rahbānīyah

rahbānīyah, (Arabic: “monasticism”), the monastic state, whose admissibility in Islām is much disputed by Muslim theologians. The term appears but once in the Qurʾān: “And we set in the hearts of those who follow Jesus, tenderness and mercy. And monasticism they invented—we did not prescribe it for them—only seeking the good pleasure of God” (57:27). Although this verse has been interpreted in many ways, the general attitude of Muslims is that Islām encourages asceticism and...