South Asian Sufis: Devotion, Deviation, and Destiny [Hardcover]

Often described as the soul of Islam, Sufism is one of the most interesting yet least known facet of this global religion. Sufism is the softer more inclusive and mystical form of Islam. Although militant Islamists dominate the headlines, the Sufi ideal has captured the imagination of many. Nowhere in the world is the handprint of Sufism more observable than South Asia, which has the largest Muslim population of the world, but also the greatest concentration of Sufis. This book examines active Sufi communities in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh that shed light on the devotion, and deviation, and destiny of Sufism in South Asia. Drawn from extensive work by indigenous and international scholars, this ethnographical study explores the impact of Iran on the development of Sufi thought and practice further east, and also discusses Sufism in diaspora in such contexts as the UK and North America and Iran's influence on South Asian Sufism.

Clinton Bennettteaches Religious Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz, and at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA.

Charles M. Ramseyis Director of University Institute Center for Islamic Studies, New Delhi, India.

Notes on Contributors \ Acknowledgments \ Introduction: South Asian Sufis, Continuity, Complexity and Change Clinton Bennett \ 1. Iran's Role in Stimulating South Asian Islam Clinton Bennett \ 2. A Model of Sufi Training in the Twenty-First Century: a Case Study of the Qadiriyya in Hyderabad Mauro Valdinoci \ 3. Understanding the Philosophy of Spirituality at Shrines in Pakistan Hafeez-ur-Rehman Chaudhry \ 4. Spiritual Power and Threshold' Identities: The Mazars of Sayyid Pir Waris Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Uzma Rehman \ 5. Du'a: Popular Culture and Powerful Blessing at the 'Urs Pnina Werbner \ 6. The Sufi Center of Jhok Sharif in Sindh (Pakistan): Questioning the Ziyarat as a Social Process Michel Boivin \ 7. When Sufi Tradition Reinvents Islamic Modernity. The Minhaj-ul Qur'anl³j