Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qur'an, Mi'raj, Poetic and Theological Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)

Many Americans have no real knowledge of Islam, other than what they were taught in a high school World History class or have seen on the television. They know about Muhammad and the Five Pillars of Islam perhaps, but few would be able to talk about much beyond that. Dr. Michael A. Sells, Professor of Islamic History and Literature at the University of Chicago, has written several monographs to correct this problem, specifically Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations (2007) and Qur’anic Studies Today (2016). In Early Islamic Mysticism, published in 1996, Dr. Sells presented an accessible entry into both Islamic studies and mysticism for both a scholarly and general audience. In Early Islamic Mysticism, Dr. Sells supplied both the translation and commentary on early Sufi literature. Sells began with an explanation of Islamic ritual, as many readers may not have a strong grasp of the basics of Islam. Such background information is essential to this argument, and Sells illustrated these basic tenants from an Islamic perspective, contrasting it with typical Western understanding. One key topic is Islamic prayer. Prayer, with its prescribed motions and chants, has often been criticized as antithetic to spirituality, but Sells insisted that physical rituals do not preclude an internalized understanding. In this section, Sells also illuminated other less familiar elements of Islam to the reader, such as the concept of the Embodied Word. Islam belief is the Qur’an is untranslatable, and therefore must be understood in Arabic. It is, then, an extremely oral holy book, meant to be performed. The Qur’an is also nonlinear, with passages circling back around for further discourse. Sells applied this aspect of the Qur’an, and thus Sufi literature, as a frame for exploring the chronology of Sufi thought. This text is not, however, strictly chronological. Because of the highly oral traditions of Islam, most collections of Sufi thought were not compiled until much later, and Sells deviated from strict chronology in order to better explain particular Sufi ideology. Sells first examined the foundational literature of Sufism, including the Qur’an, Muhammad’s Mi’raj, and the tradition of Arabic poetry. Without familiarity here, the reader will not understand the later chapters as these are the pillars of Sufi thought. Later writers, Sells maintained, rely on their audiences’ intimate knowledge of both the content and forms of these texts. For example, many Sufis found the in Mi’raj a paradigm for their own spiritual journey, and the Arabic poetry for the style and themes of the search for the beloved. After a thorough discussion of the initial sources, Sells turned to the beginning of true Sufi thought, centered on interpretation of the Qur’an. He asserted that mysticism was present very early in Islam. The early writings in this section follow the circular exposition of the Qur’an, and focus on a theme of mystical union with the divine. These early writers often used a series of contrasts to help prove their points. For example, Qushayri, in one of the most well-known examples of Sufi thought contrasted the idea of a station, which is a stage one must go through on one’s journey, is contrasted with a state, which required no human effort and is a temporary experience. Other contrasts offered by Qushayri include constriction and expansion, union and separation, and absence and presence. Rabi’a, the most famous Sufi woman, exemplified these dichotomies. Approximately halfway into the book Dr. Sells introduced one of the more accessible early mystics, Sarraj. Sells contended Sarraj as the lynchpin of this book, going so far as to say “If there is a guide who can take us back to those extraordinary early years of Sufism,… and provide us with a theologically and psychologically sensitive interpretive framework, that guide would be Abu Nasr as-Sarraj in his Book of Flashes” (199). Sells was clear in his introduction to this selection that this source gives both the most complex and yet accessible example of Sufism. All later Sufis in some way address his points. The selection included here follow the seven stations along the path of Sufism. These seven stations each have three levels, the conventional understanding, the select, and the select of the select. In this way, the circular patterns of Sufism are clearly seen. When one has progressed through the seven stages, those stages can be revisited in a more intense and more mystic way. For example, with the stage of watchfulness, the first level is simply avoiding the uncertain thing. The second level is avoiding all those things that contrive in one’s heart. The final level, however, is avoiding all that distracts one from the deity. The first level is one that most could attain, while the final is one only a few can. Later, Sells included more poetic elements of Sufism, those authors who relied more heavily on poetry. Niffari, for example, applied traditional Islamic wordplay to make his points. Like Hebrew, Arabic did not write out the vowels of words, allowing for a variety of interpretations based on changing of the vowels. These poems with their wordplay are beautiful in their simplicity, but illustrate profound elements of Sufism. Readers of Early Islamic Mysticism may struggle with the circular organization and thought processes of both the source material and this book itself. Dr. Sells even called attention to this fact in the final chapter. As with many dense topics, the reader should consider multiple readings to understand the topics more fully. The reader would also benefit from a more extensive introduction to the history of Sufism before attempting the primary source material here. Dr. Sells clearly attempted to supply an entry into Islamic mysticism for those unfamiliar with Islam in general. Given the inherently complex nature of the topic, Dr. Sells admirably accomplished his goal. While this text is not an easy one, the thorough descriptions and call to continued study allow even one unfamiliar with Islamic mysticism to understand the basics.

The author translates and explains the earliest sufi sources starting with the Qur'an which is essentially mystical simply because spoken by God. Then mystical aspects of Muhammad's life. Then the first sufis whose books we do not have but who are referenced in later books. And then the first sufi books.This books creates an order in who when where said and wrote what because it is always valuable to see how things start and develop.The author is knowledgeable in the muslim terminology and semantics. Therefore the translations are great.It would be great to have the original sources side by side with English though.

A must read for Ismaili’s. I have always been unsure of my place within Islam. I have never felt at peace in the ismaili jamat and have always found the sunni tradition to be too foreign, thus I had long been drawn to mysticism in Islam. This book is soul-soothing, liberating and transformative. It is opening my spirit in ways that speaks to both, my western upbringing and my deep monotheistic values. Thank you to the author, this book is divine to say the least.

A really nice piece of work that I am sure will be timeless. This is a great introduction of Eastern Sufism up until the time of Ibn 'Arabi. Put this together with 'The Mystics of al-Andalus' by Dr. Casewit and you'll have a really great understanding of the intellectual history of both Western and Eastern Sufism. Afterwich, Ibn 'Arabi, Rumi, and others come to dominate the scene further building on their Sufi predecessors.This book lays out all the major developments in early Sufism, really a great gem.

I am a seeker on the spiritual path, on which I embarked only a few years ago. Trying to read and absorb, but with a full time job and other commitments time is an issue. This book is fantastic in that it brings so many of the great Sufi expositions in a condensed version. This book has exposed me to so much which otherwise I would have missed. Recommend this to all serious truth seekers.

OK

a great book, as are all of Sells' books.

Quick delivery, good product