TSV 565 Introduction to Basic Islamic Sciences
In this course, students recognize the inseparable unity of Sufism with the other Islamic sciences. Following the chronology of the codification of the Islamic sciences, students learn, in order, about revelation and the compilation of the Qur’an into the mushaf, the formation of the hadith sources, the formation of the schools of practical jurisprudence (fiqh), the schools of kalam that arose from theological questions and needs, and the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah. They then learn the basic features of the Sufi understanding in connection with the emergence of Sufis and of this understanding in Islamic society. Students have the opportunity to examine, at an introductory level, how the Basic Islamic Sciences are interconnected in light of their historical development and sources. This course provides foundational preparation in the Islamic sciences for students from different disciplines who are interested in Sufism before they begin their studies. The course will be taught by the relevant faculty member for each field, covering the basic concepts, main topics according to their historical development, and interrelations of the fields of tafsir, hadith, creed, fiqh, kalam, and Sufism within the scope of the Basic Islamic Sciences.
TSV 533 Sufi Thought
The course addresses the main themes of Sufi metaphysics that have developed over the centuries, particularly regarding the relationship between the human being, the universe, and God. It examines the place of Sufism among the Islamic sciences, its methodology in relation to philosophy and theology, the main topics based on this methodology, and the influence of the teachings and practices of perennial wisdom concerning human life on Islamic thought and practice.
The main themes in the teachings of Sufi thinkers such as Ibn al-Arabi, Rumi, Yunus Emre, and Ahmed Yesevi, the place of these teachings in the individual and social lives of people today, and their contribution to the human “search for meaning” are among the main topics of the course.
TSV 507 Ottoman Turkish
The course covers reading and writing texts written in the Arabic script used by Turks for nearly ten centuries, known as Ottoman Turkish; the rules for writing Turkish words and suffixes; and the Arabic and Persian elements in Ottoman Turkish, using sample texts from the 19th and 20th centuries. Students develop the skill of transliterating prose and verse texts written in Ottoman Turkish, and their Ottoman Turkish vocabulary expands.
TSV 535 History of Sufism
The History of Sufism interacts with many important branches of the discipline of history, such as the history of Islamic science, the history of Islamic culture, and the history of Islamic thought. A perspective that begins the history of Sufism with the life of the Prophet and finds the core of Sufism in the life of the Muslim community of that period would suggest that Sufism, rather than being a derivative and historical discipline, is a perspective inherent in the notions of Islamic belief and practice. If this view is followed, one encounters Sufism interpreting the transformations experienced throughout Islamic history from within its own perspective, with a teaching that changes in its outer shell but remains consistently the same in its essence. While the course seeks to provide a perspective that enables students to read the changes in the outer shell of Sufism within the social and political contexts of different periods, it will also trace the unchanging teaching that has been transmitted across generations in continuity. The aim of the course is to enable students to grasp the history of Sufism holistically, to become aware of its major turning points, and to gain close insight into the background of contemporary issues and debates related to Sufism.
TSV 562 Introduction to Arabic
Scientific method requires that the authentic texts of each discipline be studied in their original language. Sufism, as part of the Islamic intellectual tradition, is a field that requires knowledge of Arabic grammar in terms of both its sources and its literature. On this basis, this course is taught by language experts from ARÖMER within the framework of a protocol between our Institute and the 29 Mayıs University Arabic Teaching Center (ARÖMER). The content of the course has been designed in accordance with the content and objectives of the master's program. Accordingly, after an introductory training for those without any background in Arabic grammar, the course is based on the classical method taught in the Ottoman period. Subsequently, a number of modern Arabic texts are examined and discussed by an expert linguist who is a native speaker of Arabic. The aim of the course is to provide participants with a level of grammatical skill that will give them knowledge and awareness of the semantic range, in the original language, of the religious and Sufi concepts discussed.
TSV 532 Classics of Sufism
Every discipline has classic works that set out its historical development, the terms specific to that branch of knowledge, and the views of its principal representatives. This course examines the process by which Sufism became an independent branch of knowledge, as well as the classic works written thereafter and their content. Emphasis is placed on the content of Sufi literature, its place in and contribution to the religious and Sufi intellectual tradition, and its influence on later thought.
