years


II. Qunawi’s Works

1. Qunawi’s corpus

2. Qunawi’s methodology

3. The Miftah ghayb al-jam' wa tafsili-hi

4. The I'jaz al-bayan fi ta’wil umm al-Qur'an

5. The polemical correspondence with Tusi

6. The Nafthat al-masdur wa tuhfat al-shakur

7. The Risalat al-nusus fi tahqiq al-tawr al-makhsus

8. al-Risala al-murshidiya

9. al-Nafahat al-ilahiya

10. al-Fukuk fi asrar mustanadat hikam al-Fusus

11. The Sharh al-ahadith al-arba‘iniya


III. Intellectual Currents and Debates

1. Qunawi’s work in relation to Ibn 'Arabi’s

2. The critique of rational inquiry

3. Qunawi’s doctrinal synthesis

IV. Cosmology

1. Qunawi’s cosmology in context

2. Cosmological questions in Qunawi’s letters to Tusi

3. The sublunary world

PART TWO: QuNAWI’S ANTHROPOLOGY

V. Man’s Metaphysical Origins

1. Indeterminacy and determination

2. The cognitive relationship

3. The divine affairs

4. The immutable essences

5. The common measure

6. The barzakh

7. The five presences

8. The divine secret

VI. The Human State

1. The perfection of the last

2. The stages of lodging and settling

3. The soul

4. Sustenance

5. The separation of body and soul

6. Man’s posthumous states

VII. Liberation

1. Providence

2. The law and the way

3. Reorientation

4. Love

5. The spiritual ascent

6. Theophany

VIII. The Reception of Qunawi’s Thought

Conclusion

Appendix I: Critical List of Qunawi’s works

Appendix II: Qunawi’s ijaza-s to Farghani and Jandi

Appendix III: Translated Excerpts from Qunawi’s Epistemological Texts

Bibliography

Glossary of Philosophical and Sufi Terms

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Richard Todd, D.Phil. (2005), University of Oxford, teaches Arabic language and literature at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include Islamic philosophy, Sufism, and classical Arabic poetry. His latest publication focuses on esoteric interpretations of the Qur'an.