Divine Love in Sufi Thought: From Poetic Yearning to Qur’anic Exegesis
Divine Love in Sufi Thought: From Poetic Yearning to Qur’anic Exegesis
Course Description
This four-week course examines Divine Love as a central avenue of Sufi knowledge and practice. We begin with the poetics of yearning—close readings of masterpieces such as Ibn al‑Fāriḍ’s Ta’iyya—and consider how imagery, rhythm, and voice shape a theology of love. We then turn to Sufi Qur’anic exegesis, focusing on Aḥmad Ibn ʿAjība’s al‑Baḥr al‑Madīd (“The Oceanic Exegesis”) and its integration of maḥabba into verse‑by‑verse interpretation. Along the way, we address love’s paradoxes—repentance, knowledge (maʿrifa), and unity (tawḥīd)—and trace how Sufi commentators connect doctrine with practical guidance on the path.
Schedule (4 Weeks)
· Week 1 — Poetic Yearning: Ibn al‑Fāriḍ and the language of longing; symbolism of wine, intoxication, and sobriety; love as a discipline of the heart.
· Week 2 — Love in Tafsīr: Ibn ʿAjība’s method in al‑Baḥr al‑Madīd; maḥabba as hermeneutic key; linking inner meaning with spiritual counsel.
· Week 3 — Paradox and Practice: Love, sin, and turning back; comparative glimpses from al‑Qushayrī and Rūzbihān Baqlī; ethics of attention (murāqaba).
· Week 4 — Love, Gnosis, Unity: Maʿrifa and tawḥīd through the lens of love; reading selections and integrative discussion on experience and doctrine.
Additional Information
· Prerequisite: Open to learners at all levels; no prior background in Sufi studies or Arabic is required.
· Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to interpret selected Sufi poems and tafsīr passages, articulate core concepts of divine love in Sufism, and relate poetic language to exegetical method.
· Readings & Materials: Short excerpts (in translation) from Ibn al‑Fāriḍ and Ibn ʿAjība; curated secondary readings. A brief weekly handout will guide close reading.
· Class Structure: 60 minutes per session (approx. 40 minutes lecture + 20 minutes Q&A/discussion).
· Q&A Protocol: Students are welcome to submit questions via Zoom’s raise‑hand feature or chat; the instructor will address them during the session or at its conclusion.
· Format: Online | 4 consecutive weeks in Spring 2025 (ET). Registration required.
Keywords: Sufi Qur’anic Exegesis; Divine Love (maḥabba); Ibn al‑Fāriḍ; Ibn ʿAjība; Tawḥīd and Maʿrifa
Dr. Omneya N. I. Ayad is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Sufi Studies, Üsküdar University. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Exeter (Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies) with a dissertation on Ibn ʿAjība and love in the Moroccan Sufi tradition. Before that, she completed an M.A. at the American University in Cairo on Aḥmad al‑ʿAlawī’s contemporary Sufi heritage and undertook formal studies in Islamic sciences at a college affiliated with al‑Azhar. She has taught Islamic history (AUC) and Arabic (Exeter).
Dr. Ayad’s publications include a study of Ibn ʿAjība’s “oceanic” Qur’anic exegesis (Journal of Qur’anic Studies), work on Abū Madyan’s Lāmiyya (Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies), and essays on divine love, faqr, and creation in Sufi thought. Her recent book, Love in Sufi Literature: Ibn ʿAjība’s Understanding of the Divine Word (Routledge), places love at the center of Sufi hermeneutics. Her teaching brings poetry and tafsīr into conversation, so students can see how Sufis have read, lived, and refined the path of love.