Silence, Simplicity, and the Self: A Sufi Interpretation of Ahmad Jamal’s Spiritual and Musical Transformation

Authors : Ahmet Karagedik

Pages : 210-231

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Publication Date : 2025-11-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article offers an original interpretation of Ahmad Jamal’s spiritual and artistic transformation through the ethical and internal discipline framework of Sufism. Unlike identity politics or collective religious movements, Jamal’s relationship with Islam is shaped by personal meaning, moral consistency, and aesthetic simplicity. Based on interviews and magazine articles between 1959 and 1993, the study explores Jamal’s invocation of “my own vine and fig tree” as a symbol of historical belonging. The analysis proceeds along four axes: Jamal’s embrace of universal brotherhood through Bilāl al-Ḥabashī; his conscious withdrawal from worldly desires via zuhd, murāqaba, and ḥikma; his musical minimalism shaped by iḥsān and latāfa; and his evolving self-confidence through fanāʾ and baqāʾ. The article argues that Jamal’s minimalism reflects not merely technical choices but the aesthetic expression of an inner Sufi discipline integrating spirituality and creativity.
Keywords : Ahmad Jamal, tasavvuf, ruhani dönüşüm, müzikal minimalizm, caz ve İslam

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