University of Cambridge
Sociality and the Mystical Theology of ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī (d. 1143/1731)
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThis dissertation explores ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī’s mystical theology in relation to his sociality: his associations, interactions and companionships with others. Nābulusī is arguably the most prolific Muslim author of the early modern period. Yet, he remains insufficiently studied, particularly for someone who was both a distinguished Muslim scholar and an accomplished Sufi. Rivalling this neglect is that there are few studies on sociality in Islam through the lens of a particular figure, notwithstanding copious didactic manuals on pious Muslim behavioural etiquette. This thesis analyses Nābulusī’s life and thought pertaining to sociality in the context of his background as a Sufi-scholar. Studying his ideas about sociality, dovetails Islamic theological and mystical intellectual history in the context of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by presenting Nābulusī’s original forays into areas of theology based on his interpretations of the primary sources of Islam – namely the Qur’an and Hadith. This thesis argues that Nābulusī’s life and thought even in spiritual matters reveal an inherent relationship with others that is central to his mystical theology. It uses phenomenology as a method to explore various aspects of Nābulusī’s relationships theologically, that is, granting particular credence to his own experiences and writings. The focus of this research mainly concerns four such areas which richly expound Nābulusī’s ideas and experiences in relation to sociality, while best illuminating his mystical theology, namely: God, seclusion, teachers and students, and young male companionships. Nābulusī’s vicarious relationship with God (mostly through the dead) complements the study of his relations with fellow living human beings. While direct mystical communication with God is fundamental to deepening one’s relationship with God, the agency of other human beings, including the agency of the deceased, plays an important role that may not be dismissed. Thus, we cannot ignore his grave-visitations and pleas to God in the vicinity of “erstwhile” temporal holy figures. The consideration of Nābulusī’s isolation from society is an essential part of this research, since he justifies the theological suspension of interactions with others during his life. The analysis of this phenomenon leads to a deeper appreciation of the multifaceted ways in which sociality was enacted when “alone”, such as the highlighting and challenging of social injustices through writing. Such intimate engagement with the theological issues at stake, together with the socio-political context and Nābulusī’s personal experiences, demonstrate his engagement and contributions as an original thinker. Teachers of the outward (*ẓāhir*) and inward (*bāṭin*) sciences are indispensable to strengthening an individual’s connection with God. This thesis examines their role in facilitating the seeker on the mystical path to adopt the etiquettes required to advance upon it, as well as the roles that dreams and soul-connections play in advancing knowledge and awareness of God. The multitude of ways in which these connections occur elucidates aspects of knowledge-acquisition that are ordinarily overlooked. This enhances our appreciation of the sophisticated ways in which Nābulusī interacts with others and imparts knowledge and inspiration. Finally, I research the contentious issue of loving boys, and analyse Nābulusī’s defence of this practice in depth. The theological arguments he develops, despite the controversial nature of the topic in his time as well as historically among Muslims, offer a glimpse into his formidable legal reasoning and his scholarly acumen to combine these with endorsement from spiritual perspectives. Thus, relations which are often thought of as spiritually prosaic (grave-visitations), or based on mere ritual practices (seclusion), or usually confined to external etiquettes and simply involving sense-perception (learning), or seemingly profane (interaction with youth) are rooted in much deeper theological, spiritual and mystical considerations. Researching the above topics in this way presents Nābulusī in a sophisticated manner and offers to Nābulusian Studies, in particular, an original lens through which his thought may be integrated. This study’s contribution to Islamic Studies then is to combine the interrogation of sociality in several areas, and to apply them in relation to Nābulusī’s mystical theology. In addressing such themes, this mystical sociality evinces questions of an ethical and legal nature too, not just its purely mystical dimensions. It demonstrates Nābulusī’s spiritual dependency, interaction and reliance on others, as well as others’ dependence on him for elevation spiritually: a unique conceptualisation of his life that will explicate the theology of sociality for a mystic like Nābulusī, in both theory and practice.
Degree
thesis:*- Name dc:type.qualificationname
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
- Doctoral
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- University of Cambridge
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2023
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Khan, Muhammad Imran
- Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Winter, Timothy
- Pfeifer, Helen
Subjects
dc:subject × 7Rights
dc:rightsIdentifiers
dc:identifier.*- DOI dc:identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108402
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/368050