How Long to Read Sufi Aesthetics

By Cyrus Ali Zargar

How Long Does it Take to Read Sufi Aesthetics?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 15 minutes to read Sufi Aesthetics by Cyrus Ali Zargar

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Sufi Aesthetics argues that the interpretive keys to erotic Sufi poems and their medieval commentaries lie in understanding a unique perceptual experience. Using careful analysis of primary texts, Cyrus Ali Zargar explores the theoretical and poetic pronouncements of two major Muslim mystics, Muhyi al-Din ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240) and Fakhr al-Din 'Iraqi (d. 1289), under the premise that behind any literary tradition exist organic aesthetic values. The complex assertions of these Sufis appear not as abstract theory, but as a way of seeing all things, including the sensory world. In this study Zargar responds to a long-standing debate in the study of Sufi poetics over the use of erotic language to describe the divine. He argues that such language results from an altered perception of Muslim mystics in which divine beauty and human beauty are seen as one reality. The Sufi masters, Zargar asserts, shared an aesthetic vision quite different from those who have often studied them. Sufism's foremost theoretician, Ibn 'Arabi, is presented from a neglected perspective as a poet, aesthete, and lover of the human form. Ibn 'Arabi in fact proclaimed a view of human beauty markedly similar to that of many mystics from a Persian contemplative school of thought, the "School of Passionate Love," which would later find its epitome in 'Iraqi, one of Persian literature's most celebrated poet-saints. Many in this school advocated the controversial practice of gazing at beautiful human faces, a topic Zargar also discusses. The examination of central Sufi texts in Persian and Arabic establishes that the profundity attributed to mystical encounters with the sensory and supersensory has far-reaching extensions in evaluations of that which is seen, that which is deemed beautiful, and that which is expressed as a result. Through this aesthetic approach, this comparative study overturns assumptions made not only about Sufism and classical Arabic and Persian poetry, but also other uses of erotic imagery in Muslim approaches to sexuality, the human body, and the paradise of the afterlife described in the Qur'an.

How long is Sufi Aesthetics?

Sufi Aesthetics by Cyrus Ali Zargar is 248 pages long, and a total of 63,984 words.

This makes it 84% the length of the average book. It also has 78% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Sufi Aesthetics Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 49 minutes to read Sufi Aesthetics aloud.

What Reading Level is Sufi Aesthetics?

Sufi Aesthetics is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Sufi Aesthetics?

Sufi Aesthetics by Cyrus Ali Zargar is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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