TSV 534 Sufi Culture and Art
Considered in light of the Islamic intellectual tradition, Sufism has focused mainly on the aesthetic dimension of Islamic thought. This Sufi foundation, shaped by the lives and teachings of many Sufis such as Rumi, Hünkar Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli, Yunus Emre, Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, and Niyazi-i Mısri, over time gave rise to its own distinctive understanding of culture and art and to related works. Traces of the Sufi understanding of culture and art can be seen in many areas, from poetry and literary texts to folk tales, from lullabies to music, and from proverbs to calligraphy and architecture. Over time, this understanding formed its own conception of culture and art, as well as its own ceremonies and rituals, through tekke literature, tekke music, tekke instruments, hymns (ilahi), nefes, devran, and sema. In addition to the anthropological and folkloric aspects of Sufism, the course examines the place of Sufi culture within cultural studies and the place of the philosophy of art emerging from the Sufi perspective within contemporary approaches to the philosophy of art.
TSV 536 Sufi Literature and Text Analysis
The course covers the beginnings, development, sources, and tradition of Sufi Turkish literature, its place in Turkish literature, its formal and thematic characteristics, verse forms, Sufi terminology, and the major representatives of Sufi literature. Through text analysis, the relationship of religion, Sufism, and ethics with literature and the Sufi content of literary texts are introduced. Students acquire the skill of researching and evaluating Sufi knowledge as reflected in literature.
TSV 540 Arabic Texts
Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, and Persian hold an important place in Sufi literature. Knowing Ottoman Turkish also requires a substantial knowledge of Arabic. It is important for students who make the discipline of Sufism their profession to read the classical and literary sources in this field first-hand. Arabic text analyses will be carried out on texts selected particularly from the classics of Sufism. Within the framework of the close and distant readings carried out in the course, important Sufis and some of their works will also be discussed. Texts will be read from the following sources: al-Luma’/Sarraj, Ihya’ Ulum al-Din/Imam al-Ghazali, al-Ta’arruf/Kalabadhi, al-Risala/Qushayri, Adab al-Din wa’l-Dunya/Mawardi, Akhlaq al-Nabi, Abu al-Shaykh al-Asbahani, Hilyat al-Awliya/Abu Nu’aym. The Qur’an emphasizes that the Prophet possessed an unparalleled moral character. This character is the ethics of the Qur’an. The people of Sufism undoubtedly derived their ethical principles from the Book and the Sunnah. In this course, texts containing examples of the fine moral conduct displayed by the Prophet in his life will be read. Also within the scope of the texts, examples will be presented of the fine moral character of the Companions who sat in the Prophet's circle of learning and of the great figures who later joined this circle and were educated in light of the Book and the Sunnah.
TSV 542 Sufi Texts in English
In this course, English translations of the works of Sufis of the classical period will be studied. The main aim of the course is to develop students' skills in reading and understanding Sufi texts in English and in preparing research papers using academic English. The texts to be read will be closely evaluated through content analysis. The themes, symbols, and terms used will be examined in depth. While striving to open a window onto the world of the Sufis through primary and secondary sources in English, selections will be read from Ja'far al-Sadiq's commentary on the Qur'an, poems by Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, the Risala of Qushayri, al-Luma' of Sarraj, "the ethics of the lover and the beloved" from Ruzbihan Baqli's Abhar al-'Ashiqin, the section "Muhammad, the Pre-Eternal Light" from the Kitab al-Tawasin of Hallaj-i Mansur, the martyr of divine love, Farid al-Din Attar's Tadhkirat al-Awliya, and the Masnavi of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi.
TSV 544 Introduction to the Thought of Rumi
Rumi is one of the exceptional figures produced by Islamic Sufism. Particularly because of his views on love, he has been regarded in the history of Sufism as the pole (qutb) of lovers. The Mevlevi order, founded in his name, functioned for centuries as an academy of fine arts that trained artists during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. This course addresses the sources and main themes of the thought of Rumi, whose views have been the subject of many studies in the East and the West, his place in the Sufi intellectual tradition, and the foundations of the Mevlevi culture inspired by him. Emphasis is placed on how the subjects Rumi lived by and addressed in his works offer solutions to people and their problems today.
