Psychology of early Sufi samāʻ
Subtitle: listening and altered states
By: Kenneth S. Avery.
Series: RoutledgeCurzon Sūfī series
Publisher: RoutledgeCurzon
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 241
Subjects: Music -- Religious aspects -- Sufism.; Sufi music.
Description: "This book explores the psychology of altered states among the early Sufis. It examines sama[superscript c], i.e. 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 found in 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 sama[superscript c] 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."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Samāʻ in early Sufi literature: an overview; title: The language of samāʻ and other key concepts; title: The psychology of samāʻ part 1; title: The psychology of samāʻ part 2; title: The psychology of samāʻ according to the Sufi writers; title: The Sufis' explanations of their altered state experiences; title: The ritual behaviour and etiquette of samāʻ; title: The paradigmatic experience of two 'ecstatics', Nūrī and Shiblī; title: Conclusions.