The editor's Thesis--Leyden. / Bibliography: p. [220-224].

This thesis presents Dr. Ali Shariati vis-a-vis the mystical tradition of Islam, focusing particularly on his inner spiritual and mystical orientation. Shariati is well known as a sociologist of religion, as a political activist, and as "the Teacher of Revolution" in Iran. Yet in his much neglected personal writings he reveals quite a different dimension of his being, a dimension which is clearly mystical in character. This study investigates the hidden mystical aspect of Shariati, and analyzes its relation to the other aspects of his personality. What is disclosed is the existence of a continuous struggle between Shariati's intellectual convictions and his spiritual intuitions, or rather between his mind and heart, as well as Shariati's repeated attempts to reconcile these two conflicting dimensions of his person.

This thesis deals with the rise of mystical movements (Aliran Kebatinan) in post-independence Indonesia, focusing on Susila Budhi Dharma (Subud), founded in 1925 by Muhammad Subuh. Despite that Subuh had been raised as a Javanese man and was heavily influenced by Javanese culture, he also learned from a S&dotbelow;ufi master who introduced him to certain fundamental concepts of Islamic mysticism. The aim of this thesis is therefore to observe the possible influences on Subud doctrine from both Javanese and Islamic mystical traditions. The major themes of this thesis are three in number: first, to discuss the historical background of the emergence of mystical movements in Java, and to present two mystical movements; second, to give a brief account of Muhammad Subuh's biography and the basic concepts of Subud; and lastly, to analyze Subud theories and practices and see its relation to both Javanese and Islamic mystical traditions. / This work also addresses the question of why this movement and other Aliran Kebatinan held such an appeal for Javanese and Westerners alike, and why they gave rise to such bitter polemic amongst Indonesian scholars. In the case of Subud the answer to both of these questions lies in its blend of Javanese and Islamic tradition, which attracted the spiritually inclined but at the same time not alienating the shari'a.

Ibn Sina has been the object of many contemporary studies, all of which have attempted to examine various angles of the possible connection between Ibn Sina and mysticism. These studies, however, have not fully explored Ibn Sina's understanding of mysticism; he is generally seen as the most rational philosopher who ever lived and, therefore, unlikely to have been a mystic in any sense. In response to this claim, the present study aims to reconsider Ibn Sina's connection with mysticism and to examine his own perception of this tradition. / This thesis first looks at the various factors which may possibly have contributed to Ibn Sina's mystical thought. Two of these were his spiritual consciousness and the Shi'ite milieu of his times. The intellectual tradition in which Ibn Sina lived, and his exposure to different aspects of Islamic intellectual tradition, were another factor that shaped his mystical thought. This thesis also attempts to reread Ibn Sina's mystical works in order to reveal his methodological perspective on mysticism. Ibn Sina incorporates mystical experience in a symbolic narrative into his work. He also theorized about mystical experience, using S&dotbelow;ufi terms like mystical knowledge ('irfan) and love ('ihsq), and tried to explain these experiences in a systematic fashion. / Ibn Sina's main contribution to the field of mysticism is his attempt to reconcile and to connect the different traditions of Neoplatonism, gnosticism, and S&dotbelow;ufism. It is remarkable how these ideas fit into a common framework---that of mysticism. These ideas may possibly stem from his close understanding of and sympathy with S&dotbelow;ufi discourse. Ibn Sina also contributed to a new literary genre in S&dotbelow;ufi literature, most notably in his visionary recitals, which express a sort of mystical experience.

In the early ninth century Muslim renunciants developed the metaphor of devotion to God is a path to teach their disciples how to cultivate virtues that would enable them to escape attachment to the world. Alongside these virtues were ascetic practices, sometimes extreme, that demonstrated their commitment to God. The earliest example of this renunciant path is the ascetic manual Adab al-'ibadat attributed to Shaqiq al-Balkhi (d. 198/809-10). Al-Harith al-Muhasibi (d. 243/857-8) took exception to exaggerated practices of Shaqiq's path and insisted that religious devotion must adhere to the commands God gave in the Quran and in the Sunna. Unique in the ninth century, Muhasibi also insisted that God's commands were not limited to exterior actions, but included specific expectations of the interior dimension of religious devotion. Abu Sa'id al-Kharraz (d. 277/890-91 or 286/899) expanded the renunciant path of Saqiq's followers, but also responded to Muhasibi's censure and softened the more extreme practices of the renunciant path. He was firmly committed to the interior dimension of religious devotion, but gave no indication that he accepted Muhasibi's insistence that these virtues were incumbent. Rather, he argues that the noblest expression of these virtues exists only among God's friends, whose religious devotion has its origin in the excellence of their primordial condition. This thesis will introduce a conceptual hierarchy of religious devotion that facilitates the analysis and comparison of each of these authors. Current discussions of ninth-century Islamic piety are limited by inadequate definitions of asceticism and mysticism. A holistic approach to their religious devotion will provide tangible indicators of the ascetic or mystical orientation of their piety. This provides better parameters for discussing the relationship between asceticism and mysticism in the ninth century.

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This thesis investigates the mystical elements in Mikha'il Nu`aymah's literary works and their affinity to Islamic mysticism, elaborating in particular on the notions of oneness of being and the transmigration of soul. These two themes are the more prevalent ones in Nu`aymah's mystical thought when compared to such other themes as love and asceticism, which can also be found in his works. / However, the notion of oneness of being seems to be the basis of his mystical concepts as well as the goal to which other themes are directed. The notion of the transmigration of soul is therefore developed by Nu`aymah in the context of the idea of oneness of being. The mystical thoughts of Mikha¯'il Nu`aymah concerning the two notions above, are to be found in a number of his works, such as Zad al-Ma'ad, al-Marah&dotbelow;il, The Book of Mirdad, Liqa', his autobiography Sab`un and his collections of poems Hams al-Jufun .

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