Islamic Mysticism and the practices of Sufi Muslims

Islamic Mysticism and the practices of Sufi Muslims

1. ISLM20016 Introduction to Islamic Spirituality Week 1 Mysticism: A Comparative Survey

2. The meaning of mysticism and the nature of mystical experience. Different varieties of mystical experience. The characteristics of mysticism common to all religious traditions. The relationship between mysticism and religion. The meaning and place of mysticism in the Islamic tradition and in religious traditions other than Islam, i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity.  

3. Mysticism: Etymology Definitions Judaism and Mysticism: Kabbalah Mysticism Christianity and Mysticism: Allegorical interpretation of the Text, The Liturgical mystery of the Eucharist ( The Greek noun ( eucharistia ), meaning "thanksgiving",) .

4. The nature of mystical experience William James, The varieties of Religious Experience , Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, Harvard University Press, 1985. (This book was written in 1902) William James (1842 – 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. Characteristics of Religious Experience: Ineffability. Noetic Quality. Transiency. Passivity .

5. Essential Readings: Dupré , Louis, “Mysticism”, in Mircea Eliade (ed.) The Encyclopaedia of Religion , vol. 10, New York: Macmillan, 1987. James, William, The Varieties of Religious Experience , Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1985. Recommended Readings: Smith, Margaret, “The Nature and Meaning of Mysticism”, Understanding Mysticism . Woods, Richard (ed.), New York: Image Books, 1980. Jones, Richard, H., “Experience and Conceptualisation in Mystical Knowledge”, Mysticism Examined: Philosophical Inquires into Mysticism , Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993. Katz, Steve T., “Mystical Speech and Mystical Meaning”, Mysticism and Language , New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.