William Chittick
Encyclopedia
William C. Chittick is a leading translator and interpreter of classical Islamic philosophical and mystical texts. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, and has written extensively on the school of Ibn 'Arabi, Islamic philosophy, Shi'ism, and Islamic cosmology.
, Chittick finished his BA at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and then went on to complete a PhD in Persian
literature at Tehran University under the supervision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr
in 1974. He taught comparative religion
at Tehran's Aryamehr Technical University and left Iran
before the revolution. Chittick is currently Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University.
Biography
Born in Milford ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Chittick finished his BA at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and then went on to complete a PhD in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
literature at Tehran University under the supervision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is an Iranian University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher...
in 1974. He taught comparative religion
Islam and other religions
Over the centuries of Islamic history, Muslim rulers, Islamic scholars, and ordinary Muslims have held many different attitudes towards other religions...
at Tehran's Aryamehr Technical University and left Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
before the revolution. Chittick is currently Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University.
Books
Below is a list of most of Chittick's books, translations, and edited volumes:- A Shi'ite Anthology (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1981). ISBN 978-0873955102 - Fakhr al-Din 'Iraqi, Divine Flashes. Translated with Paul Wilson (New York: Paulist Press, 1982). ISBN 978-0809123728
- The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1983). ISBN 978-0873957243 - Zayn al-'Abidin, The Psalms of Islam. Translated and Introduced (London: Muhammadi Trust, 1988). ISBN 9163165058
- The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al-'Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1989). ISBN 978-0887068843 - Faith and Practice of Islam: Three Thirteenth Century Sufi Texts (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1992). ISBN 978-0791413678 - Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-'Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1994). ISBN 978-0791422502 - With Sachiko Murata, The Vision of Islam (New York: Paragon, 1994). ISBN 978-1557785169
- The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 1998). ISBN 978-0791434048 - Sufism: A Short Introduction (OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
: Oneworld, 2000). ISBN 978-1851682119 - 'Abd al-Rahman Jami, Gleams. Translated in Sachiko Murata, Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light: Wang Tai-yü's Great Learning of the Pure and Real and Liu Chih's Displaying the Concealment of the Real Realm (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 2000). ISBN 978-0791446386 - The Heart of Islamic Philosophy: The Quest for Self-Knowledge in the Teachings of Afdal al-Din Kashani (Oxford: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 2001). ISBN 978-0195139136 - Mulla Sadra, The Elixir of the Gnostics. Translated, Edited, and Introduced (Provo: Brigham Young University PressBrigham Young University PressBrigham Young University Press is the university press of Brigham Young University .-History:Brigham Young University Press was formed in 1967 through the consolidation of BYU's various publishing activities into one central organization....
, 2003). ISBN 978-0934893701 - Shams al-Din Tabrizi, Me and Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-i Tabrizi. Annotated and Translated (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2004). ISBN 978-1887752527
- Ibn 'Arabi, select translations from The Meccan Revelations. Translated in Michel Chodkiewicz (ed.), The Meccan Revelations (New York: Pir Press, 2004). ISBN 978-1879708167
- Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets (Oxford: Oneworld, 2005). ISBN 978-1851683871
- The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi (Bloomington, IN: World WisdomWorld WisdomWorld Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Burckhardt, Ananda K...
, 2005). ISBN 978-0941532884 - The Inner Journey: Views from the Islamic Tradition. Edited and Introduced (Sandpoint, ID: White Thread Press, 2007). ISBN 978-1596750173
- The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Edited and Introduced (Bloomington, IN: World WisdomWorld WisdomWorld Wisdom is an independent publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Burckhardt, Ananda K...
, 2007). ISBN 978-1933316383 - Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld, 2007). ISBN 978-1851684953
- With Sachiko Murata and Tu Weiming, The Sage Learning of Liu Zhi: Islamic Thought in Confucian Terms (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Centre, 2009). ISBN 978-0674033252
- In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought. Edited by Mohammed Rustom, Atif Khalil, and Kazuyo Murata (Albany: State University of New York PressState University of New York PressThe State University of New York Press , is a university press and a Center for Scholarly Communication. The Press is part of the State University of New York system and is located in Albany, New York.- History :...
, 2011). ISBN 978-1-4384-3935-8
See also
- SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
- Iranistics
- Rumi
- Sufi studiesSufi studiesSufi studies: a particular branch of comparative studies that uses a.o.the technical lexicon of the Islamic mystics, the Sufis, to exemplify the nature of its ideas; hence the frequent reference to Sufi Orders...
- Allameh TabatabaeiAllameh TabatabaeiAllameh Seyyed Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei was one of the most prominent thinkers of philosophy and contemporary Shia Islam...
- Hossein Nasr
Resources
- "Mysticism in Islam" - lecture delivered at the Center for International Studies, Brigham Young University, May 2003
- Free recording the 2001 Paths to the Heart Conference – lecture and Q&A section
- Essay on Ibn 'Arabi
- Audio lecture on the Myth of the Fall of Adam in Ahmad Sam'ani's Refreshment of Spirits.
- A number of Chittick's articles on Ibn 'Arabi and some of the major members of his school.