Wednesday, May 09, 2007

the way of sufi chivalry

Another continuation of the greater jihad: a muslim art of war:

The Way of Sufi Chivalry by Ibn al-Husayn al-Sulami (translated by Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi). The Arabic term translated as "chivalry" is futuwwah. In Arabic, fata literally means a handsome, brave youth. But the book goes on to explain that based on its use in the Quran, the word came to mean "the ideal, noble and perfect man whose hospitality and generosity would extend until he had nothing left for himself; a man who would give all, including his life, for the sake of his friends." (the term is used to describe Abraham in the Quran [21:60] when he destroys the idols of his people.)

Al-Sulami's work doesn't have a martial emphasis, but instead focuses on spiritual attributes associated with the concept of futuwwah.

Also if you are interested in the subject, a Naqshbandi page in a similar vein discusses Spiritual Chivalry or Futuwwah.

2 comments:

Dynamite Soul said...

This book is one of my most favorite.

The story about the brothers and avenging the death of their loved one, and the end of the story where there was so much mercy shown.

Also, I love the one about Abu Bakr(ra) and Umar(ra) and Abu Bakr's reaction at the end when he learns about how the angels are dressed.

That book is awesome.

*tried not to spoil the narratives!

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