Schimmel studied at the University of Berlin (present-day Humboldt University of Berlin), where she received a doctorate in Islamic languages and civilizations at the age of nineteen.
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Biegenstraße 10, 35037 Marburg, Germany
Schimmel earned a second doctorate in 1954 in the history of religions from the University of Marburg (present-day Philipps-University Marburg).
Career
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Photo of Annemarie Schimmel
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Photo of Annemarie Schimmel
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Photo of Annemarie Schimmel
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Photo of Annemarie Schimmel
Gallery of Annemarie Schimmel
Photo of Annemarie Schimmel
Achievements
As a Professor of Indo-Muslim Culture at Harvard, Annemarie Schimmel was one of the earliest tenured female professors in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Her portrait hangs in Eliot House.
Schimmel studied at the University of Berlin (present-day Humboldt University of Berlin), where she received a doctorate in Islamic languages and civilizations at the age of nineteen.
As a Professor of Indo-Muslim Culture at Harvard, Annemarie Schimmel was one of the earliest tenured female professors in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Her portrait hangs in Eliot House.
(Thirty-five years after its original publication, Mystica...)
Thirty-five years after its original publication, Mystical Dimensions of Islam still stands as the most valuable introduction to Sufism, the main form of Islamic mysticism. This edition brings to a new generation of readers Annemarie Schimmel's historical treatment of the transnational phenomenon of Sufism, from its beginnings through the nineteenth century. Schimmel's sensitivity and deep understanding of Sufism - its origins, development, and historical context - as well as her erudite examination of Sufism as reflected in Islamic poetry, draw readers into the mood, the vision, and the way of the Sufi. In the foreword, distinguished Islam scholar Carl W. Ernst comments on the continuing vitality of Schimmel's book and the advances in the study of Sufism that have occurred since the work first appeared.
The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rumi
(This is a book on Rumi's life, his poetry, his thought, a...)
This is a book on Rumi's life, his poetry, his thought, and his influence. Rumi's work forms one of the pillars of the Sufi orders, particularly the Mevlevi order, better known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. In this book, Rumi emerges not only as a spiritual master but also as a fully human being grounded firmly in the Koran and in classical Islamic mysticism. The light of the Divine Sun, in its Beauty and Majesty, manifested itself for Rumi through the person of Shams of Tabriz. Transformed by this light, consumed by this fire, Mowlana Rumi saw the world in a new light. Everywhere he perceived God's Grandeur and his Grace. The book also discusses the theological premises upon which Rumi's work rests, his attitude to the problems of free will and predestination, and his analysis of the mystical stages and stations. The book not only gives a very rich analysis of Rumi's language and poetical art but also a picture of medieval Konya, whose features the mystical poet transforms and transfigures.
And Muhammad Is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety
(The important role of the Prophet Muhammad in the everyda...)
The important role of the Prophet Muhammad in the everyday lives of Muslims is usually overlooked by Western scholars and has consequently never been understood by the Western world. Using original sources in the various Islamic languages, Annemarie Schimmel explains the central place of Muhammad in Muslim life, mystical thought, and poetry. She sees the veneration of Muhammad as having many parallels in other major religions. In order to understand Muslim piety, it is necessary to take into account the long history of the veneration of Muhammad. Schimmel discusses aspects of his life, birth, marriage, miracles, and heavenly journey, all of which became subjects for religious devotions. By using poetic texts and artistic expressions and by examining daily Muslim religious practices, Schimmel shows us the gentler side of Islamic religious culture, providing a much-needed understanding of religion as it is experienced and practiced in the Islamic world. This is the first book in English to deal with all aspects of the veneration of the Prophet Muhammad. It is an expanded version of Schimmel's Und Muhammad Ist Sein Prophet, originally published in German in 1981.
(An internationally acclaimed scholar, who has dedicated m...)
An internationally acclaimed scholar, who has dedicated more than fifty years of her life to understanding the Islamic world. Annemarie Schimmel examines a much-misunderstood feature of Islam: the role of women. Schimmel is critical of those-especially Western feminists-who take Islam to task without taking the time to comprehend the cultures, language, and traditions of the many societies in which Islam is the majority religion. Shattering stereotypes, Schimmel reconstructs an important but little-known chapter of Islamic spirituality. With copious examples, she shows the clear equality of women and men in the conception of the Prophet Muhammad, the Quran, the feminine language of the mystical tradition, and the role of holy mothers and unmarried women as manifestations of God. This work is studded with luminous texts from Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and particularly Indo-Muslim cultures, which reveal how physical love can give expression to the highest forms of mysticism.
The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture
(Long viewed as an exotic wonderland of unimaginable treas...)
