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Spirit of the Mind
Divine Disclosure, Nafs and the Transcendental Self in Islamic Thought
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In Spirit of the Mind, Sanaullah Khan delves into Islamic perspectives on the soul and its implications for spirituality and self-cultivation. Despite varying views on the soul's composition, a shared belief has persisted among theologians, scholars, preachers and reformists that it bears traces of the divine. Thus, drawing closer to God and gaining knowledge of nature involve returning to the soul's natural state of perfection. Central to Islamic thought is the struggle between the soul and the nafs (lower self), embodying carnal desires. In this context, achieving closeness to God requires purifying the soul to control the nafs. Khan traces a genealogy of the Islamic notion of the soul by exploring disturbances of the soul through Greek humoral theory, notions of spiritual weakness as deviation from perfection, the heart representing the seat of the soul, and the soul's aspiration for the divine light (nur) for its purification. Khan reflects on Islamic notions of the self through the tradition of the Perfect Man, which emphasizes spiritual ascent and divine proximity. Overall, the monograph offers a nuanced exploration of the soul's significance in Islamic thought, highlighting what thinkers have considered as the path to divine proximity and enlightenment.
Sanaullah Khan is a medical and psychiatric anthropologist. He received his PhD in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University, where he also received training in the history of medicine and global health. Since then, he has taught at Brandeis University, University of Delaware, and the University of Akron. He is currently an assistant professor in medical anthropology at the City University of New Yorkâs Hunter College.
Acknowledgments
âIntroduction
â1âImbalances of the Soul
â2âPurification and Divine Disclosure
â3âThe Centrality of the Heart
â4âThe Reception of Light (Nur)
â5âConclusion
References
âIntroduction
â1âImbalances of the Soul
â2âPurification and Divine Disclosure
â3âThe Centrality of the Heart
â4âThe Reception of Light (Nur)
â5âConclusion
References
The book will be of interest to scholars and students interested in Islamic thought, philosophy, cultural psychology, Middle East and South Asia, medical and psychiatric anthropology and global history, as well as physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists interested in learning more about Islamic notions of self and well-being.