Sufism and Shari'a

Contextualizing Contemporary Sufi Expressions

Bibliographic Data

ID4754400
AuthorsWilliam Rory Dickson (0000-0002-4688-8506, University of Winnipeg, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume13
Issue5
Pages449
Publication date2022-05-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel13050449
OpenAlexW4280618157
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited21

In this article I propose that questions about the nature of contemporary Sufism, especially in Western contexts, can be addressed with further precision and nuance by shifting the focus from Sufism's relationship to Islam, to its relationship to shari'a, or Islamic law (fiqh). As very few questioned Sufism's Islamic nature prior to the modern period, this analytical shift offers the advantage of contextualizing contemporary debates about Sufism within the much richer history of intra-Islamic difference over Sufism and shari'a. I suggest that traditional Sufi-shari'a conceptions, though varied in nature, can be categorized for analytical purposes as (a) juristic, (b) supersessionist, and (c) formless Sufism. I propose these terms not as archetypal categories, but rather as a tentative template for mapping Sufi approaches to the shari'a, which can allow us to better appreciate how contemporary Western Sufi orientations towards the shari'a reflect premodern tendencies

Epistemology · Fiqh · Islam · Sharia · Sufism · Theology · Education and Islamic Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Philosophy · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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