Is Esoteric Islamic Spirituality Mysticism? Sufism, Ishrāqī Philosophy, and the Limitations of Religious Studies Theories
Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies January 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.2979/pjhs.4.1_2.01 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Islamic spiritual traditions like Sufism and Ishrāqī philosophy are often labeled "mysticism" but are largely excluded from scholarly debates defining the concept. This exclusion perpetuates stereotypes of Islam as a legalistic, less spiritual tradition. The article traces how defining a universal mystical experience has produced prescriptive definitions that exclude Islamic models of piety. It evaluates how scholars of Islam have critiqued these definitions but failed to offer a viable solution. The conclusion suggests that including Islamic mysticism would enrich theoretical perspectives on mysticism and religion.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The exclusion of Islamic mysticism from scholarly definitions of mysticism perpetuates stereotypes of Islam as a nomocentric tradition, and including it would enrich theoretical perspectives on mysticism and religion. |
Abstract
Abstract:Although Sufism, Ishrāqī philosophy, and other forms of esoteric Islamic spirituality are frequently labelled “mysticism,” scholars of Islam and case studies of Muslim mystics are largely absent from the debates that shape the conceptual understanding of mysticism in religious studies. As a result, Sufi and Ishrāqī models of piety often do not adhere to these scholarly understandings. The exclusion of Islamic mysticism leads to an image of it being somehow less “profound” and thereby less spiritual, potentially perpetuating outdated stereotypes of Islam as a nomocentric tradition. This article addresses this issue by first tracing the way that a focus on defining a universal mystical experience has led to prescriptive definitions that exclude much of the Islamic tradition. Following this discussion, the article describes the ways in which scholars of Islam have responded to religious studies models and evaluates the merits of their approaches. While Islamicists have raised thoughtful critiques of religious studies definitions of mysticism, they have not offered a viable solution to the problem. Using these responses as a starting point, the conclusion offers tentative remarks on how bringing Islam into the discourse of mysticism will enrich our theoretical perspective of mysticism and religion more generally.