Early Modern Trends in Islamic Theology

The present volume is dedicated to the study of Abd al-Ghan al-Nbulus (1641-1731), an outstanding religious scholar, sufi thinker and man of letters from 17th-18th-century Ottoman Syria. With its focus on a careful examination of Nbulus's multifaceted and enriching textual corpus, the present volume offers an in-depth analysis of both his thought and his intellectual milieu. The essays presented here reflect the wide spectrum of Nbulus's interests, from scriptural exegesis to theology, from jurisprudence to mysticism, from philosophy to poetry, ethics and aesthetics. Bringing together expertise in Islamic mysticism, theology and jurisprudence, Ottoman studies, and the social and cultural history of the Middle East, it explores Nbulus's work and persona. The studies included in Part I of this volume remind us that Nbulus's legacy has many surprises in store for us, and Part II is dedicated to critical editions of three of Nbulus's short, but nevertheless important, treatises. This volume is intended to be the first of many further publications that would bring together the expertise of numerous Nbulus scholars across disciplines. The interdisciplinary character of the present volume contributes to a better appreciation of Nbulus's multifaceted impact on the diversified intellectual and religious history of the 17th-18th-century world of Islam, described until recently as a time of 'stagnation' and 'decline'.