Salafi Sufism in Central Asia and its Future

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Ebrahim Khodayar 1
Amir Javan Arasteh 2
Hojjat Modarresi 3
1 Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Sufism and Islamic Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Ph.D. student of Sufism And Islamic Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
Abstract
: Salafism and Sufism are two old Islamic movements that have had major conflicts throughout the history of Islam, which were mainly related to aspects of adherence to and respect for Islamic law and jurisprudence and different interpretations of religious texts. Simultaneously, these two movements have also had some interactions with each other, and there have emerged some individuals or groups who have combined a number of the manifestations of Sufi practices and actiond with those of Salafi and thus creating Salafi Sufism or Sufi Salafism. The Central Asian region is the cradle of a great number of Sufi orders. It has delivered great mystics to the Islamic society. Moreover, several signs of Sufism can be observed in its people’s general culture. However, the people’s inclination towards Islam at the time of liberation from the yoke of communism and the formation of Islamic groups and parties – who wanted Islam to play a greater role in governing the society – besides some countries’ cultural and propaganda exercise, it has led to the creation of various Salafi groups in the region. Naturally, Salafi’s entry into Central Asia’s mystical culture paves the way for the creation and growth of a discourse that has nurtured a combination of Salafism and Sufism in itself. The present study examines the Salafi Sufis in Central Asia and the Sufi-Salafi interactions in this region. Although there are many references on Sufism and Salafism in Central Asia, no independent reference on Salafi Sufism was found in the land.

Keywords

Subjects

1. Abduvakhitov, Abdujabar (1993). “Islamic Revivalism in Uzbekistan,” in Dale F. Eickelman, ed., Russia’s Muslim’s Frontiers: New Directions in Cross-Cultural Analysis, Bloomington, Indiana University Press.
2. Ahmad Ibn Fars, Abu al-Hussein., (1979). Mojam Maqaies al-Loqah, Researcher: Abdul Salam Mohammad Haroon, Vol. 3, First Edition, Beirut, Dar al-Fikr Publishing. (In Arabic)
3. Alizadeh Mousavi, Mahdi (2013). Deobandi School and Tablighi Jamaat Movement, Qom, Pad Andisheh Publications. (In Persian)
4. Alizadeh Mousavi, Mahdi (2014). Genealogy of Salafism and Wahhabism, Vol. 1, Sixth Edition, Qom, Avay-e Monji Publications. (In Persian)
5. Al-Kathiri, Al-Sayyid Muhammad (2008). Salafism between Ahl al-Sunnah and Imamiyya, second edition, Qom, Institute of Daerot al-Maeref al-Figh al-Islamic Tebqan Lemazhab Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH). (In Arabic)
6. Al-Nadwi, Abu al-Hassan Ali al-Husseini (1994). Imam al-Sirhindi, his life, and deeds, second edition, Kuwait, Dar al-Qalam Publishing. (In Arabic)
7. Al-Osmani, Muhammad Taqi (2005). Takmaleh-e Fath al-Mulham, Beirut, Dar Al-Ahya Al-Tarath Al-Arabi Publishing. (In Arabic)
8. American Foreign Policy Council (2014). The World Almanac of Islamism, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
9. Anwarul Haq, M. (1972). The Faith Movement of Mawlānā Muḥammad Ilyās, London, Allen and Unwin.
10. Astarabadi, Razia al-Din (1975). Sharh al-Shafi'i Ibn Hajib, Beirut, Dar al-Kitab al-Alamiya Publishing. (In Arabic)
11. Azimi, H., et al., (2015). The Atlas of Leaders, first edition, Tehran, Maaref Publishing Office. (In Persian)
12. Babadzhanov, Bakhtiar (2002) Islam in Uzbekistan: From the Struggle for ‘Religious Purity’ to Political Activism. in Boris Rumer, ed., