The Emergence of Shi'i Sufism: Sultan 'Ali Shah Gunabadi and His Commentary on the Qur'an

The Bayan al-sa ada fi maqamat al- ibada is a key work in the modern intellectual and religious history of Iran and Shi i Islam, combining Twelver Shi ism and Sufism. This book by Alessandro Cancian explores the intellectual contexts of Iranian Shi ism and Sufism, the author and the text, and how these elements coalesced into the formation of a Shi i Sufi tariqa. It provides a thematic and genealogical analysis of the text, alongside a study of its impact and legacy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 356 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The Bayan al-sa ada fi maqamat al- ibada (The Elucidation of Bliss concerning the Spiritual Stations of Worship) is a seminal work in the modern intellectual and religious history of Iran and Shi'i Islam. A Qur'anic commentary (tafsir) by Sultan Ali Shah Gunabadi (d. 1909), it represents a mature synthesis between Twelver Shi'ism and Sufism. In this groundbreaking study of Sultan Ali Shah's Bayan, Alessandro Cancian argues that this commentary constitutes the foundational act of modern Twelver Shi'i organized Sufism.

Cancian begins by exploring the intellectual contexts of Iranian Shi'ism and Sufism, before introducing the author and the text. The eponymous master of the largest branch of the Ni'matullahi Sufi order (the Gunabadiyya), Sultan Ali Shah was a religious scholar who studied under some of the most authoritative Shi'i ulama of his time; a philosopher in the Akbarian/Sadrian tradition who studied with renowned Qajar philosopher Mulla Hadi Sabzawari (d. 1873); and a master of mysticism who drew from the classical tradition of Persian and Persianate Sufism. Cancian demonstrates how these diverse elements coalesced to form a Shi'i Sufi tariqa, establishing the legitimacy of Ni'matullahi Sufism within the Twelver Shi'i establishment and influencing subsequent Qur'anic exegesis in Iran.

Furthermore, Cancian offers a thematic and genealogical analysis of the text, alongside a study of its impact and legacy. An appendix provides a translation of Sultan Ali Shah's own introduction, outlining his hermeneutical approach and theological and philosophical principles. This book will appeal to scholars in a range of disciplines within Islamic studies, including Qur'anic exegesis, Shi'i studies, Sufism, mysticism, and the intellectual history of Iran.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 147 x 223 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198877332