Sufi Castigator investigates the writings of Ahmad Kasravi, one of the foremost intellectuals in Iran. It studies his work within the context of Sufism in modern Iran and mystical Persian literature and includes translations of Kasravi’s writings. Kasravi provides a fascinating topic for those with interests in Sufism and Iranian studies as he attempted to produce a form of Iranian identity that he believed was compatible with the modern age and Iranian nationalism. His stress on reason and the de-mystification of religion caused him to repudiate Sufism and much of the Sufi literary heritage as backwards and believed it a reason for the weakness of modern Iran. Kasravi’s historical observations were weak, and his writings indicate that he was working towards pre-determined conclusions. However, his works are of significance because they contributed to a major discussion in the 1930s to 1940s about the ideal image and identity that Iranians should adopt. Despite the academic weaknesses of Kasravi’s works he had a profound effect on the next generation of thinkers. Sufi Castigator is stimulating and meticulously researched book and includes two lengthy translations of Kasravi’s works, Sufism and What does Hafez Say? and will appeal to scholars of middle eastern studies.

In recent years, interest in Sufism - often regarded as the mystical dimension of Islam - has blossomed. Taught in European and American universities for many years, Sufism is an increasingly popular area of research in disciplines such as Islamic Studies, comparative religion, area studies, anthropology, history, and politics. In this new Routledge Major Work, the editor, a leading scholar in the field, has gathered in four volumes the canonical and the very best cutting-edge literature on Sufism to create an indispensable reference resource. The collection focuses on: origins and development; hermeneutics and doctrines; ritual, authority, and word; and modern Sufism.

The idea of creation and creativity is among the most powerful and pervasive of metaphors bequeathed to the modern world by the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Twelve specialists here explore the original sources and contemporary manifestations of the theme in both high and low culture, from the Book of Genesis to James Joyce's Ulysses, Children of Gebalawi by the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, and the Polish poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, and to popular films, such as Bruce Almighty and Animatrix, and animation films for children. Even current debates on genetics and ecology and the public exhibition of plastinated human bodies invoke these same themes, and make this volume a topical contribution to cultural studies today. Jonneke Bekkenkamp, Why on Earth? Creation and Creativity in the Vocabularies of Patricia de Martelaere, Wislawa Szymborska and Julia Cameron Athalya Brenner, Recreating the Biblical Creation for Western Children: Provisional Reflections on Some Case Studies Wim Drees, Vocabularies of Creation and Creativity in Debates on Genetics and Ecology Jan Willem van Henten, Playing God in the Movies: Bruce Almighty and the Preposterous History of Genesis 1:26-27 Alistair Hunter, Creation out of (almost) Nothing or Does God Wear Genes? Alison Jasper, Mysteries under Your Skin David Jasper, 'Down through all Christian minstrelsy': Genesis, James Joyce and Contemporary Vocabularies of Creation Louise Joy Lawrence, Tracing Tricksters: Creation and Creativity in John's Gospel Richard van Leeuwen, Creation and Revelation in Naguib Mahfouz's Novel Children of Gebelawi Lloyd Ridgeon, Is the God of Islam an Evil Creator? Caroline Vander Stichele and Todd Penner, Terminatrix: Visualizing the End of Creation in Animatrix

This insightful inquiry into the relationship of Islam with the world's other religions offers readers an examination of the current religious diversity in the world and of the historical relationships of the major religious traditions in the past . . . by five world-renowned Muslim theologians writing with scholars of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

This translation "first published by Allen Lane [in] 1979"--T.p. verso.

Sufism is often understood to be the mystical dimension of Islam, and many works have focused on the nature of "mystical experiences" and the relationship between man and God. Yet Sufism was a human response to a wide range of contexts and circumstances; the fact that Sufis lived in society and interacted with the community necessitating guidance on how to behave. This book examines the development of Persian Sufism, showing it to be a practical philosophy of the everyday rather than just a metaphysical phenomena. The author explores the ethic of futuwwat (or jawanmardi), an Iranian code of honour that emphasised loyalty, humility, generosity and bravery. Although inevitably some Sufis spiritualised this code of honour and applied it to their own relationship with God, the ethic continued to permeate Sufi behaviour on a more mundane level, typified by the strong links between Sufis and certain trades. Drawing on field research in Iran, as well as detailed analysis of both Arabic and Persian texts and new materials that have been published in Iran in recent years, this is the first book in English to provide a history of Persian Sufi-futuwwat, As such, this book is an important contribution to the study of Persian Sufism, and to the fields of Islam, history and religion.