Where the two seas meet : the Qur'ānic story of al-Khiḍr and Moses in Sufi commentaries as a model of spiritual guidance - Halman, Hugh Talat, 1955- (Louisville, KY : Fons Vitae, 2013)
Examining how three medieval Sufi Qur'an commentators explained the story of Moses' journey with al-Khidr, this volume conveys various teachings about the path of Sufism and the nature of spiritual authority. These commentaries, translated for the first time, discuss essential themes of Sufism as written by practicing Sufi masters. As the text reflects on both the social and psychological dimensions of the master-disciple relationship in Sufism and distinguish between the instructing master (shaykh al-ta'lim) and the mentoring master (shaykh al-suhba), a comparison is also made between the Sufi interpretation of death, immortality, compassion, and inner knowledge and Ernest Becker's theory of the denial of death and the aspiration for both physical and symbolic immortality.
Foreword / Bruce B. Lawrence -- Acknowledgments -- The Qur'anic Narratives of Moses and al-Khaḍr (18:60-82) -- Introduction: Al-Khadir -- Mediator, Interpretor, and Mentor -- Interpreting the Master disciple Relationship: al-Khaḍr, the Mentor of Moses -- al-Khaḍr in the Qur'an, Hadith, and Sufi Tafsīrs -- Three Medieval Sufi Tafsīrs on the Story of al-Khaḍr and Moses -- Intertextuality among Sufi Tafsīrs : Companionship, Training, and Knowledge -- al-Khaḍr in the Lives of Sufi Saints: Mirror and Model of the Master in Sufi Hagiography and Literature -- Alexander's Quest for the Water of Eternal Life: al-Khaḍr, Alexander the Great, and Saint George in Muslim Tradition -- Adab and Suhba: God if Found Though I-and-Thou -- For the Journey One Needs a Companion.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-298) and index.
committed to retain
Keywords: Moses -- (Biblical leader) -- Islamic interpretations; Qurʼan. -- Criticism, interpretation, etc; Islamic legends; Sufism; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Khiḍr -- (Legendary character)