Long viewed as an exotic wonderland of unimaginable treasures, the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) was, in reality, the mightiest Islamic empire in the history of India. In The Empire of the Great Mughals, historian Annemarie Schimmel describes the political, military, and economic rise of the Mughals, the incredible unfolding of the empire’s power and splendor, and the empire’s gradual collapse at the hands of the British.
Annemarie Schimmel was one of the leading experts on Islamic literature and mysticism (Sufism) in the world. She wrote more than 80 books and essays and lectured at universities and conferences around the world. Schimmel's teaching posts included Ankara University, the University of Bonn, and Harvard University. Her writings include translations into English and German from works in Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Turkish, as well.
Background
Annemarie Schimmel was born on April 7, 1922, in Erfurt, Germany. She was the only child of highly cultured middle-class parents, Paul and Anna, who raised her in an atmosphere saturated with literature and poetry. Annemarie became fascinated with the Muslim world after hearing Arabian tales as a child.
Education
Schimmel finished high school at 15 and studied at the University of Berlin (present-day Humboldt University of Berlin), where she received a doctorate in Islamic languages and civilizations at the age of nineteen. She earned a second doctorate in 1954 in the history of religions from the University of Marburg (present-day Philipps-University Marburg).
Shortly after earning her first doctorate, Annemarie Schimmel was drafted by the Foreign Office and attached to a decoding unit. She continued to work on scholarly projects in her spare time, and on March 31, 1945, she submitted her Habilitationsschrift. However, the next day her decoding unit was put on trucks and evacuated, destination unknown. On April 20, the convoy encountered the advancing American army somewhere in Saxony; once captured, the whole group was sent to Marburg and interned there on May 8, 1945, the day the war ended. The internees soon founded a "camp university," and Annemarie gave her first lectures on things Islamic sitting on the top of a double-decker bunk.
Fortunately, Annemarie had brought along a copy of her Habilitationsschrift and was able to do her Habilitation in Marburg. On January 12, 1946, she gave her inaugural lecture on "The Main Representatives of Islamic Mysticism" at the age of 23.
In the early fifties, Annemarie made several trips to Turkey. In 1953, while she was in Ankara, she gave her first public lecture in Turkish; soon thereafter the Ankara University's Faculty of Theology offered her the vacant chair of the History of Religion. The fact that she was a woman and a non-Muslim to boot played no role whatsoever.
Living in Turkey for five years (1954-1959) gave her "obsession" with Rumi, whose mausoleum in Konya she frequently visited, a definite boost. But her other favorite subject, the Indo-Muslim thinker and poet Muhammad Iqbal, also emerged in her writings during this time. At the urging of her Turkish friends, she produced an annotated translation of Iqbal's famous spiritual book, "Javid Nama." This led to an invitation in 1958 to visit Pakistan that was the starting point of a new research interest that ultimately brought her to Harvard.
In the spring of 1967, Schimmel started at Harvard as Lecturer on Indo-Muslim Culture, and in 1970 she was appointed full professor. She taught only in the spring term, but with a double load. Almost every year she traveled to Pakistan in the fall. She attained such legendary status there that a major boulevard was named after her in Lahore.
Although she taught only during the spring term, her students were well looked after. They adored her, stood in awe of her, even feared her, as she was very demanding; but they also trusted her and asked for her counsel in personal matters. Her classes on Sufism were always well attended, and one of her courses metamorphosed into her most famous book, "Mystical Dimensions of Islam." She was also a much sought-after lecturer, and her style of delivery was famous: she would clasp her purse with both hands, shut her eyes, and speak for exactly the amount of time allotted to her. She maintained that she could lecture without a manuscript in German, English, and Turkish, or with a manuscript (and open eyes) in French, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.
During her academic life, she was awarded an impressive number of honorary doctorates, as well as numerous prizes and medals. She published more than a hundred books in English and German, many of which were intended for the educated layman. Verse translations of Islamic poetry were her favorite pastime, in which she followed the model of her hero, the late Romantic poet, and orientalist, Friedrich Rückert; at least six languages were involved.
In 1992 she retired from Harvard. Back in Bonn, her life consisted of almost constant lecturing and writing.
Upon retirement from Harvard, Schimmel remarked that she had enough scholarly projects planned to keep her busy for the next 10 years. A check of the HOLLIS catalog shows that her retirement years were not idle ones. No fewer than 40 works appeared under her name between 1993 to the present, including an autobiography.
Despite her fascination with Islam, Annemarie remained Lutheran her entire life.
Politics
Friends admitted that Schimmel often seemed naive about politics. ''That is not my world,'' she once said. ''I'm interested in culture, religion, the daily life of Islam, the foundation, not the politics of the day.''
Personality
Annemarie had a nearly photographic memory. For years she was a consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she was legendary for her ability to identify scraps of ancient text.
Quotes from others about the person
"Annemarie was a truly exceptional person, the kind of individual who is so truly one of a kind that you know at once you will never see their like again." - William Graham