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The Mystics of al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajān and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century. By Yousef Casewit. Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Pp. xvi + 353. $100, ?95.
This long-awaited book is a most significant and welcome contribution to the study of medieval Islamic mysticism, particularly as it developed in al-Andalus. It will likewise be of interest to specialists in the field of Quranic Studies as well as to historians of Muslim Spain.
Abū l-Hakam 'Abd al-Salām Ibn Barrajān of Seville (born ca. 450/1058, d. 536/1141) was a renowned mystic and eminent religious scholar in al-Andalus who mastered diverse disciplines, ranging from Quranic exegesis and variant readings (qirā>āt) to Arabic grammar and poetry. He was a revered teacher who attracted many students; his writings played an important role in the development of Islamic mystical thought, Quran exegesis, and the science of hadith. Previous studies on Ibn Barrajān have typically presented a very partial picture at best of his life and thought, and often produced a distorted account of his place in the history of Islamic mysticism. This unfortunate fact stems from an over-reliance on biographical dictionaries and an incomplete reading of Ibn Barrajān's writings, which have remained until recent years in manuscript (pp. 1, 8-9). Misconceptions regarding the nature of Andalusī mysticism and its relation to Eastern Sufism have also hindered scholars from properly understanding and accurately contextualizing Ibn Barrajān's teachings. Yousef Casewit's book successfully corrects this situation: it is the first comprehensive study of Ibn Barrajān's life and thought, based on a close reading of all his works (in manuscript and print alike) and on an impressive array of other primary and secondary sources.
The book is voluminous, comprising eight chapters, not including the introduction and conclusion. These chapters can be neatly divided into two: the first four deal with Ibn Barrajān's life and works and their historical background, while the remaining four provide in-depth analyses of his teachings. More specifically, pp. 14-21 in the introduction and chapters one and two discuss the political, social, cultural, and religious history of al-Andalus that is relevant for understanding Ibn Barrajān's biography and intellectual-spiritual project. This discussion includes a wide range of topics, such as, inter alia, the "rise and demise" of the...