“Tasting” God in an Islamic Context

 First thoughts on the nature of mysticism?

 What could it possibly mean to experience God?
Is mysticism something which is separate from
organized religious traditions, a “perennial
philosophy” of its own, or are there many
mysticisms?
 The difference between studying mysticism and
setting out on the path to becoming a mystic
 Common associations with Sufism?
 Stereotypes: Whirling Dervishes, the “tolerant
form of Islam,” or conversely “not really Islam,”
Rumi’s love poetry, New Age, . . .
 Again, here I will not induct you into a Sufi order,
or lead dhikr sessions, but rather we will engage it
the academic study of a mystic practice in a
particular cultural and religious environment
 To fully understand Sufism’s historical
development within an Islamic context
 To become familiar with enough classical Sufi
terminology (most all, yes, in Arabic) to feel
comfortable reading original Sufi texts
 To understand Sufism (and mysticism in general)
as not only an intellectual exercise, but an
embodied practice
 To appreciate the changes brought about to Sufism
(and Islam in general) by the advent of modernity