Sufis and Sharīʿa : The Forgotten School of Mercy

Establishes the existence of an important school of Sufi thought developed by Ibn ʿArabī Gives the first detailed analysis of the legal thought of Ibn ʿArabī, one of the most influential Muslims in general, and Sufis in particular Shows that Ibn ʿArabī had created his own madhhab (legal methodology) with a focus on mercy and ease for Muslims Explores the influence of Ibn ʿArabī, al-Tirmidhī and al-Shaʿrānī on Sufi thought Includes some of al-Shaʿrānī’s eight illustrations, his work being the only work of Islamic legal theory that includes drawings This book is not about Sufism. It is about the nature of the Sharīʿa. In the first three centuries of Islam, many scholars believed that juristic differences were rooted in the Sharīʿa’s inherent flexibility. As this pluralistic attitude began to disappear, a number of Sufis defended and developed this idea through the centuries. They aimed to preserve the leniency and simplicity of the Sharīʿa against the complications and restrictions created by many jurists. This book highlights a number of the major Sufi figures whose writings on legal theory were strongly shaped by their Sufism, showing how they belonged to the same tradition and developed each other’s ideas. The book focuses in particular on Ibn ʿArabī, giving a detailed analysis of his legal thought and revealing his influence on a number of major Sufi figures all the way up to the 19th century. Other key figures whose influence is explored are al-Tirmidhī , al-Shaʿrānī and Ibn Idrīs. This is the first study to give a full picture of the role that Sufi thought played in the revivalist Islamic movements of the 18th, 19th and even 20th centuries. This book is not about Sufism. It is about the nature of the Sharīʿa. In the first three centuries of Islam, many scholars believed that juristic differences were rooted in the Sharīʿa's inherent flexibility. As this pluralistic attitude began to disappear, a number of Sufis defended and developed this idea through the centuries. They aimed to preserve the leniency and simplicity of the Sharīʿa against the complications and restrictions created by many jurists. This book focuses on four major Sufi figures whose contributions to legal theory were strongly shaped by their mystical thought: Ibn ʿArabī, al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, al-Shaʿrānī and Aḥmad ibn Idrīs. It gives a detailed analysis of their legal thought, revealing that they belonged to the same tradition and developed each other's ideas, and also highlights their influence on other major Sufis all the way up to the 19th century. This is the first study to give a full picture of the role that Sufi thought played in the revivalist Islamic movements of the 18th, 19th and even 20th centuries. CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction: The Sufis and Legal Theory Part 1 Mysticism, Traditionalism and the School of Mercy 1 The Schools of Law 2 Sufis and Traditionalism 3 Al-Tirmidhī’s Critique of Rationalism 4 Ibn ʿArabī’s Traditionalism 5 The Akbarī Madhhab: Ibn ʿArabī’s School of Mercy 6 Loyalty to the Akbarī Way: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī Part 2 Mercy in Flexibility: A Pat h for All Mankind 7 The All-Comprehensive Nature of the Sharīʿa: From Tirmidhī to Suyūṭī 8 The ‘Scale’ of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī Part 3 The Akbarī Madhhab in Practice and its Influence on the Modern World 9 Aḥmad ibn Idrīs and the Implementation of Ibn ʿArabī’s Jurisprudence in the Nineteenth Century 10 The Teachings and Influence of Aḥmad ibn Idrīs 11 From Ibn ʿArabī to the Salafīs Conclusion: The Spirit of the Law – Competing Visions Appendix: The Classical Juristic Debate on Whether Every Mujtahid Was Correct References Index Establishes the existence of an important school of Sufi thought developed by Ibn ʻArabī