Love in Sufi Literature

Focused on A¿mad Ibn 'Aj¿ba - an eighteenth-century Moroccan Sufi scholar renowned for his contribution to Sufi Qur'¿nic exegesis - this book engages critically with his theory of divine love to elucidate his impact on the wider field of Qur'¿nic scholarship. The principal source of analysis is Ibn 'Aj¿ba's Oceanic Exegesis of the Qur'¿n which connected theoretical works on the concept of divine love to their practical application, a breakthrough in Sufi literature. Close analysis of this text is supplemented by a comparative approach focusing on several other eminent Sufi commentaries, including those of Ab¿ al-Q¿sim al-Qushayr¿ and R¿zbih¿n Baql¿ Sh¿r¿z¿. This comparative approach situates Ibn 'Aj¿ba's thought in theological and historical perspective, engaging with his mystical approach which integrates his theory of divine love with other Sufi doctrines in an accessible manner. This approach, it is argued, left an indelible impact on future generations of Qur'¿nic exegetes within North Africa and across the Islamic world. The book will prove an important resource for academic researchers who wish to explore the vast intellectual heritage that Ibn 'Aj¿ba left, as well as to those interested in Sufi literature and Islamic theology in general.