Mohammed Rustom
Join the live classDescription
In this course we will introduce the famous philosopher, mystic, and poet ʿAyn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī (d. 1131). A student of Aḥmad al-Ghazālī (d. 1126), ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was a religious judge and spiritual teacher who was put to death by the Seljuq government at the age of thirty-four, ostensibly on charges of “heresy.” Having come to terms with ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s life, martyrdom, and self-perception as a teacher and scholar extraordinaire, we will then venture into an in-depth analysis of his writings, carefully unpacking his highly original teachings on God, cosmology, human agency, spiritual practice, imagination, death, knowledge, scripture, beauty, and love.
Texts
Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt
Faruque and Rustom, “ʿAyn al-Qudat” (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/al-qudat/)
Schedule of Meetings & Readings
October 22
Topic: Autobiography and Advice
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, introduction; chapters 1 and 2
October 29
Topic: Metaphysics and Theology
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapters 3 and 4
November 5
Topic: Imaginalization and Death
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 5
November 12
Topic: Knowledge and the Way
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapters 6 and 7
November 19
Topic: Quranic Origins
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 8
November 26
Topic: Muhammad and Iblis
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 9
December 3
Topic: Love and Beauty
Readings: Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 10
