Cyrus Ali Zargar

Paperback

9781786072016

 

Islamic philosophy and Sufism evolved as distinct yet interweaving strands of Islamic thought and practice. Despite differences, they have shared a concern with the perfection of the soul through the development of character. In The Polished Mirror, Cyrus Ali Zargar studies the ways in which, through teaching and storytelling, pre-modern Muslims lived, negotiated, and cultivated virtues. Examining the writings of philosophers, ascetics, poets, and saints, he locates virtue ethics within a dynamic moral tradition.

 

Contents

 

Part One: Islamic Philosophy

 

1 - The Humors (Al-Akhlat) and Character Traits (Al-Ahklaq) According to the Brethren of Purity

 

2 - Virtue Ethics in Avicenna’s Philosophical Allegories

 

3 - The Virtues, From Philosophy to Scripture: Refining Character Traits in Miskawayh and Ghazali

 

4 - Reason, Revelation, and Discovering the Virtuous in Ibn Tufayl’s Literary Thought Experiment

 

5 - From Humors to Pure Light: Knowledge and Virtue in the Allegories of Suhrawardi

 

Part Two: Sufism

 

6 - The Soul’s Constant Returning: Repentance (Tawba) in the Sufi Legacy of Ja’far Al-Sadiq

 

7 - Distancing Oneself from the Worldly: Renunciation (Zuhd) According to Al-Muhasibi and Al-Sarraj

 

8 - Self-Awareness that Leads to Self-Loss: Futuwwa as a Compound Virtue in the Legacy of Ansari

 

9 - The Completion of Ethics: Self-Annihilation (Gana’) Through the Lens of ‘Attar

 

10 - Virtue in the Narrative Poetry of Rumi