TSV 502 The Qur’an and Sunnah in Light of Sufi Gnosis
As is well known, the Qur’an and the Sunnah are the fundamental sources of Islamic thought and civilization. Islamic thought varies according to how these fundamental sources are perceived and interpreted. Every discipline, such as theology, philosophy, and jurisprudence, has interpreted these sources according to its own methods. Because Sufism accepts inner experiential unveiling (kashf) as a source of knowledge alongside reason, from the earliest periods Sufis were able to perceive deep meanings in these texts that are connected to their apparent meaning but cannot be discerned at first glance through grammar alone. These interpretations, made over the centuries, also contributed to diversifying the superficial uniformity of religious thought. This course will focus on various examples of these Sufi interpretations, their historical development, the principles on which they are based, their conditions of validity, and the ontological, epistemological, and ethical values that emerge from them. The place of these interpretations within Islamic thought will be examined.
TSV 546 Leading Figures in Sufi Turkish Literature
In order to become acquainted with Sufi Turkish literature through its content, tradition, and sources, the works of Sufi poets who lived between the 13th and 19th centuries are studied. The fundamental purposes of the leading poets of Sufi literature in writing poetry, as well as the Qur’anic and hadith culture and the ethical and Sufi thought that make up the content of this literature, are brought to light.
TSV 548 Introduction to the Thought of Ibn al-Arabi
Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi is among the most important Sufis in the history of Sufism, as he systematically explained the Islamic intellectual tradition preceding him through the data of Sufi experience. Most Sufi thinkers refer to him by the title of the greatest master in this field (al-Shaykh al-Akbar).
Many Sufi thinkers who shaped the fundamental principles of Sufi thought in the fields of ontology, epistemology, and ethics were trained within the “Akbarian Gnostic Tradition” attributed to him. He is estimated to have written around 550 works, of which approximately 245 are known to have survived to the present day. The principles of this thought have influenced, in the past and present, almost all Sufi thinkers in the East and many thinkers and systems of thought in the West, from Dante to Voltaire, and continue to do so. The course focuses on the principles of Ibn al-Arabi's thought, his main concepts, his views on being, his influence on later periods, and Ibn al-Arabi studies in today's world.
TSV 550 Sufism and Psychology
Based on the idea that the soul and the body influence each other, this course aims to broaden and develop knowledge and possibilities regarding how the human being should be viewed as a unity of soul and body through the disciplines of Sufism and psychology.
The course addresses, with a multidisciplinary approach, the contributions of psychology, the science that studies human behavior through the experimental method, together with the fourteen centuries of experience, wisdom, and insight of Sufism on related subjects. The course is taught by two faculty members specializing in Sufism and psychology, focusing on the similarities and differences of the two fields around their overlapping topics. Through the studies discussed and the texts examined in the course, the solutions that the Sufi perspective can offer to people's basic psychological problems and behavioral disorders, as well as how psychology can produce practical solutions to the theoretical topics of Sufism, are examined.
TSV 552 History of Islamic Thought
This course aims to understand the Islamic intellectual tradition holistically. Instead of approaches that present philosophy, kalam, and Sufism as opposing one another, it seeks to understand the history of Islamic thought through a holistic approach. It examines Islamic intellectual movements within their own dynamics. Beginning with the translation of works from the Ancient Greek period, the course first addresses the approaches of Muslim philosophers such as al-Kindi, al-Farabi, and Ibn Sina to philosophy, religion, and metaphysics; it then covers the manifestations of the kalam approach continued by al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd, and finally how later Sufis such as Ibn al-Arabi addressed similar topics through the method of unveiling (kashf), in terms of their unity and place in the history of Islamic thought.
