Rūzbihān Baqlī: Mysticism and the Rhetoric of Sainthood in Persian Sufism

Rūzbihān Baqlī: Mysticism and the Rhetoric of Sainthood in Persian Sufism

Baqlī, Rūzbihān ibn Abī al-Naṣr, -1209 or 1210
Sufism
Mysticism

Ruzbihan Baqli is a full-length study devoted to the life and mystical experiences of one of the outstanding figures in Persian Sufism. Although Ruzbihan Baqli (d.1209) was long recognized within the Sufi tradition, it is only within the past few decades that his works have been rediscovered and printed. This study introduces and analyzes the most important sources for the life of Ruzbihan, his own visionary diary (The Unveiling of Secrets) written in Arabic, and two Persian hagiographies written by his great-grandsons a century after his death; and extensive excerpts from these works are presented here in translation. Ruzbihan's diary is filled with visions of astonishing intensity, and it contains remarkable encounters with God, the angels, the prophets and the Sufi saints. This book aims to articulate and describe the structure of mystical experience in Ruzbihan's writings through analysis of his rhetoric of sainthood. Ruzbihan's diary is contrasted with the two biographies devoted to him by his descendants.

Carl W. Ernst

Richmond, Surrey : Curzon Press

Series: Curzon Sufi series

A. Ruzbihan Baqli, a Neglected Figure in Sufi Studies -- B. Ruzbihan Studies: A Brief Overview -- C. Aims of the Present Work -- I. The Tradition of Ruzbihan Baqli. A.A Sufi's Life. B. The "Ruzbihaniyya Order" and the Legacy of Ruzbihan -- II. The Inner Structure of Sainthood. A. The Unveiling of Secrets: Structure and Contents. B. The Prologue and Early Years. C. Theology, Cosmology, Psychology: A Primer. D. The Fundamental Metaphor: Unveiling and Clothing with Divinity. E. Theophanies of Majesty. F. Theophanies of Beauty. G. The Unveiling of Secrets as a Literary Text -- III. Institutionalizing a Sufi Order. A. The Biographies of Ruzbihan Baqli. B. Stories of Ruzbihan in the Early Hagiographical Narratives. C. The Descendants of Ruzbihan. D. Political Connections of the Ruzbihaniyya -- IV. Conclusion -- Appendix A. The Writings of Ruzbihan Baqli -- Appendix B. Ruzbihan's Two Commentaries on the "Ascension" of Abu Yazid al-Bistami.

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