Intellectual Life In The Hijaz In The 17th Century PDF Download

"This dissertation aims to situate the Ḥijāz within a broader narrative of Islamic intellectual history by demonstrating that the intellectual sciences, transmitted knowledge (i.e., from scripture), and Sufi theories and practices flourished there and together made the region one of the most intellectually dynamic centers of the 17th-century Islamic world. By exploring this understudied aspect of the history of post-classical Islamic thought, the dissertation aims to correct the tendency in both Western and Muslim scholarship to ignore this region and this time period. By showing that prejudices about the supposed decline of post-classical Islamic intellectual life are not based on solid evidence, my research offers convincing proof that this period witnessed interesting and original philosophical contributions that warrant further investigation. The principle case study used to support this argument revolves around the works and ideas of Ibrāhīm al-Kūrānī, a leading scholar who is representative of Ḥijāzī intellectual activities in that period. The dissertation begins by investigating the local and global factors that transformed the Ḥijāz into one of the primary scholarly destinations of that era, and hence into a meeting point for all the major intellectual trends in the Islamic world during the 16th and the 17th centuries. Then it focuses on the life and writings of Ibrāhīm al-Kūrānī in order to explore the extent to which philosophical, theological, and Sufi texts were disseminated, studied, and discussed. On the basis of a detailed account of around 80 of al-Kūrānī's works - mostly still in manuscript - the dissertation ultimately synthesizes his ideas into a coherent philosophical system, and shows that intellectual life in the Ḥijāz during the post-classical period was rich and dynamic. " --