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BÄyazÄ«d: The Life and Teachings of the Mystic AbÅ« YazÄ«d al-Basá¹ÄmÄ« (d. ca. 234/848)
Based on the Earliest Sources
Series: - Studies on Sufism, Volume: 9
Author:
AbÅ« YazÄ«d al-Basá¹ÄmÄ« (d. ca 234/848), popularly known as âBÄyazÄ«dâ, remains one of the most celebrated yet controversial figures in the history of Islamic mysticism. This in-depth study of his life and teachings is based on the earliest available sources. The book sets out in detail what is known of BÄyazÄ«dâs family, his education, his disciples and associates. It explores the distinctive rhetoric that has made some of his sayings so memorable, and shows how his mode of expression adds a sense of urgency, often drama, to quite conventional doctrines of Sufism.
Through the varied corpus of his sayings, this study traces BÄyazÄ«dâs teachings concerning many aspects of the mystical path, as well as his reflections on God, the Prophet, heaven and hell. Having considered his role as spiritual master, his favourable view of women and his place in the wider community, the study then turns to the controversial side of BÄyazÄ«d: his apparently blasphemous utterances, and his so-called miÊ¿rÄj. The book goes on to explore how the two seemingly contradictory sides to BÄyazÄ«d might be reconciled, and finally, provides a brief survey of the extent of his influence on later Sufism and its literature.
Through the varied corpus of his sayings, this study traces BÄyazÄ«dâs teachings concerning many aspects of the mystical path, as well as his reflections on God, the Prophet, heaven and hell. Having considered his role as spiritual master, his favourable view of women and his place in the wider community, the study then turns to the controversial side of BÄyazÄ«d: his apparently blasphemous utterances, and his so-called miÊ¿rÄj. The book goes on to explore how the two seemingly contradictory sides to BÄyazÄ«d might be reconciled, and finally, provides a brief survey of the extent of his influence on later Sufism and its literature.
Annabel Keeler is an Affiliated Researcher at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge. She works in the field of Sufi exegesis as well as the formative period of Islamic mysticism. Her published works include: Sufi Hermeneutics: The Qurâan Commentary of RashÄ«d al-DÄ«n MaybudÄ«, The Spirit and the Letter: Approaches to the Esoteric Interpretation of the Qurʾan, and a translation of TafsÄ«r al-TustarÄ«.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Notes on Transliteration
Introduction
1 BÄyazÄ«dâs Life and his Teachers
â1âFamily Background in Basá¹Äm
â2âBÄyazÄ«dâs Education and his Teachers
â3âBÄyazÄ«d as Spiritual Master in Basá¹Äm: Veneration and Censure
2 BÄyazÄ«dâs Disciples and Associates
â1âBÄyazÄ«dâs Close Disciples
â2âOther Associates of BÄyazÄ«d
3 The Question of BÄyazÄ«dâs Dates
4 The Speech of BÄyazÄ«d
â1âThe Corpus of BÄyazÄ«dâs Sayings
â2âModes of Expression in the Speech of BÄyazÄ«d
5 The Path and Its Pitfalls
â1âSpiritual Psychology in Third-/Ninth-Century Mysticism
â2âBÄyazÄ«dâs Understanding of the Make-Up of the Human Being
â3âPitfalls of the Path
6 On Some Pillars and Tenets of Islam
â1âObserving the Obligatory Practices
â2âThe Hajj
â3âMessengers of God and the Prophet
â4âParadise and Hell
7 What BÄyazÄ«d Says about God
â1âGod, His Names and Attributes
â2âDivine Transcendence and Inaccessibility
â3âIntimacy
â4âAwareness of God versus Heedlessness
â5âNothing but Him
8 Spiritual Virtues, States, and Stations
â1âPoverty
â2âSubmission to the Divine Will
â3âComplete Trust in God
â4âHumility versus Arrogance
â5âMindfulness of God (taqwÄ) and Veracity (á¹£idq)
â6âAnnihilation (fanÄʾ) and Subsistence (baqÄʾ)
â7âUnification (jamÊ¿) and Separation (tafriqa)
9 Knowledge and Love
â1âKnowledge
â2âLove
10 Absence and Presence, Veils and Mirrors
â1âAbsence (ghayba) and Presence (ḥudÅ«r)
â2âVeils and Veiling
â3âMirrors
11 BÄyazÄ«d as Spiritual Master
â1âBÄyazÄ«dâs Homilies and Counsel to His Disciples
â2âExplanation of the Path for Others
â3âFemale Disciples of BÄyazÄ«d
12 BÄyazÄ«d in the Wider Community
â1âDifferent Paths among the Muslims
â2âBÄyazÄ«d under Censure: Challenges and Critiques
â3âCritique and Corrective
â4âBÄyazÄ«d and his Zoroastrian Neighbours
13 BÄyazÄ«dâs Accounts of His Spiritual Journey
