In this unique look at a key figure in the 'Islamic enlightenment', Samer Akkach examines the life and works of 'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi (1641-1731). Often characterized solely as a Sufi saint, his thought and teachings were of a much wider remit, and symptomatic of a growing rationalism among Islamic scholars during his lifetime. Through a fresh reading of his large body of mostly unpublished works, Akkach argues that 'Abd al-Ghani helped to herald the beginning of modernity in the Arab world.
CONTENTS
Preface

Acknowledgements

Glossary

Abbreviations

Illustrations



INTRODUCTION

Unresolved Dilemma

Approach
PART I HIS LIFE: A VIEW FROM WITHIN

Saintly Predictions

A Family with One Saint

Calculated Performance

Spiritual Call

On the Sufi Path

Journeys
PART II HIS THOUGHT: A VIEW FROM WITHOUT

Heavenly Inspirations, Rational Insights

Faith and Reason

Enlightenment and the Primacy of Reason

Islam and the Continuity of Tradition

God in a Mechanical Universe

The Human Reality

Religion and Otherness

The Emergence of the Public



PART III HIS LEGACY: A VIEW FROM A DISTANCE

Departing Damascus

An Advocate of Truth



Biographical Sources

Selected Bibliography

Index