William Chittick

William Clark Chittick
William Clark Chittick
Born	29 June 1943(age 81); Milford, Connecticut,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Tehran
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Islamic philosophy
Main interests	Sufism,Islamic philosophy
Website	www.williamcchittick.com

William Clark Chittick(born June 29, 1943) is an American philosopher, writer, translator, and interpreter of classical Islamic philosophical and mystical texts. He is best known for his work onRumiandIbn 'Arabi,and has written extensively on the school of Ibn 'Arabi,Islamic philosophy,andIslamic cosmology.He is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies atStony Brook University.

Biography

Born inMilford, Connecticuton June 29, 1943,^[1]^[2]Chittick earned his B.A. in history in 1966 from theCollege of WoosterinWooster, Ohio.^[3]As part of his undergraduate program, he undertook the study of Islamic history at theAmerican University of Beirutduring the 1964–1965 academic year. During this time, he became familiar withSufismas he chose to focus on the subject for his junior year independent study.^[2]Following a period of scholarly inquiry into the precepts of Sufism, he attended a public lecture bySeyyed Hossein Nasr,who was then the Aga Khan Visiting professor ofIslamic studiesat the American University of Beirut.^[2]This lecture deepened his interest in Sufism, and, upon his graduation from Wooster, led him to pursue graduate studies at theUniversity of Tehran's Faculty of Letters, where he spent eight years (1966-1974) working towards his doctoral degree inPersian literature.^[2]^[4]He earned his PhD in 1974 under Nasr's supervision.^[2]His PhD dissertation, which was published in 1977 and later reprinted in 1992, focused onJami'sNaqd al-nusus.This work is a critical commentary on Ibn 'Arabi'sNaqsh al-fusus,which is a shortened version of hisFusus al-hikam.While pursuing his studies at the University of Tehran, Chittick also served as a research assistant at the Center for the Study of Islamic Science from 1971 to 1972.^[4]

Chittick later taught comparative religion atAryamehr Technical Universityand joined the faculty of theImperial Iranian Academy of Philosophyin 1978.^[2]While in Tehran, he metSachiko Murata,who was also studying there, and they got married.^[4]During his stay inTehran,Chittick studied under and collaborated with distinguished scholars of Islamic thought such asPeter Lamborn Wilson,^[5]Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani,Henry Corbin,Toshihiko Izutsu,Badi' al-Zaman Furuzanfar,Jalal al-Din Humai,Mehdi Mohaghegh,andSayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai.This extended contact with such scholars gave Chittick a unique appreciation and mastery of classical Arabic and Persian, as well as a broad understanding of medieval Islamic philosophical, theological, and mystical texts.^[2]

Prior to therevolutionin 1979, Chittick returned to theUnited Stateswith his wife, and served as an associate editor forEncyclopædia Iranicain the early 1980s.^[2]Chittick began working at Stony Brook University in 1983 as an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies.^[4]He is currently Distinguished Professor in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University.^[6]

Chittick has been the recipient of several academic honors throughout his career. These include the Kenan Rifai Distinguished Professorship at the Institute of Advanced Humanistic Studies atPeking University,as well as an Honorary Professorship at the School of Philosophy and Religious Studies atMinzu University.In addition, he has been awarded fellowships from a number of esteemed organizations, such as theNational Endowment for the Humanities,theJohn Simon Guggenheim Foundation,the Harvard Centre for the Study of World Religions, and theEcole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales(EHESS).^[4]^[7]

Influence

William Chittick is "renowned for his translations and interpretations of classical Islamic philosophy and mystical texts".^[8]He has been variously called "one of the most important contemporary translators and interpretors of Islamic mystical texts and poetry",^[9]"arguably the leading scholar of Ibn al—Arabi writing in English",^[10]"a well known scholar on Rumi and Sufism",^[11]"one of the leading American scholars of the Sufi mystical tradition",^[12]"a leading Western scholar of Islamic spirituality",^[13]"One of the most prominent scholars of Sufi Islam and of the concept and practice of Ihsan"^[14]"a distinguished scholar on Sufism",^[15]"a leading and greatly respected scholar in the field of the classical Muslim intellectual tradition",^[16]and "one of the major scholars of Islamic thought" in the contemporary world.^[17]According toMohammed Rustom,Atif Khalil,and Kazuyo Murata, "Students of Islamic thought are, in one way or another, indebted to Chittick's writings".^[2]Taneli Kukkonen of New York University states that "Over the course of four decades, William Chittick has done more than anyone to elucidate for an Anglophone audience's benefit the theosophical side of Sufi literature and later Islamic philosophy".^[18]

Major works

Chittick has published 30 books and numerous articles on Islamic intellectual history, Sufism and Islamic philosophy.

