Philosophical Encyclopedia in a Mystical Fatwā: The Sufi Readers of the "Brethren of Purity" (Iḫwān al-Ṣafāʾ) in Sixteenth-Century Cairo under Ottoman Rule
Cairene Sufis ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Šaʿrānī (d. 973/1565) and his master ʿAlī l-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 939/1532) formulated an original mystical-legal theory that linked the existence of the religious obligation (taklīf) as well as the origins of Islamic law to the myth of Adam’s Fall. Expressed in the form of a fa...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Arabica
Year: 2025, Volume: 72, Issue: 6, Pages: 685-744 |
| Further subjects: | B
Frères de la Pureté
B chute d’Adam B Soufisme B lettrisme B syriaque B Islamic Mysticism B Adam’s fall B Lettrism B Islamic Law B loi islamique B Brethren of Purity B ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Šaʿrānī B ʿAlī l-Ḫawwāṣ B Suryānī B Iḫwān al-Ṣafāʾ B Sufism B Syriac B mysticisme islamique |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Cairene Sufis ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Šaʿrānī (d. 973/1565) and his master ʿAlī l-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 939/1532) formulated an original mystical-legal theory that linked the existence of the religious obligation (taklīf) as well as the origins of Islamic law to the myth of Adam’s Fall. Expressed in the form of a fatwā, the theory synthesized numerous Islamic legal, theological, and Sufi sources, including the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Rasāʾil Iḫwān al-Ṣafāʾ), which is widely regarded as the first Islamic philosophical encyclopedia. This article sheds light on the remarkable parallels between the Epistles and the Sufi theory, demonstrating that al-Ḫawwāṣ and his disciple utilized the Epistlesʾ ideas to articulate their teaching on Islamic law, the human deficiency, and self-reform, and to reinforce the spiritual authority of the local Sufi šayḫs. The convergence of social crisis and eschatological expectations during the times of the Brethren in the fourth/tenth century and the Cairene Sufis in the tenth/sixteenth century brought forth the enduring relevance of the Epistle’s Adamic narratives in the late medieval period. This article delves into the Sufisʾ engagement with the Epistles within the wider scope of how the contentious works of the Brethren were received among Ottoman mystics and jurists in Cairo. Les soufis cairotes ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Šaʿrānī (d. 973/1565) et son maître ʿAlī l-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 939/1532) ont formulé une théorie mystico-juridique originale qui lie l’existence de l’obligation religieuse (taklīf) ainsi que les origines de la loi islamique au mythe de la chute d’Adam. Exprimée sous la forme d’une fatwa, cette théorie synthétise de nombreuses sources islamiques juridiques, théologiques et soufies, dont les Épîtres des Frères de la Pureté (Rasāʾil Iḫwān al-Ṣafāʾ), largement reconnues comme la première encyclopédie philosophique islamique. Cet article met en lumière les remarquables parallèles entre les Épîtres et cette théorie soufie, démontrant quʿal-Ḫawwāṣ et son disciple ont utilisé les idées des Épîtres pour exprimer leur enseignement sur la loi islamique, la déficience humaine et l’autoréforme, et pour renforcer l’autorité spirituelle des cheikhs soufis locaux. La convergence de l’effondrement de l’État, de la crise sociale et des attentes eschatologiques lors des périodes des Frères au ive/xe siècle et des Soufis cairotes au xe/xvie siècle a une fois de plus mis en évidence la pertinence durable des récits adamiques des Épîtres. Cet article explore l’implication des soufis dans les Épîtres dans le cadre plus large de la réception des œuvres controversées des Frères parmi les mystiques et juristes ottomans au Caire. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Arabica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700585-20246907 |
