(„The Black and White in the Words of Wisdom by Bondsmen Describing the
Seeker and the Mystic Quest“), a substantial handbook of early Sufism
by Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan al-Sīrjānī (d. ca. 470/1077) [from Kirman, Iran], is based
on three manuscripts and is introduced by a detailed analytical study of
the author and his work. The work is written in the tone of a guiding
Sufi master and collects the mystical tradition of early Sufis in the
form of anecdotes and concise aphorisms to instill guiding wisdom into
the hearts of aspiring Sufi adepts.
K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād forms
an integral part of Sufi literature and is an essential source for the
intellectual history of Islam until the middle of the 5th/11th century.
Ph.D. (2009), Yale University, is Assistant Professor of Arabic and
Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut. He is the author
of several articles and books on classical Arabic literature and Sufism.
Nada Saab,
Ph.D. (2003), Yale University, is Assistant Professor of Arabic and
Islamic Studies at the Lebanese American University. Her research
interests include medieval Sufi literature and theory, as well as the
embodiments of this Sufi heritage in modern Arabic literature.
Leseprobe: hier
Table of contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan al-Kirmānī al-Sīrjānī, His Life, and Legacy
2. Kitab al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
2.1. The Author’s Voice
2.2. Problematics of the Title of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
2.3. Signification of Color in K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
2.4. Ḥikma as a Guiding and Transforming Agent
2.5. The Construction of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
2.6. The ‘History’ of the Sufis
2.7. Conclusion of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
2.8. Sources of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
3. The Manuscripts of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
3.1. MS Landberg 64 “ب”
3.2. MS Āyat Allāh Marʿashī Najafī 117 “ق”
3.3. MS British Library Board Or 12632 “ل”
4. Technical Observations about the Critical Edition of K. al-Bayāḍ wa-l-sawād
5. Illustrations