TSV 554 Sufi Movements in Türkiye and the World after the 19th Century
Having gained knowledge of the emergence of Sufism, its stages of formation and development, and the principal Sufi orders in the History of Sufism course, students in this course gain an overview of the general state of the subject in Türkiye and the world after the 19th century. They learn about the reach and influence of Sufi movements in the West and in the Islamic world and their role in conversion movements. They have the opportunity to compare and interpret today's existing movements and the topics they address with the movements of the classical period.
TSV 556 Persian
In order to learn the basic grammar of the Persian language, which holds an important place in classical Turkish literature, to help understand Persian words and concepts found in Turkish poetry, and to provide the opportunity to read sample texts from classical Persian poetry and compare them with Turkish literature, basic grammar topics are covered and practice is carried out on sample texts.
TSV 531 Scientific Research and Academic Writing Techniques
This course aims to explain the fundamentals of research methods, which are the process of making sense of data coming from many sources, which is becoming increasingly difficult to interpret, and making it usable. Focusing first on methodology in social science research, the course provides information, with relevant examples, on how to carry out stages such as research planning, research modeling, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Subsequently, information will be given, through sample articles, on the method to be followed in writing an article on Sufi culture and literature, and students will write practice articles. Through these articles, the aim is for students to learn the basic concepts and grasp the mindset they need for advanced research practice.
TSV 528 History of Islamic Civilization
Starting from the culture of the Arabian Peninsula in the pre-Islamic period, the course will study the belief in tawhid and the prophethood of Muhammad; the Hijra and the transformation of the city of Yathrib into Medina; the Constitution of Medina and the founding of the first Muslim city-state; the Prophet's Farewell Sermon; the period of the Four Caliphs; the division of Muslims into Sunni and Shia; the expansion of Muslim lands; the rise of Islamic scholars and artists; the Umayyad rule in Baghdad and Andalusia; the Abbasids; the Seljuks; Islamic Sufism, science, and art; the three great Turkish empires: the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals; global economic mobility and overseas trade; territorial losses, reforms, and new awakenings, in order to learn the place and importance of Islamic civilization within world history and civilization from historical, political, social, and cultural perspectives.
The Muslim political sovereign entities established across a vast geography have been taken as a compass for identifying all recorded developments. The contributions of Muslims to civilization and world history in the fields of science, art, architecture, and music over more than 14 centuries will be studied using printed and visual materials. The course content will be examined in 7 historical sections, drawing on primary and secondary sources:
1. The "Formation and Orientation" period, 500-634; 2. The "Transformation and Crystallization" period, 634-870; 3. The "Fragmentation and Achievement" period, 970-1041; 4. The "Migration and Renewal" period, 1041-1405; 5. The "Unification and Expansion" period, 1405-1683; 6. The "Reform, Dependence, and Liberation" period, 1683-present; 7. "Islam and Globalization: The Age of Circulation
TSV 558 Sufism and the History of Religions
Religions and religious beliefs are among the foremost factors guiding human behavior and activities in many societies, from primitive tribes to the most developed societies. Among them, in addition to the monotheistic religions based on a tradition of revelation, there are also human-originated religions and religious traditions that emerged in different times, geographies, and cultures. To the question of what the essence of religion is, some thinkers answer that the answer should be sought in its mystical dimension, where the sacred is experienced directly. Rather than the phenomenological features of religions mostly addressed in the discipline of the history of religions, this course addresses the mystical elements of living world religions and their connection with Sufism, their similarities and differences, their place in the tradition of perennial wisdom, and the question of what the truth of religions is beyond geographical and cultural needs.
TSV 563 Sufi Texts in Ottoman Turkish
The aim of the course is to comprehend the vocabulary and grammatical features of Ottoman Turkish and to read and understand Sufi texts written in Ottoman Turkish. Within the scope of the course, the Arabic and Persian elements in Ottoman Turkish and texts from Sufi literature are read.
TSV 564 Sufism and Poetry
The aim of the course is to enable a comprehensive evaluation of the views and ideas of Sufis who emphasized the aesthetic and artistic dimension of religion, and to set out the Sufis' understanding of poetry and their poetics. Within the scope of the course, the poetics of Sufi poetry will be examined through the relationship between Sufism and art. The subject will be studied through the divan and poems of Niyazi-i Mısri, whose poems, after those of Yunus Emre, are the most frequently sung as ilahi and nefes in Turkish. Topics such as the main themes and metaphors used in Sufi poetry and the place of divine love in Sufism will be addressed through the divan.
