Mystical Interpretations of the Koran – lecture

Brief summary of the lecture:

Islamic mysticism, usually called as Sufism, is deeply embedded in the text of the Koran and its specific interpretation, even if many ideas and concepts were originally formed under external influence, because even in such cases, justification for their validity is searched for in the Koran. In other cases, the Koran was the actual starting point of certain mystical teachings. The Koran is highly suitable for supporting mystical thinking, partly because it contains many ideas that can actually be labeled as mystical, and partly because the text of the Koran can often be understood only through interpretations, and the missing contexts had to be searched for even by non-mystical interpreters. The long and complicated process of the canonization of the Koran also paved the way for mystical interpretations. Mystical interpretations of the Koran can be found in two types of writings: to a lesser extent in works systematically interpreting the Koran, and to a greater extent all over the great Sufi literature, every single page of which is full of quotations from the Koran, references originating from them, and mysterious hints.