The Sufi Orders In Islam

THE SUFI ORDERS IN ISLAM BY . J. SPENCER TRIMINGHAM OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS Oxford University Press, Ely House, London W. I GIJ.SCow NIlW YORK TORONTO /IlEUlOIIRNI! WELLI NGTON CAn TOWN .ALISBURY IBADAN NAIBQBI PAR fOl SALAAM LUIIAKA ADPI. AIABA IIOMBAV CALCUTTA MAIlRAS KAIlACHI LAnOIl� PAcrA JruAU. LUMPUR SINGAI'ORE nONG KONG TOKYO © OXFORD UNIVERSiTY PRESS 1971 • PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN PREFACE Islamic mysticism has exercised a compelling attrac­ tion upon many Western scholars, its organizational aspect, the mystical orders, has been neglected. Yet a misleading impression of Islamic mysticism is conveyed if it is based exclu­ sively upon the writings of its poets and theosophists, for mysticism is essentially a practical discipline based upon the insights of these illuminated seekers. No modern study of the orders exists; the pioneer work of Louis Rinn. Marabouts et KhQfUln, published in Algiers in 1884. though concerned primarily with Algeria, still forms a valuable introduction, whilst its range was extended with the publication of A. le Chatelier's us Conjrbie$ musulmanu du Hedjaz (Paris, 1887). Studies have appeared of particular orders or areas, especially north Africa, but nothing concerning their development through the centuries. The way in which my own views have changed since commencing this study has confirmed the need for a reassess­ ment. This study is primarily concerned with the historical develop­ ment of the orders and seeks to trace the successive phases through which the practice of the Sufi spirit passed. This process took place within the Arabic and Persian spheres upon which the main emphasis is naturally placed. Other cultural spheres took over this development which continued to dominate, even though regional cu1tures made their own contributions and formed their distinctive practices. The intellectual aspect is not ignored, hut concern is restricted to the spiritual and intellectual movement which lay behind the practical working of the orders, their methods of organization and ritual. In terms of the wider setting within the Islamic culture we are concerned with a vast movement of the spirit which spread throughout the Islamic world, influencing tbe ordinary person no less than a mystical elite (which cannot be said of the mystical movement in Christendom), and which today faces a grave crisis through erosion by modern life and thought. I wish to acknowledge the help given me by the Carnegie Trust for the Univecsities of Scotland, when I was a member HI LST 1 PREFACE of the staff of Glasgow University, through a grant which enabled me to make a study tour in north Africa in 1960. My thanks are also due to my colleague, Professor Nicola Ziadeh, for his help in reading my draft and calling my attention to mistakes and to matters which needed clarification. J. S T. Beirut September IrJ69 CONTENTS • ABBREVIATIONS I. 11. OX The Formation of Schools of Mysticism The Chief , Tariqa Lines 3' Ill. The Formation of Tjj'ifas IV. Nineteenth-Century Revival Movements v. The Mysticism and Theosophy of the Orders VI. VII. '33 The Organization of the Orders Ritual and Ceremonial '94 VIII. Role of the Orders in the Life of Islamic Society IX. The Orders in the Contemporary Islamic World , APPENDICES A. Relatmg to Early Silsi!as .6, B. $nIIS, .64 c. Suhrawardi D. Qa:dm Groups '7' F.. fndependent Orders of the Badawiyya and Burhiniyya 274- F. Shadhili Groups in the Maghrib deriving from alJaziili