


Hardcover
Published: 5th August 2004
ISBN: 9780415311069
Number Of Pages: 252
Avery explores the psychology of altered states among the early Sufis. It examines samâ` - listening to ritual recitation, music and certain other aural phenomena - and its effect in inducing unusual states of consciousness and behaviours. The focus is on the earliest personalities of the Islamic mystical tradition, as mediated by texts from the tenth to the twelfth centuries C.E. These unusual states are interpreted in the light of current research in Western psychology, and also in terms of their integration into historical Islamic culture.
A Psychology of Early Sufi Samâ` provides new insights into the work of five Sufi authors, and a fresh approach to the relation between historical accounts of altered states and current psychological thinking.
Acknowledgements | |
Abbreviations | |
Introduction | |
Sam' in Early Sufi Literature: an Overview | |
The Language of sam' and Other Key Concepts | |
The Psychology of sam' | |
The Psychology of sam' | |
The Psychology of sam' according to the Sufi Writers | |
The Sufis' Explanations of their Altered State Experiences | |
The Ritual Behaviour and Etiquette of sam' | |
The Paradigmatic Experience of two 'Ecstatics', Nuri and Shibli | |
Conclusions | |
Bibliography | |
Index | |
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780415311069
ISBN-10: 0415311063
Series: Routledgecurzon Sufi Series
Audience:
Tertiary; University or College
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 252
Published: 5th August 2004
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 22.25 x 14.43
x 1.88
Weight (kg): 0.42
Edition Number: 1