Living Sufism

by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

To expound the teachings of Sufism fully one must give at least an outline of Sufi doctrine, which includes a metaphysics about the principle and nature of things, a cosmology concerning the structure of the Universe and its multiple states of being, a traditional psychology about the structure of the human soul to which is attached a psychotherapy of the profoundest order compared to which modern psychotherapy is but a caricature, and finally an eschatology concerning the final end of man and of the Universe and man’s posthumous becoming. The elucidation of the teachings of Sufism would include, moreover, a discussion of the spiritual methods, their manner of administration and the way in which they take root in the very substance of the soul of the disciple. It would also involve a discussion of the relation between master and disciple and of the spiritual virtues, which are engendered in the soul of the disciple through the alchemy performed upon his soul by the master. Living Sufism combines scholarly research into all these aspects of Sufi doctrines and history with a penetrating account of the spiritual and metaphysical message and significance of Sufism as a living spiritual tradition. In an original discussion, the author places special accent on the relevance of Sufi teachings to contemporary problems. The book is written for both the ever-increasing western public interested in Sufism and for the Western educated Muslim interested in his own spiritual heritage. Dr. Nasr draws on his intimate knowledge of Sufi literature in Arabic and Persian as well as his first-hand knowledge of the Sufi tradition.

Genres: Religion

153 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Seyyed Hossein Nasr was born on April 7, 1933 (19 Farvadin 1312 A.H. solar) in Tehran into a family of distinguished scholars and physicians. His father, Seyyed Valiallah, a man of great learning and piety, was a physician to the Iranian royal family, as was his father before him. The name "Nasr" which means "victory" was conferred on Professor Nasr's grandfather by the King of Persia. Nasr also comes from a family of Sufis. One of his ancestors was Mulla Seyyed Muhammad Taqi Poshtmashhad, who was a famous saint of Kashan, and his mausoleum which is located next to the tomb of the Safavid king Shah Abbas, is still visited by pilgrims to this day.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, currently University Professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University, Washington D.C. is one of the most important and foremost scholars of Islamic, Religious and Comparative Studies in the world today. Author of over fifty books and five hundred articles which have been translated into several major Islamic, European and Asian languages, Professor Nasr is a well known and highly respected intellectual figure both in the West and the Islamic world. An eloquent speaker with a charismatic presence, Nasr is a much sought after speaker at academic conferences and seminars, university and public lectures and also radio and television programs in his area of expertise. Possessor of an impressive academic and intellectual record, his career as a teacher and scholar spans over four decades.

Professor Nasr began his illustrious teaching career in 1955 when he was still a young and promising, doctoral student at Harvard University. Over the years, he has taught and trained an innumerable number of students who have come from the different parts of the world, and many of whom have become important and prominent scholars in their fields of study.

He has trained different generations of students over the years since 1958 when he was a professor at Tehran University and then, in America since the Iranian revolution in 1979, specifically at Temple University in Philadelphia from 1979 to 1984 and at the George Washington University since 1984 to the present day. The range of subjects and areas of study which Professor Nasr has involved and engaged himself with in his academic career and intellectual life are immense. As demonstrated by his numerous writings, lectures and speeches, Professor Nasr speaks and writes with great authority on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from philosophy to religion to spirituality, to music and art and architecture, to science and literature, to civilizational dialogues and the natural environment.

For Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, the quest for knowledge, specifically knowledge which enables man to understand the true nature of things and which furthermore, "liberates and delivers him from the fetters and limitations of earthly existence," has been and continues to be the central concern and determinant of his intellectual life.

Reviews

[Ilmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini berisi kumpulan kuliah Seyyed Nasr mengenai Tasawuf. Runtut, mendalam, argumentatif, namun merdu mengalun. Salah satu artikel yg paling saya suka di buku ini di sekitat bab 4 tentang peran seorang Syaikh/Pir/Mursyid dlm hubungan syahdu guru-murid di dalam Allah. Tentu kita mudah mengingat betapa fenomenal contoh serupa Jalaluddin Rumi dg gurunya, Matahari Tabriz yg masyhur itu. Ditutup dengan artikel yg menyenangkan juga tentang relevansi tasawuf di tengah katastrofe modernitas zaman now, bagaimana tasawuf menyelamatkan diri dan keluarga kita, bagaimana tasawuf menyediakan kemungkinan utk perubahan arah gerak peradaban yg menyelamatkan kita dan anak cucu kita kelak. Supaya selamat, untuk itulah Islam diturunkan dan kita diminta utk menukik naik bersamanya menuju Tuhan.

Utk versi inggris dari artikel yg saya singgung bisa diakses di http://www.studiesincomparativereligi...

[Cep Subhan KM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baca cetakan baru terbitan Ircisod dan terus terang terjemahannya buruk, diperburuk lagi oleh editing yang tak memadai: banyak kalimat panjang asal dipotong menjadi beberapa kalimat taklengkap, banyak kalimat panjang diterjemahkan tanpa mengindahkan keberadaan aposisi sehingga maknanya jadi membingungkan.