Spirit of the Mind

Divine Disclosure, <i>Nafs</i> and the Transcendental Self in Islamic Thought
Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-90-04-71902-6
Verlag: Brill Academic Publishers

Buch, Englisch, 92 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Brill Research Perspectives in Humanities and Social Sciences / Brill Research Perspectives in Religion and Psychology

In Spirit of the Mind, Khan delves into Islamic perspectives on the soul and its implications for spirituality and self-cultivation. Despite varying views on the soul's composition, a shared belief has persisted among theologians, scholars, preachers and reformists that it bears traces of the divine. Thus, drawing closer to God and gaining knowledge of nature involve returning to the soul's natural state of perfection. Central to Islamic thought is the struggle between the soul and the nafs (lower self), embodying carnal desires. In this context, achieving closeness to God requires purifying the soul to control the nafs. Khan traces a genealogy of the Islamic notion of the soul by exploring disturbances of the soul through Greek humoral theory, notions of spiritual weakness as deviation from perfection, the heart representing the seat of the soul, and the soul's aspiration for the divine light (nur) for its purification. Khan reflects on Islamic notions of the self through the tradition of the Perfect Man which emphasizes spiritual ascent and divine proximity. Overall, the monograph offers a nuanced exploration of the soul's significance in Islamic thought, highlighting the what thinkers have considered as the path to divine proximity and enlightenment.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Khan, Sanaullah

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Philosophie & Wissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologie: Allgemeines
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Nicht-Westliche Philosophie Islamische & Arabische Philosophie

Über Autor(innen)

Sanaullah Khan is an Assistant Professor in Medical Anthropology at the University of Akron. Previously, he served as a lecturer in Medical Anthropology at Brandeis University. In the past, he has also taught Medical Anthropology at the University of Delaware. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University. His peer-reviewed articles have appeared in Ethos, Medical History, Journal of South Asian Anthropology, Journal of Asian Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Culture and Society in South Asia and Critical Military Studies. He is also the co-editor of Globalization, Displacement and Psychiatry (Routledge, 2023).