The Transformation of Muslim Mystical Thought in the Ottoman Empire
The Rise of the Halveti Order, 1350-1650
Explores the flourishing of Sufi mysticism in the Ottoman Empire
- Follows the rise Sufi Halveti order and its key figures
- Sheds light on less-visible actors in society, such as women and artisans
- Challenges widely-held generalisations about the activities and strategies of Ottoman mystics
One of more poorly understood aspects of the history of the Ottoman Empire has been the flourishing of Sufi mysticism under its auspices. This study tracks the evolution of the Halveti order from its modest origins in medieval Azerbaijan to the emergence of its influential Sa'bâniyye branch, whose range extended throughout the Empire at the height of its expansion. By carefully reconstructing the lives of formerly obscure figures in the history of the order, a complex picture emerges of the connections of Halvetî groups with the Ottoman state and society.
Even more importantly, since the Sa'bâniyye branch of the order grew out of the towns and villages of the northern Anatolian mountains rather than the major urban centres, this work has the added benefit of bringing a unique perspective to how Ottoman subjects lived, worked, and worshiped outside the major urban centres of the Empire.
List of Maps and Figures
Abbreviations for Frequently Cited Works in the Text
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Map 1
Map 2
Introduction: On the Study of Ottoman Mystical Traditions
Part I. The Rise and Spread of The Halveti Order from Its Origins Through The 11th/17th Century
Introduction
1. Early Sufism and The Origins of the Halveti Path, C. 900–1400
2. The Great Expansion: From Regional Organization to Far-Flung Network, C. 1400–1600
Part II. The Evolution of a Halveti Sub- Branch: The Life and Career of Şaban-ı Veli and His Followers in the Kastamonu Region
Introduction
3. Echoes of a Distant Past: Şaban-ı Veli’s Early Life and Conversion to Sufism
4. Genesis of A Sub- Branch: Şaban-ı Veli’s Struggles in Kastamonu
5. An Uneven Legacy: The Succession to Şaban-ı Veli to the End of the 10th/16th Century
Part III. Defending the Cult of Saints in Eleventh/Seventeenth- Century Kastamonu: Transforming The Şaʿbâniye Order Under ʿÖmer El- Fuʾâdî
Introduction
6. ʿÖmer El- Fuʾâdî as Sufi Aspirant and Hagiographer: The Road To Şaʿbâniye Succession
7. Inscribing The Şaʿbâniye Order onto Kastamonu’s Landscape
8. The Political and Doctrinal Legacy of ʿÖmer El-Fuʾâdî
Conclusion: What Can the Şaʿbâniye Teach Us About Transitions in the Early Modern Period of World History?
Appendix I
Appendix II
Works Cited and Further Reading
Index of Persons
Index of Places
Index of Subjects
This book will be indispensable to scholars and students of both Ottoman history and the history of Sufism. I highly recommend it for its analytical and methodological approaches, its engaging narrative, and its ability to open a window to still poorly appreciated social and religious dynamics in the early modern period of Islamic history.
This fascinating book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the role and functioning of Sufism and Sufi communities in Ottoman life … Where this book shines is in its lively, in-depth, solidly grounded analysis of how Ottoman Sufi communities functioned in their local, and particularly provincial, settings. This analysis is made possible, in turn, by the author's close, critical reading of a wealth of published and unpublished 16th- and 17th-century materials, including doctrinal and devotional treatises, Sufi genealogies (silsiles), and especially hagiographic literature.This book will be indispensable to scholars and students of both Ottoman history and the history of Sufism. I highly recommend it for its analytical and methodological approaches, its engaging narrative, and its ability to open a window to still poorly appreciated social and religious dynamics in the early modern period of Islamic history.
John Curry's book is an important contribution to the history of Sufism in the early Ottoman empire. Based on an in-depth analysis of Sufi writings, it leads the reader to the very heart of Sufi life that developed in Anatolia in a broad social, political, and religious context. This work belongs to the very valuable trend in the study of mysticism that takes advantage of Sufi texts, whether theological or hagiographical, and thus informed by an understanding of the mechanics of assimilation and transformation of earlier traditions, as well as of the contemporary aims of the writers, John Curry's foray into writing history is successful indeed.
A fine piece of scholarship on the development of a specific Sufi order over a period of centuries, with special attention given to its relationship to the Ottoman state... It should be considered required reading for anyone interested in the history of Sufism or in the religious history of the Ottoman Empire.
