The Other Ibn Khaldūn: Sufism as a Political Problem
Journal title RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA
Author/s Luca Lissoni
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2024/4
Language Italian Pages 17 P. 635-651 File size 178 KB
DOI 10.3280/SF2024-004001
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation
click here
Below, you can see the article first page
If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits
FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.
The article examines Ibn Khaldūn’s views on Sufism through his work Shifā’ al-sā’il li-tahdīb al-masā’il. It argues that Ibn Khaldūn’s engagement with Sufism was primarily driven by political concerns, focusing on the potential impacts of extreme religious practices on indivi- duals and society. It also highlights Ibn Khaldūn’s cautious approach to Sufism, advo- cating the need for a master to guide Sufi practitioners and discouraging excessive my- stical practices. This stance reflects his broader ethical and normative perspectives, consistent with those in his renowned Muqaddimah. The Author underscores the cohe- rence between Ibn Khaldūn’s ethical views and his political philosophy, which empha- sizes the importance of avoiding behaviour that could pose a threat to political stabi- lity. The conclusion states that while Ibn Khaldūn acknowledges the legality of the Sufi path under certain conditions, he is wary of its potential to undermine societal or- der through the promotion of unregulated mystical practices and the autonomous inter- pretation of divine messages.
Keywords: Islamic political thought, Ibn Khaldūn, Sufism, radical Islam, Muslim phi- losophy, mysticism
Luca Lissoni, L’altro Ibn Khaldun: il sufismo come problema politico in "RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA" 4/2024, pp 635-651, DOI: 10.3280/SF2024-004001