Mysticism and Ethics in Islam ed. by Bilal Orfali, Atif Khalil, and Mohammed Rustom (review)
Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies November 1, 2023 Armando Montoya Jordán
This volume of twenty-five essays surveys the historical and conceptual intersections between mysticism and ethics in Islam across four periods: early, classical, late premodern, and modern. The editors argue that ethics and ihsan (doing what is beautiful) are closely linked, as seen in the Hadith of Gabriel, and that early Sufis prioritized ethical transformation and virtue acquisition—such as sabr (forbearance, patience)—over mystical states or supernatural powers. Essays explore themes like love and annihilation in ʿAyn al-Qudat, riyada in Fakhr al-Din Razi, and the role of spiritual combat (mujahada) in the mystical life. The collection includes authors writing in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Russian, and Chinese, moving beyond Greek philosophical influences.