{"title":"The Revival of an Old Narrative to Counter Terrorism: The “Balkh School Approach” to Neutralizing the Neo-Kharijite Narrative in the Islamic World","authors":"Mirwais Balkhi","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.97-124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.97-124","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this article is to explain why, despite numerous collective and individual efforts, states have failed to eradicate terrorism produced by Islamic extremism. What alternatives to present paradigms possibly exist in the battle against terrorism and extremism? Through its neo-Kharijite and takfiri character, the irreconcilable extremism that developed at the end of the Cold War due to a leadership vacuum in the Islamic world, has caused widespread unease among Muslims and others. As a result, the current study approaches the topic of countering extremism from an entirely new perspective, which is nearly unprecedented in the literature. Because the current ways of combating extremism are either war or spreading alternate narratives. However, this piece resurrects a historic practice of weakening extremism. The revival of the Balkh school as an existent and viable alternative narrative in the Islamic world might diminish extremist and takfiri discourses. The Balkh school is a good opportunity to revive a peaceful tradition among Muslims in order to end extremism. A good and better way is to update and expand successful and effective narratives of the past that have shown significant achievements in the field of moderation and reciprocity with the use of modern tools.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121057528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Soundness of the Heart: An Analysis of the Unique Qualities of the Qalb Salīm","authors":"Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook, Salih Yucel","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.1-21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.1-21","url":null,"abstract":"Within Islam, the topic of the heart (qalb) occupies an important place. In order to understand the breadth and depth of this topic, it is necessary to understand its intricacies. The Qur’ān, the Ḥadīth, and scholarly interpretations detail the potentialities that, to varying degrees, lie dormant within each and every individual. The heart is described as being able to be pure and to find peace, while equally being able to be darkened and rust. The qalb is mentioned frequently throughout the sacred texts of Islam. This article examines the notion of qalb salīm, mentioned twice within the Qur’ān, both times with regard to the Prophet Ibrahim. Firstly, the importance of qalb will be elaborated. Secondly, an examination of the qalb salīm within the major Qur’ānic commentaries (tafsīr), particularly Sufi exegesis, is examined. Thirdly, related ḥadīth literature is analyzed. An attempt is made to understand the soundness of a sound heart. The analysis in this article will highlight the qualities associated with the qalb salīm. While a comprehensive analysis of the notion of qalb salīm is beyond the scope of this article, an attempt is made to open further discussion on this important concept and address the dearth of currently available academic literature.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"96 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116502596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Alī bin al-Ḥusayn’s View on Asceticism: Analysis and Review with a Mystical Approach","authors":"V. Mahmoudi, M. Cheraghi","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.145-166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2022.12.1.145-166","url":null,"abstract":"Asceticism as a lifestyle is highly esteemed by leaders, scholars, and mystics due to its prominent position in Islam. A survey into the lifestyle of the most significant historical religious figures of the Islamic world shows their detachment from the world and luxurious living. The main question of the research is around this issue in the thought of one of the descendant of Prophet Muhammad whether his noble behavior is the same as asceticism in mystical texts and to know whether asceticism is wearing old clothes, poverty, and abstaining from the lawful blessings. This article intends to explore the concept of asceticism based on content analysis and by referring to main Islamic mysticism texts as well as ‘Alī bin al-Ḥusayn. Asceticism has effects and signs that are mentioned in some words of ‘Alī bin al-Ḥusayn, such as avoiding the apparent, yearning for death and eternal reward of the Hereafter, and striving to obey God. We have discovered and analyzed these words and compared them with its mystical concept. The result of the study indicates the main approach of ‘Alī bin al-Ḥusayn towards the world and emphasizes that Muslim mystics follow the Prophet and his lineage in their ascetic method.