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After a difficult conquest under the Umayyads, the eastern Maghreb or Ifrîqiya region was turned into the western borderland of the Abbasid Empire in the second half of the 8th century, and its governance was soon delegated to the Aghlabid Emirate (800–909). In this context, the Sahel (or Ifriqîyan coastline) quickly became a major centre of asceticism and pious collective retreat in places dedicated to ribât activities. This practice provided a framework for the life of devout people who kept a watchful eye on the Byzantine enemy while zealously performing their devotions. A genuine frontier society of religious men and devotees, ascetics and traditionalists arose in this burgeoning coastal fringe. Over the last two decades, this topic has given rise to a very rich historiography, notably produced by Tunisian researchers who have profoundly renewed our understanding. Based on these considerable achievements, the present contribution proposes to broaden the analysis in order to show how the rise of this movement of warrior piety, advocating an ideal of jihâd, must be related to a more global phenomenon, considered at the scale of the Abbasid Empire. Remaining in a comparative dimension, this article also proposes several approaches to the specific architecture of ribât sites, especially the place devoted to the community mosque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the chapter on ethics from Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede’s (d.1702) commentary Sharḥ al-Akhlāq al-‘Aḍuḍ, a practical philosophy of ethics, household management, and politics. Müneccimbaşı lived from the mid-17th to the beginning of the 18 th century in the Ottoman period. Firstly, considering the period in which Müneccimbaşı’s commentary was written, it can be seen as a renewal and adjustment of the old tradition in terms of moral/practical philosophy. However, in the context of philosophical ethics, the commentary aimed to renew and update the ancient philosophy not as a separation of methods but within the framework of expanding the area of integrated methods. The second aim expressed the problematic of combining peripatetic philosophy’s virtue theory with the method of purification and abstraction from physical, bodily pleasure and other things through mujāhada [spiritual struggle] and riyāḍa [asceticism] in Sufi thought in order to see and know the essence of the absolute lights, which is the purpose of Ishrāqī wisdom. Accordingly, virtue theory involves having the temperaments and behaviors arising from the powers of desire and anger from the human soul become mediocre and moderate in terms of quantity and quality through wisdom.

Basralı Râbiatü’l- Adeviyye Doğuda bir Müslüman zâhide/sûfi olarak, Avilalı Teresa ise Batıda bir Hıristiyan mistik olarak yaşadı. Her ikisinin de ruhani yaşantıyı önceleyen mistik kültüre kazandırdıkları bazı görüşler vardır. Bunların başında sevgi/ilahi aşkı önemseme, asketik bir yaşamı tavsiye, dünyaya karşı kayıtsız kalma bulunmaktadır. Hiç şüphesiz her ikisinin kendi dinleri doğ- rultusunda oluşturdukları düşünce sistemlerinde birbiriyle örtüşen ve birbirinden ayrışan görüşleri vardır. Ancak gaye itibariyle her ikisi de Tanrıyla beraber olmanın ve bu yolda gayret göstermenin gereğine inanmaktadır. Gerek Râbia gerekse Teresa kendi dindaşlarınca model şahsiyet olarak algılanmış ve savundukları mistik anlayış asırlardır taraftar bulmuştur. Her ikisi de bekâr yaşamayı tercih etmiş, yaşadıkları asır itibariyle toplum nazarında hep veli(ye)/azize olarak anılmışlardır. Râbia daha çok bu disiplinin ameli kısmına önem verirken, Teresa mistisizme getirdiği nazari görüşleriyle de dikkat çekmektedir.

This article is based on a Timbuktu manuscript listed in a digital form on the Library of Congress - Global Gateway. The authors of this article were involved in the translation and exegesis of the manuscript. Of significance, aside from the translation, is the exegetical analysis of the manuscript which was translated and written simultaneously in a poetic form so as to bring forth the intended beauty of the author of the manuscript. From the eighty-eight lines, eighty-three are dedicated to theosophical ethical thoughts as well as to the spiritual sarcasm of the author. The context addresses a reciprocal relationship between God and humanity and how humanity can experience the highest form of happiness in this world and the hereafter. Therefore this manuscript is not only a mystical text but also contributes to Islamic ethics. In the exegesis of the translated work, Qur'anic verses were incorporated to lend support to the text where necessary.