Islamic Mysticism and Abu Talib Al-Makki The Role of the Heart [Paperback]

Both in everyday language and religious metaphor, the heart often embodies the true self and is considered to be the seat of emotion in many cultures. Many Muslim thinkers have attempted to clarify the nature of Sufism using its metaphorical image, particularly in the tenth and eleventh centuries.

This book examines the work of Abk T
lib al-Makk+ and his wider significance within the Sufi tradition, with a focus on the role of the heart. Analysing his most significant work, Qkt al-qulkb(The Nourishment of Hearts), the author goes beyond an examination of the themes of the book to explore its influence not only in the writing of Sufis, but also of Hanbal+ and Jewish scholars.

Providing a comprehensive overview of the world of al-Makk+ and presenting extracts from his book on religious characteristics of the heart with selected passages in translation for the first time in English, this book will give readers a better understanding not only of the essential features of Sufism, but also the nature of mysticism and its relation to monotheistic faiths.

Introduction  1. Abk T
lib al-Makk+: his life, intellectual formation and scholarship 2.Qkt al-qulkb: its religious context, contents and sources 3. Summary of Section 30 of the Qut with Selected Passages in Translation, Part 1  4. Summary of Section 30 of the Qut with Selected Passages in Translation, Part 2  5. Contemporaries of al-Makk+  6. The influences of Al-Makk+, Part 1 7. The influence of Al-Makk+, Part 2 8. Ibn B
qkd
and al-Hid
ya il
far
'id al-qulkb 9.The Qktand al-Hid
ya: a Muslim-Jewish dialogue? Conclusion

Finally, Yazaki has produced a creditable contribution to the history of Islamic thought on a difficult and often enigmatic figure. Her addition (in chaps. three and four) to the stls(