Ni'matullāhi Sufis in 18. and 19. Century: Relationship between Exoteric and Esoteric Knowledge

Dr. Reza Tabandeh (University of Toronto))

online lecture │18 July 2024 │ 6:00 pm (CET)

The controversial topic of knowledge and pseudo-knowledge cannot be discussed without introducing and speaking about Sufis in Qājār era. When Safavids came to power, Shi‘ite mystics of that era such as Fayḍ Kāshānī, Mullā Ṣadrā and Shaykh Bahā’ī began to emphasize even more on the reality of religious knowledge. About two centuries later, when Qājārs took power, Persia witness the solidification of religious sciences, as Shi‘ite seminary schools observed a number of great scholars and theosophers. Among these mystics, Mullā Sulṭānmuḥammad Gunābādī, with the spiritual title of Sulṭān ‘Alī Shāh (d. 1327 A. H./1909 C. E.) was a great figure on reviving the concept of ‘ilm Ḥaqīqī, the real knowledge. He believed that real knowledge was more than fiqh (jurisprudence) and Kalām (scholastic theology). This talk investigates the views of Sulṭān ‘Alī Shāh on knowledge and pseudo-knowledge and embarks on explaining in more detail the importance of this figure in the history on Shi‘ite Sufism.

Reza Tabandeh earned a PhD in Islamic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in the University of Exeter. He was a visiting lecturer at Brock University, University of Toronto, York University in Canada, and at  University of Bradford in the UK. Dr. Tabandeh co-convened an international conference with Dr. Leonard Lewisohn about Sufis and Exoteric scholars with the title of “Sufis and Mullahs: Sufis and their Opponents in the Persianate World”. His post-doctorate research in the University of Toronto was about the love of “People of the house” and its philosophy and beliefs practiced by Sufis master during 12th to 15th century. He is currently a researcher on Islam and Sufism in the Brock University.

 

 

You can find more information about the lecture series here.

Contact: Dr. Raid Al-Daghistani – raid.aldaghistani@uni-muenster.de