Books

The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi: An Introduction(Tehran: Aryamehr University Press, 1974).A new edition,The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi,released in 2005 (see below).
The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi(Albany:State University of New York Press,1983).It has been translated intoRussian(1995),Indonesian(2000),Persian(2004, 2005) andBosnian(2005).
The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al-'Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination(Albany:State University of New York Press,1989).It has been partially translated intoIndonesian(2001) and fully intoPersian(2010).
Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-'Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity(Albany:State University of New York Press,1994).It has been translated intoTurkish(1999),Indonesian(2001),Spanish(2004) andPersian(2004, 2005, 2007).
WithSachiko Murata,The Vision of Islam(New York:Paragon,1994).It has been translated intoPersian(1999),Turkish(2000),Indonesian(2005),Albanian(2008),Urdu(2008) andRussian(2014).
Varolmanın Boyutları (The Dimensions of Existence)A collection of seventeen essays edited and translated by Turan Koç (Istanbul: Insan Yayınları, 1997).
The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology(Albany:State University of New York Press,1998).
Sufism: A Short Introduction(Oxford:Oneworld, 2000).It has been translated intoIndonesian(2002),Turkish(2003),Persian(2004, 2007),Albanian(2007),Italian(2009) andRussian(2012).
The Heart of Islamic Philosophy:The Quest for Self-Knowledge in the Teachings ofAfdal al-Din Kashani(Oxford:Oxford University Press,2001).It has been translated intoPersian(2011).
Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets(Oxford: Oneworld, 2005).It has been translated intoGerman(2012),Albanian(2012),Turkish(2014),Persian(2014),Arabic(2015) and Urdu (2022).
The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi: Illustrated Edition(Bloomington, IN:World Wisdom,2005).It has been translated intoSpanish(2008) andAlbanian(2009).
Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World(Oxford: Oneworld, 2007).It has been translated intoPersian(2009),Indonesian(2010),Turkish(2010) andAlbanian(2011).
WithSachiko MurataandTu Weiming,The Sage Learning of Liu Zhi: Islamic Thought in Confucian Terms(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Centre, 2009).
In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought.An anthology of Chittick's writings (from 1975 to 2012) edited byMohammed Rustom,Atif Khalil, and Kazuyo Murata (Albany:State University of New York Press,2012). It has been translated into Persian. (2017)^[19]
Divine Love: Islamic Literature and the Path to God(New Haven:Yale University Press,2013).It has been translated intoPersian(2016).
Rumi et Shams: la voie spirituelle de l'Amour.A collection of Chittick's writings translated into French by Jean Annestay (Paris: Editions i Littérature, 2021).
Muqarabat fi l-tasawwuf wa-l-hubb wa-l-insan.Several articles translated by Muhammad 'Ali Jaradi and Dima El-Mouallem (a special issue of al-Mahajja 36 [2021], edited by Ahmad Majed).
L'Âme et le Cosmos: Miroir et unite.A selection of articles translated by Ghislain Chetan (Paris: Les Lumières d'Orient, 2023).
Dirasat fi fikr al-Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi wa-madrasatihi.A large collection of articles on Ibn 'Arabi and his school translated by Naser Dumairieh and edited by Abdel Baki Meftah (Kuwait: Dar al-Ma'ani, 2023).

Edited volumes

With Seyyed Hossein Nasr (vols. 1–3) and Peter Zirnis (vols. 2–3),An Annotated Bibliography of Islamic Science(Tehran: Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy, 1975–78, vols. 1–2; Tehran: Cultural Studies and Research Institute, 1991, vol. 3).
'Abd al-Rahmân Jâmî,Naqd al-nusûs fi sharh naqsh al-fusûs,Persian and Arabic text with critical apparatus, notes, English and Persian introductions, indexes (Tehran:Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy,1977).
The Works of Seyyed Hossein Nasr Through His Fortieth Birthday.Edited and Introduced (Uppsala: University of Utah Press, 1977).
The Inner Journey: Views from the Islamic Tradition.Edited and Introduced (Sandpoint, ID: White Thread Press, 2007).
The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr.Edited and Introduced (Bloomington, IN:World Wisdom,2007).