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116099066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Waḥdat al-Wujūd as Post-Avicennian Thought: Comparing Writings on the Basmala by Ibn ‘Arabī and ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī","authors":"Rüdiger Lohlker","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.194-215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.194-215","url":null,"abstract":"The article has a two main aims: situating the (post-)Akbarian ideas in the context of Islamic post-classical, esp., post-Avicennian thought and moving the field of the study ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī away from the focus on one work, al-Insān al-Kāmil, to the inclusion of a broader specter of writings regarded as minor texts. The article proposes a rhizomatic reading of the sources to re-open the field of analysis. At the same time, the article argues for waḥdat al-wujūd as a main element of post-classical Islamic discourse sharing a framework with post-Avicennian thought. Reconfiguring the field of the study of writings on waḥdat al-wujūd this will allow for an analysis of the field not an analysis of selected works. The analysis will be done by a close reading of a set of works focussed on the basmala as one of the most important formulae. This is not an analysis of the letters and its interpretations but much more of the post-classical philosophy and the relation of the Sufism of waḥdat al-wujūd to it. The article discusses the role of the writings of al-Jīlī and Ibn ‘Arabī. The analysis of the field of writings of al-Jīlī opens a perspective on waḥdat al-wujūd as an interrelated field of meanings beyond the focus on single works and its possible intertextual references.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"164 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133677504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rereading Jalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī’s Wisdom Approach to Justice and Injustice","authors":"Ergin Ergül","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.293-316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.293-316","url":null,"abstract":"This paper discusses the wisdom approach to justice and injustice of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Rūmī, one of the greatest Sufi sages of all times. This famous Sufi master, in his background, was an eminent social thinker, intellectual, and especially a law scholar. Thus, it is not surprising that he dealt with these terms, which were critical concepts in past political thought in the West and the East, extensively in his works. Firstly, as a method, the study traces these two concepts in al-Rūmī’s works and mainly Masnavi. Then it connects them with their contemporary use. It is understood from al-Rūmī’s definitions of them, metaphors and stories accompanied by messages to judges and politicians, that he uses the concept of justice, especially in the sense of today’s rule of law and protection of human rights, and injustice in the sense of human rights violations and totalitarian policies. When we reread and rethink al-Rūmī’s mentioned concepts in this way, his political wisdom can inspire and guide both today’s Islamic world and humanity to overcome their challenges in these crucial areas.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124231709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards a Psycho-Sociological Understanding of Allah","authors":"B. Jhunjhunwala","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.317-346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.317-346","url":null,"abstract":"It is not possible to determine whether Allah is inside the universe or outside it. While the traditional understanding is that Allah is “outside” the universe; the “inside” understanding is consistent with the Qur’ān as well as the writings of Carl G. Jung, Emile Durkheim, Abraham Maslow, and Philip Goff and can explain the concept and the writ of Allah to the modern mind. We hypothesize that Allah is the name given to the consciousness of every particle in the universe fused into One and called Universal Consciousness. The consciousness is not prior- or after matter but exists in parallel. There is a 2-way give-and-take between Allah and the Universe. The believers have a more direct communication with Allah. Allah rules upon the universe and, at the same time, Allah is constituted of the Collective Consciousness of the same universe. We show this hypothesis is consistent with al-Nūr 24:35 and Sūra al-Ikhlāṣ. This approach can be the foundation on which we can build a concordance between the understandings of Qur’ānic Allah and modern science, thus explain the majesty of Allah to the science-oriented modern mind including the atheists without diluting the spiritual content of the Holy Qur’ān.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130973400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rethinking Conceptual Sufism: A Synthesis of Islamic Spirituality, Asceticism, and Mysticism","authors":"Meis Al-Kaisi","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.169-193","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.169-193","url":null,"abstract":"Far from being a school or a sect, Sufism is an ideology, a mode of life, a set of principles, and a ‘faith in practice.’ Sufism has been addressed and presented by scholars countless times. It has been primarily defined as either Islamic mysticism or as the spiritual dimension of Islam. Yet, as much as mysticism is ineffable as much as the published research is full of tangled definitions that only scholars can comprehend. The traditional approach to the study of Sufism makes the topic burdensome and mentally unattainable to the learned public. This article explains Sufism without using complex terminology or intense presentations of mystical states and stations. It is a scholarly attempt that is ultimately designed to provide a straightforward definition of Sufism. It presents Sufism in a three-fold manner, as a synthesis of three Islamic principles: Islamic spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Each of the three dimensions is explained in an Islamic context to demonstrate the validity of the Sufi trends as being purely Islamic. Spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism are all discussed within the frame of Tradition, that is, the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114148774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Selfhood and Subjectivity in Sufi Thought: Image of a Mole on Emperor Akbar’s Nose","authors":"Dipa Donde","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.216-239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.216-239","url":null,"abstract":"This paper addresses the making of portrait-images of Mughal emperors, in which distinctness and particularity in individual features distinguished portraits of emperor Akbar from his ancestors and successors. Scholars have argued that the technique of ‘accurate’ portraits or mimesis was introduced to Mughal artists with the arrival of renaissance paintings and prints from Europe, brought by Jesuit priests to the Mughal court. However, the question of why Mughal emperors saw a need to arrive at portraiture in the likeness of individuals remains to be addressed. This paper argues that the desire to portray a ruler, in all his individual particularity, can arise only within a literary and intellectual matrix in which the individual is valued and where ideas about selfhood and subjectivity have already permeated the philosophical, political, and literary thought. Tracing the transhistorical and transcultural migration of ideas and motifs from Timurid Central Asia to Mughal India, this paper examines the transference of Sufi thought on image-making practices, particularly portraiture, in the imperial court of the Mughals in early seventeenth century. \u0000Keywords: Portrait-images of Akbar, subjectivity, Sufi thought, poetics between text and image.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115640978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New Face of Contemporary Sufism in Southeast Asia: Experience of Indonesia and Malaysia","authors":"Muzakkir Syahrul, Ziaulhaq Hidayat","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.270-292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.270-292","url":null,"abstract":"The current global spiritual revival has been reflected in the revival of Sufism, to the extent that Sufism now has a different appearance from its earlier conventional manifestations. Global developments have driven Sufism to put its appearance relevant to the demands of global living. Focusing on the experiences of Indonesia and Malaysia, this paper attempts to examine the developments of Sufism. These countries seem to represent contemporary trends of Sufism in Southeast Asia. The new face of contemporary Sufism called “urban Sufism” is found in Indonesia. The practices of urban Sufism, which is influenced by the political realm, can be observed within Majelis Dzikir Nurussalam (MDN) established by the former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In Malaysia, the new appearance of Sufism was initiated by Dar al-Arqam, which later changed its name as Ikhwan Global (IG). This group actively encourages its members to be economically self-reliant by undertaking a range of business activities and at the same time promotes a Sufi lifestyle as the focus of its activities. This research found that contemporary Sufism is no longer oriented exclusively toward the pursuit of spiritual achievements, but it also becomes an instrument of political and economic interests.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"602 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133697055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"On the Renovation of Religious Discourse: Analysis of Concepts, and Internal and External Disciplines","authors":"Housamedden Darwish","doi":"10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.240-269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2021.11.2.240-269","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to clarify the meaning of “renovation of religious discourse”, specifically by defining the disciplines of this renovation and their importance in determining its meaning. The disciplines play a pivotal role in determining the nature, meaning, and possibilities of renovating religious discourse. To demonstrate this thesis, the article will first make some conceptual distinctions between ‘discourse of religion’ and ‘religious discourse’, between ‘religion’ and ‘religiosity’, between ‘renovation in religious discourse’ and ‘renovation of religious discourse’. Secondly, it will make a distinction between internal and external disciplines. Internal disciplines lie within the religious text itself and in the hermeneutic circle between understanding parts of the text and understanding it as a whole, between understanding and pre-understanding, between the inside and the outside. In doing so, the paper focuses mainly on the role of the ruling political and economic powers and authorities. The paper concludes that renovating religious discourse is a political and institutional issue rather than a purely religious one related to individuals and that it is conditional on the state and its political system, the extent of its actual adoption of the concepts of ‘the state of citizenship and law’, democracy, and the extent to which it protects freedoms, differences, and pluralism.","PeriodicalId":174700,"journal":{"name":"Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128289849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}