In a paper no longer than 7 pages, double spaced and typed, do one of the following:

1. Argue for or against the possibility of attaining union with God. In making this argument, you must use the texts that have touched upon this. In other words, this is not exactly about your opinion on the topic. Rather, it is about arguing that, based upon your reading of the texts, union is (im)possible. As you argue for either position, this should make you consider what the meaning (from the point of view of our authors) of union would be or, on the other hand, the nature of the relationship between God and humans (as presented in our texts). Bring this consideration into the paper.

The point of this paper is for you to go back over these readings, and perhaps to take on other readings that you choose from any other classical Islamic sources, and argue on the basis of these texts. This is not one of those, “well, I think that god and nature are all one, and so yes union is possible,” kind of papers. If you want to argue that union with god is possible, your paper might start off by asserting just that, and then immediately follow it with the reasons that you can find in texts written by or about Muslims, that indicate that this is true.

Or else:

2. Considering our texts (and others of the classical tradition that you want to include) what do you understand Sufism to be about? How do we understand love, and self-reflection and self-abnegation and discipline and union? This paper is meant to be reflective and to allow you space to consider this topic. At the same time, it, too, must be based on the texts, not simply some ungrounded set of assertions based on how you feel about it. Rather, I’d like you to argue that certain things are central, and that these views are expressed by various people, which we can take as evidence.