Translations

Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i,A Shi'ite Anthology(Albany:State University of New York Press,1981).
Javad Nurbakhsh,Sufism [I]: Meaning, Knowledge, and Unity(New York: Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi, 1981).
Fakhr al-Din 'Iraqi,Divine Flashes.Translated withP.L. Wilson(New York:Paulist Press,1982).
Javad Nurbakhsh,Sufism [II]: Fear and Hope, Contraction and Expansion, Gathering and Dispersion, Intoxication and Sobriety, Annihilation and Subsistence(New York: Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi, 1982).
Ali ibn Abi Talib,Supplications (Du'â),(London: Muhammadi Trust, 1982).
Zayn al-'Abidin,The Psalms of Islam.Translated and introduced (London: Muhammadi Trust, 1988). Reprinted asThe Psalms of Islam: English Version(Birmingham: al-Mahdi Institute, and Marsta, Sweden: Me'raj Educational Publishers, 2007).
Javad Nurbakhsh,Sufism IV: Repentance, Abstinence, Renunciation, Wariness, Humility, Humbleness, Sincerity, Steadfastness, Courtesy(London: Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi, 1988).
Faith and Practice of Islam: Three Thirteenth Century Sufi Texts(Albany:State University of New York Press,1992).
'Abd al-Rahman Jami,Gleams.Translated in Sachiko Murata,Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light: Wang Tai-yu'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 Press,2000).
Mulla Sadra,The Elixir of the Gnostics.Translated, Edited, and Introduced (Provo:Brigham Young University Press,2003).
Shams al-Din Tabrizi,Me and Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-i Tabrizi.Annotated and Translated (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2004).^[20]
Ibn 'Arabi,select translations fromThe Meccan Revelations.Translated byMichel Chodkiewicz(ed.),The Meccan Revelations(New York: Pir Press, 2004).
Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi,The Texts.Translated inSeyyed Hossein NasrandMehdi Aminrazavi(eds.),An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia,vol. 4 (London: I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2012). Note: The translation of this text in this volume is slightly abridged. For the complete translation, seehttps://www.academia.edu/8101330/Sadr_al-Din_Qunawi_The_Texts_al-Nusus_
Aqa Muhammad Rida Qumsha'i,On the Oneness of Existence, or Rather, the ExistentandAddendum to the Ringstone on Seth from 'The Ringstones of Wisdom': On the Topics of Friendship.Translated in Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Mehdi Aminrazavi (eds.),An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia,vol. 5 (London: I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2015).
Rashid al-Din Maybudi, select translations fromThe Unveiling of the Mysteries and the Provision of the Pious(Louisville: Fons Vitae, 2015). Also available online atAltafsir.com.
Aḥmad Samʿānī,The Repose of the Spirits: A Sufi Commentary on the Divine Names.Translated and Introduced (Albany:State University of New York Press,2019).

References

^"William C. Chittick".Library of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱRustom, M.; Khalil, A.; Murata, K. (2012). "Editors introduction".In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought.State University of New York Press. p. xi, xii.ISBN 978-1-4384-3937-2.
^ʻIrāqī, F.D.I.; Chittick, W.C.; Wilson, P.L.; Nasr, S.H. (1982).Divine Flashes.Classics of Western spirituality. Paulist Press. p. viii.ISBN 978-0-8091-2372-8.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eRustom, M. (2022). "Preface".Islamic Thought and the Art of Translation: Texts and Studies in Honor of William C. Chittick and Sachiko Murata.Islamic History and Civilization. Brill. p. xvi-xvii.ISBN 978-90-04-52903-8.
^Versluis, Arthur (2010)."A Conversation with Peter Lamborn Wilson".Journal for the Study of Radicalism.4(2): 139–165.ISSN 1930-1197.Retrieved15 April2024.
^Stony brook edu
^"Fellows"www.gf.org
^Bano, M. (2020).The Revival of Islamic Rationalism: Logic, Metaphysics and Mysticism in Modern Muslim Societies.Cambridge University Press. p. 64.ISBN 978-1-108-48531-9.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Laude, P. (2011).Universal Dimensions of Islam: Studies in Comparative Religion.G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. World Wisdom, Incorporated. p. 161.ISBN 978-1-935493-57-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^van Bruinessen, M.; Allievi, S. (2013).Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe.Islamic Studies Series. Taylor & Francis. p. 178.ISBN 978-1-136-93286-1.
^Ozdemir, I. (2013).Rumi and Confucius: Messages for a New Century.Tughra Books. p. 29.ISBN 978-1-59784-664-6.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Katz, S.T. (2013).Comparative Mysticism: An Anthology of Original Sources.OUP USA. p. 315.ISBN 978-0-19-514379-9.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Bakar, O.; Cheng, G.N. (1997).Islam and Confucianism: A Civilizational Dialogue.Civilizational dialogue series. Published and distributed for the Centre for Civilizational Dialogue of University of Malaya by University of Malaya Press.ISBN 978-983-100-038-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Khan, M.A.M. (2019).Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan.Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 95.ISBN 978-1-137-54832-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Mayer, C.H.;Vanderheiden, E. (2021).International Handbook of Love: Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives.Springer International Publishing. p. 214.ISBN 978-3-030-45996-3.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Mahmutćehajić, R. (2006).The Mosque: The Heart of Submission.Abrahamic dialogues series. Fordham University Press. p. 81.ISBN 978-0-8232-2584-2.Retrieved2023-03-09.
^Lawson, Todd (2008)."The Quran as Matrix of Islamic Civilization and Society".American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences.25(3). International Institute of Islamic Thought: i.
^Kukkonen, Taneli (2014). "In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought by William K. Chittick".Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies.7(2). Project Muse: 239–244.doi:10.1353/isl.2014.0023.ISSN 2051-557X.
^"ویلیام چیتیک".nashrefalat.com(in Persian).
^"The book in my hand".The Hindu.2016-01-24.ISSN 0971-751X.Retrieved2016-04-01.