TSV 567 Ottoman Sufi Thought
The aim of the course is to teach the Sufi thought adopted during the Ottoman period in terms of its characteristics, sources, and representatives; to identify its historical phases, the geography in which it was widespread, and the points where it intersected with and diverged from other schools of thought; and to introduce the scholarly works produced in this field. The course will cover the identification of the sources of Ottoman Sufi thought, the determination of its basic characteristics, the introduction of its schools of thought and representatives and the demonstration of their influence, and the form and extent of the relationships that Sufis developed with rulers and members of the ulema, depending on the understanding of Sufism they adopted.
TSV 568 Methods of Reading and Writing Islamic History
The aim of the course is to discuss the methods by which works on Islamic history and Muslims have been written or produced. The reasons why the same historical event has been read and written with different understandings will be investigated. These deeply contradictory approaches will be examined together with the participants. The aim of the course is to evaluate 1441 years of Islamic history [as far as can be covered] and its sources, from the beginning to the present, in terms of events regarded as turning points. The course is intended to be conducted in a hands-on manner with active participation. At the end of the semester, students are expected to submit a critical research paper of an academic nature.
This will not be a lecture-based course. Nor will history be taught in the classical sense. As stated above, it is not possible to study the entirety of a 1441-year history in one semester while also taking into account all the geographies Muslims reached. However, it is possible to study selected segments in depth. Since group work will be done in class, topics may be shared. The topics to be studied have not been selected solely from written sources such as books and articles. Various works such as maps, films, engravings, calligraphy and illumination, and architecture will be examined. In keeping with the saying “Sufism is entirely adab (proper conduct),” since the Sufi understanding will be given priority in framing Islamic history, sometimes all the interrelated steps written on a subject will be covered, details evaluated within the framework of ‘sharia, tariqa, haqiqa, and ma’rifa’ will be examined, and the arguments of views opposing these perspectives, before or after, will be considered. We have three main themes: the sources of Islamic history, a detailed study of the Hadith of Gabriel, and the manifestations of the concept of ihsan.
It has been proven that contemplation develops through writing. The more one writes, the more one's writing also develops. In the research to be carried out, contemplation and writing will be brought together. Writing is the most important tool in analyzing different approaches to the same matter or subject. In this way, analytical and critical perspectives will be applied. In particular, the works of some Western authors will be included. Every week, writing on designated topics will be required both in and outside the classroom. The course is structured to encourage the emergence of feelings and thoughts through writing and to bring out our subconscious and conscious knowledge.
TSV 569 Sufism in Geographies outside Anatolia
This course, which addresses Sufi formations and Sufi thought in geographies outside Anatolia such as the Middle East, Khorasan, the Far East, the Maghreb, and Africa, will provide an opportunity to become acquainted with Sufi orders that have been little studied or not studied at all in our country. In addition to the differences and diversity arising from the contact of Sufism with local cultures over the course of history, the ability of Sufism to transcend boundaries will also be observed.
TSV 570 Persian Text Readings
This course is aimed at teaching the Persian language and reading simple texts.
TSV 581 Term Project
The Term Project may be a written report (in short thesis format) in which the student examines a topic from a multidisciplinary perspective, using scientific research techniques particularly related to the religious sciences and drawing on the perspective gained within the program, or a paper/article, provided that it is published by a peer-reviewed organization.
TSV 590/TSV 591 Thesis
It aims for the student to acquire the ability to conduct research and to contribute to science through the research they carry out. Within the scope of the program, the student conducts research using scientific research methods and writing techniques, particularly the methodology of the religious sciences. As an important feature of theses within the Sufi Culture and Literature Program, theses are directed as multidisciplinary studies. While bringing an innovation to the relevant field and offering new interpretations are prioritized when preparing a Master's Thesis, syntheses reached through the evaluation of existing sources using scientific research methods and writing techniques are also considered. In accordance with the regulations, originality is not a requirement.