Theoretical mysticism – the wisdom and ontology articulated by mystics – emerged through the tireless efforts of Ibn ʿArabī, his students, and his followers as a serious rival to theology and philosophy, the two other major intellectual traditions in the Islamic world. Over time, its intellectual richness and distinctive capacity to address difficult questions and illuminate profound teachings of the Qur’an and hadith exerted a considerable influence on both theologians and philosophers.

Abū Ḥāmid Turka and his descendant Ṣā’in al-Dīn Turka, commonly known as Ibn Turka, exemplify this influence. Their intellectual journeys illustrate how the depth, subtlety, and appeal of mystical ontology could transform philosophers into philosopher-mystics.

Tamhīd al-Qawā‘id, by Ṣā’in al-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Turka Iṣfahanī, is a commentary on Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad Iṣfahanī’s Qawāʿid al-Tawḥīd. It is taught in Islamic seminaries as the first textbook in the study of theoretical mysticism.

This four-session course introduces the book and its author and explores some of its central discussions of divine unity. Explanations of selected sections, together with close readings of passages, will introduce participants to key terms and concepts in theoretical mysticism.