Words of Power: Hurufi Teachings Between Shi'ism and Sufism in Medieval Islam
In this 21 min interview, Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov provides an insight into the Hurufis, a mystical and messianic current that became particularly active in Iran and Anatolia following the end of Mongol rule.
Dr Mir-Kasimov sheds light on the history of the Hurufi movement and its founder Fadlallah Astarabadi (d. 796 AH/1394 CE) and contextualises the seminal Hurufi text by Fadaallah, Javdan-Nama-yi Kabir ('Great Book of Eternity'), within Islamic intellectual history.
Words of Power is the first comprehensive study Javdan-Nama, illuminating the contemporary reconfiguration of religious and political authority along messianic and charismatic lines that took place in the Islamic East, which arguably contributed to the rise and consolidation of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal dynasties.
1. Who were the Hurufis, and what do we know about them today?
2. What challenges did you face during your research and translation of Hurufi manuscripts?
3. Why did you choose the title “Words of Power” for this book?
4. Are there any traces of Sufi and Shi‘i influence on Hurufi teachings?
5. In your view, how were the Alevi and Bekhtashi milieus of the Ottoman Empire influenced by the Hurufi tradition?