â1âThe Beginning of the Path and the Struggle with the Nafs
â2âBecoming Free of Self
â3âDescriptions of the Whole Journey
14 Spiritual Peregrination, Flight, and the MiÊ¿rÄj
15 The Longer MiÊ¿rÄj Narratives
16 Shaá¹á¸¥, Paradox, and the Paradoxical
â1âDefinitions and Translations of the Shatḥ
â2âEcstatic Utterances of BÄyazÄ«d
â3âParadoxes and the Paradoxical
â4âA Few Other Controversial Sayings
17 Apparent Contradictions
â1âBÄyazÄ«d and âMiraclesâ
â2âThe Sense of Pride (iftikhÄr) versus the Acknowledgement of Neediness (iftiqÄr)
18 The Impact and Influence of BÄyazÄ«d on Islamic Mysticism
â1âEarly Responses to BÄyazid
â2âLater Responses to the Shaá¹á¸¥iyyÄt
â3âBÄyazÄ«dâs Wider Corpus in Sufi Literature
â4âBÄyazid among Love Mystics
â5âÊ¿Aá¹á¹Är and RÅ«mÄ«
â6âIbn Ê¿ArabÄ«
â7âInfluence versus Appropriation
â8âAbÅ« l-Ḥasan KharaqÄnÄ«
â9âA Glimpse at BÄyazÄ«dâs Literary Influence
Conclusion & Closing Remarks
Bibliography
Index of People and Places
Index of Subjects and Terms
Acknowledgments
Notes on Transliteration
Introduction
Part1 BÄyazÄ«dâs Life and His Speech
1 BÄyazÄ«dâs Life and his Teachers
â1âFamily Background in Basá¹Äm
â2âBÄyazÄ«dâs Education and his Teachers
â3âBÄyazÄ«d as Spiritual Master in Basá¹Äm: Veneration and Censure
2 BÄyazÄ«dâs Disciples and Associates
â1âBÄyazÄ«dâs Close Disciples
â2âOther Associates of BÄyazÄ«d
3 The Question of BÄyazÄ«dâs Dates
4 The Speech of BÄyazÄ«d
â1âThe Corpus of BÄyazÄ«dâs Sayings
â2âModes of Expression in the Speech of BÄyazÄ«d
Part2 The Teachings of BÄyazÄ«d, Fundamentals
5 The Path and Its Pitfalls
â1âSpiritual Psychology in Third-/Ninth-Century Mysticism
â2âBÄyazÄ«dâs Understanding of the Make-Up of the Human Being
â3âPitfalls of the Path
6 On Some Pillars and Tenets of Islam
â1âObserving the Obligatory Practices
â2âThe Hajj
â3âMessengers of God and the Prophet
â4âParadise and Hell
7 What BÄyazÄ«d Says about God
â1âGod, His Names and Attributes
â2âDivine Transcendence and Inaccessibility
â3âIntimacy
â4âAwareness of God versus Heedlessness
â5âNothing but Him
Part3 Further Dimensions of the Spiritual Path
8 Spiritual Virtues, States, and Stations
â1âPoverty
â2âSubmission to the Divine Will
â3âComplete Trust in God
â4âHumility versus Arrogance
â5âMindfulness of God (taqwÄ) and Veracity (á¹£idq)
â6âAnnihilation (fanÄʾ) and Subsistence (baqÄʾ)
â7âUnification (jamÊ¿) and Separation (tafriqa)
9 Knowledge and Love
â1âKnowledge
â2âLove
10 Absence and Presence, Veils and Mirrors
â1âAbsence (ghayba) and Presence (ḥudÅ«r)
â2âVeils and Veiling
â3âMirrors
Part4 BÄyazÄ«d as Spiritual Master and in the Community
11 BÄyazÄ«d as Spiritual Master
â1âBÄyazÄ«dâs Homilies and Counsel to His Disciples
â2âExplanation of the Path for Others
â3âFemale Disciples of BÄyazÄ«d
12 BÄyazÄ«d in the Wider Community
â1âDifferent Paths among the Muslims
â2âBÄyazÄ«d under Censure: Challenges and Critiques
â3âCritique and Corrective
â4âBÄyazÄ«d and his Zoroastrian Neighbours
Part5 BÄyazÄ«dâs Autobiographical Accounts
13 BÄyazÄ«dâs Accounts of His Spiritual Journey
â1âThe Beginning of the Path and the Struggle with the Nafs
â2âBecoming Free of Self
â3âDescriptions of the Whole Journey
14 Spiritual Peregrination, Flight, and the MiÊ¿rÄj
15 The Longer MiÊ¿rÄj Narratives
Part6 Controversy, Paradox, and Contradiction
16 Shaá¹á¸¥, Paradox, and the Paradoxical
â1âDefinitions and Translations of the Shatḥ
â2âEcstatic Utterances of BÄyazÄ«d
â3âParadoxes and the Paradoxical
â4âA Few Other Controversial Sayings
17 Apparent Contradictions
â1âBÄyazÄ«d and âMiraclesâ
â2âThe Sense of Pride (iftikhÄr) versus the Acknowledgement of Neediness (iftiqÄr)
Part7 After BÄyazÄ«d
18 The Impact and Influence of BÄyazÄ«d on Islamic Mysticism
â1âEarly Responses to BÄyazid
â2âLater Responses to the Shaá¹á¸¥iyyÄt
â3âBÄyazÄ«dâs Wider Corpus in Sufi Literature
â4âBÄyazid among Love Mystics
â5âÊ¿Aá¹á¹Är and RÅ«mÄ«
â6âIbn Ê¿ArabÄ«
â7âInfluence versus Appropriation
â8âAbÅ« l-Ḥasan KharaqÄnÄ«
â9âA Glimpse at BÄyazÄ«dâs Literary Influence
Conclusion & Closing Remarks
Bibliography
Index of People and Places
Index of Subjects and Terms
Students, researchers in religious studies, mysticism, Islamic studies, Sufism, Arabic and Persian literature. All libraries of universities and colleges of further education especially those with departments of Middle East or religious studies.