Theoretical Gnosis and Doctrinal Sufism and Their Significa
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:50 pm
http://www.imagomundi.com.br/espiritual ... sufism.pdf
Interesting read by Sayyid Hossain Nasr from Georgetown University
Interesting read by Sayyid Hossain Nasr from Georgetown University
Abstract
This essay examines the meaning, role and structure of that supreme
science of the Real which came to be known as al-tasawwuf al-'ilmi or
'irfan-i nazari in Islamic civilization. It then turns to the history of this
science beginning with Ibn 'Arabi and his immediate circle and then
considers each region of the Islamic world separately from Morocco to the
Malay world. Special attention is paid to the great masters of 'irfan-i nazari
in Persia from the earliest teachers to those of the present day. The relation
of this science to philosophy, kalam, and other intellectual disciplines is
discussed and its spiritual significance is studied in itself and in its relation
to the operative and practical aspects of Sufism. At the end of the essay a
section is devoted to the significance of 'irfan today and its role in
providing solutions for some of the most important intellectual and
spiritual issues facing the contemporary Islam world.