The Emergence of Shi鈥榠 Sufism Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h Gun膩b膩d墨 and His Commentary on the Qur鈥檃n
Oxford University Press in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
The 叠补测腻苍 al-sa士膩da f墨 maq膩m膩t al-士ib膩da (The Elucidation of Bliss concerning the Spiritual Stations of Worship) is a Qur鈥檃nic commentary (迟补蹿蝉墨谤) written by Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h Gun膩b膩d墨 (d. 1909). A central work in the modern intellectual and religious history of Iran and Shi鈥榠 Islam, it represents a mature synthesis between Twelver Shi鈥榠sm and Sufism. In this first detailed study of Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩岣モ�檚 叠补测腻苍, Alessandro Cancian argues that this commentary represents the foundational act of modern Twelver Shi鈥榠 organised Sufism.
Cancian first explores the intellectual contexts of Iranian Shi鈥榠sm and Sufism, before introducing the author and the text. The eponymous master of the largest branch of the Ni士matull膩h墨 Sufi order (the Gun膩b膩d墨yya), Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h was at the same time a religious scholar taught by some of the most authoritative Shi鈥榠 ulama of his time, a philosopher in the Akbarian/Sadrian tradition who studied with renowned Qajar philosopher Mull膩 岣つ乨墨 Sabzaw膩r墨 (d. 1873) and a master of mysticism who drew from the classical tradition of Persian and Persianate Sufism. Cancian shows how these elements coalesced into the formation of a Shi鈥榠 Sufi 峁璦谤墨辩补, making a credible claim for Ni士matull膩h墨 Sufi legitimacy within the Twelver Shi鈥榠 establishment and influencing subsequent Qur鈥檃nic exegesis in Iran. Cancian then provides a thematic and genealogical analysis of the text alongside a study of its impact and legacy, and a translation of Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h鈥檚 own introduction, outlining his hermeneutical approach and theological and philosophical principles, is provided in an appendix.
This book will appeal to scholars in a range of disciplines within Islamic studies, including Qur鈥檃nic exegesis, Shi鈥榠 studies, Sufi studies, mysticism, and the intellectual history of Iran.
Illustrations
Note on Transliteration, Conventions and Abbreviations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Section I
1. Introduction: The Emergence of Twelver Shi鈥榠 Sufism in Early Modern Iran
2. Shi鈥榠 Sufism
3. Qur鈥檃nic Exegesis between Shi鈥榠sm and Mysticism
Section II
4. Sufism in Early Modern Iran
5. From Ni士matull膩hiyya to Gun膩b膩diyya
6. Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h Gun膩b膩d墨 (d. 1909): His Life and Legacy
Section III
7. The 叠补测腻苍 al-sa士膩da: An Introduction
8. A Shi鈥榠 Sufi 迟补蹿蝉墨谤
9. Themes, Methods and Positioning
10. A Neglected Legacy: The 叠补测腻苍 al-sa士膩da and its Reception in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
Appendix I:
Annotated Translation of Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h鈥檚 Introduction to the 叠补测腻苍 al-sa士膩da f墨 maq膩m膩t al-士ib膩da
Appendix II:
The Structure of the 叠补测腻苍 al-sa士膩da through Its Subheadings
Bibliography
Index of Qur鈥檃nic Citations
General Index
'A refreshingly innovative and exciting study of a neglected field. Cancian makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of modern Qur示anic exegesis, the study of Sufism in Shi士i contexts, in addition to the modern intellectual history of Iran. Sul峁乶 士Al墨 Sh膩h鈥檚 works are rare treats ranging over a number of the traditional Islamic humanities, and their significance and lasting legacy are drawn out, explained and demonstrated with great skill. Texts and contexts are treated with care, empathy and theoretical sophistication. Cancian鈥檚 work ought to be essential reading for students and specialists alike interested in the intersection of religion, culture and politics in modern Iran.'
鈥� Sajjad H. Rizvi, University of Exeter
'An original and significant contribution that contextualises the 迟补蹿蝉墨谤 叠补测腻苍 al-S膩鈥檃da within the history of Iranian Twelver Shi鈥檌sm and throws light on the development of the Shi鈥檌 Sufism that emerged as a consequence of the efforts of key Iranian Shi鈥檌 figures, especially those associated with the Gun膩b膩d墨 order. In addition to providing a translation of the introduction and parts of the 叠补测腻苍, it also takes account of pertinent historiographical issues surrounding it and other related elements, such as Shi鈥檌 history and Sufism among Shi鈥檌 intellectuals. This book will be valuable also to those outside the field of expertise, and of interest to the general reader. An intellectually impressive work.'
鈥� Milad Milani, Western Sydney University
Alessandro Cancian is a Senior 榴莲视频官方 Associate at 榴莲视频官方 of Ismaili Studies, London (IIS), where he works on Shi鈥榠 Sufism, Qur鈥檃nic exegesis and the intellectual and religious history of pre-modern Iran. An historian of religions and an anthropologist, he has published books and articles on religious education in Shi鈥榠 Islam, Shi鈥榠 Sufism and Qur鈥檃nic exegesis. He is the author of La Scuola degli Imam: L'Iran e l'educazione religiosa nell'Islam sciita (2016) (The School of the Imams: Iran and Religious Education in Shi'i Islam) and he edited Approaches to the Qur鈥檃n in Contemporary Iran (Oxford, 2019). He is co-editing the volume On Ethics for An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries (IIS/OUP). He is also an amateur perfumer, and is translating the treatise on perfume-making known as Mijmara (The Incense Burner) by the nineteenth-century Iranian Shaykh墨 master Mu岣mmad Kar墨m Khan Kirm膩n墨.