External links

[1] "William C. Chittick".Library of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies.

[Chittick_Rustom_Khalil_Murata_2012_p.xi-2] ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱRustom, M.; Khalil, A.; Murata, K. (2012). "Editors introduction".In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought.State University of New York Press. p. xi, xii.ISBN 978-1-4384-3937-2.

[ʻIrāqī_1982_p._viii-3] ʻIrāqī, F.D.I.; Chittick, W.C.; Wilson, P.L.; Nasr, S.H. (1982).Divine Flashes.Classics of Western spirituality. Paulist Press. p. viii.ISBN 978-0-8091-2372-8.

[Rustom_2022_p.-4] Rustom, M. (2022). "Preface".Islamic Thought and the Art of Translation: Texts and Studies in Honor of William C. Chittick and Sachiko Murata.Islamic History and Civilization. Brill. p. xvi-xvii.ISBN 978-90-04-52903-8.

[5] Versluis, Arthur (2010)."A Conversation with Peter Lamborn Wilson".Journal for the Study of Radicalism.4(2): 139–165.ISSN 1930-1197.Retrieved15 April2024.

[6] Stony brook edu

[7] "Fellows"www.gf.org

[Bano_2020_p._64-8] Bano, M. (2020).The Revival of Islamic Rationalism: Logic, Metaphysics and Mysticism in Modern Muslim Societies.Cambridge University Press. p. 64.ISBN 978-1-108-48531-9.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Laude_2011_p._161-9] Laude, P. (2011).Universal Dimensions of Islam: Studies in Comparative Religion.G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. World Wisdom, Incorporated. p. 161.ISBN 978-1-935493-57-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[van_Bruinessen_Allievi_2013_p._178-10] van Bruinessen, M.; Allievi, S. (2013).Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe.Islamic Studies Series. Taylor & Francis. p. 178.ISBN 978-1-136-93286-1.

[Ozdemir_2013_p._29-11] Ozdemir, I. (2013).Rumi and Confucius: Messages for a New Century.Tughra Books. p. 29.ISBN 978-1-59784-664-6.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Katz_2013_p._315-12] Katz, S.T. (2013).Comparative Mysticism: An Anthology of Original Sources.OUP USA. p. 315.ISBN 978-0-19-514379-9.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Bakar_Cheng_1997_p.-13] Bakar, O.; Cheng, G.N. (1997).Islam and Confucianism: A Civilizational Dialogue.Civilizational dialogue series. Published and distributed for the Centre for Civilizational Dialogue of University of Malaya by University of Malaya Press.ISBN 978-983-100-038-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Khan_2019_p._95-14] Khan, M.A.M. (2019).Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan.Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 95.ISBN 978-1-137-54832-0.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Mayer_Vanderheiden_2021_p._214-15] Mayer, C.H.;Vanderheiden, E. (2021).International Handbook of Love: Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives.Springer International Publishing. p. 214.ISBN 978-3-030-45996-3.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Mahmutćehajić_2006_p._81-16] Mahmutćehajić, R. (2006).The Mosque: The Heart of Submission.Abrahamic dialogues series. Fordham University Press. p. 81.ISBN 978-0-8232-2584-2.Retrieved2023-03-09.

[Lawson_p._i-17] Lawson, Todd (2008)."The Quran as Matrix of Islamic Civilization and Society".American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences.25(3). International Institute of Islamic Thought: i.

[Kukkonen_2014_pp._239–244-18] Kukkonen, Taneli (2014). "In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought by William K. Chittick".Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies.7(2). Project Muse: 239–244.doi:10.1353/isl.2014.0023.ISSN 2051-557X.

[19] "ویلیام چیتیک".nashrefalat.com(in Persian).

[20] "The book in my hand".The Hindu.2016-01-24.ISSN 0971-751X.Retrieved2016-04-01.

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