Article

Tasawwuf as ethical science: Embodied pedagogy in the poetics of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi

Islombek Sultonalievich MannopovDepartment of Literary Studies, Faculty of Philology, Fergana State UniversityBoburjon RajavalievDepartment of Literary Studies, Faculty of Philology, Fergana State UniversityZuhriddin JuraevCollege of Social Sciences, Chonnam National University

Cogent Arts and Humanitiesjournal2025en

ABI

Abstract

This article explores Tasawwuf (Sufism) as a foundational Islamic discipline of ethical and spiritual development, countering modern views that reduce it to mysticism or cultural ornament. Through close reading of Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi’s Dīwān-i Ḥikmat, the study shows how Sufi poetry serves as a form of moral instruction. Drawing on Islamic hermeneutics (taʾwīl) and Sufi pedagogy (tarbiya), it examines how practices such as dhikr (remembrance) and sulūk (spiritual striving) turn poetic language into a guide for moral refinement (tahdhīb al-akhlāq). These teachings are rooted in the Qur’anic concept of iḥsān, emphasizing excellence in worship, character, and inner intention.

Topics

Media, Religion, Digital Communication Education and Islamic Studies Social Movements and Cultural Identity

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1080/23311983.2025.2521206

Citations and references

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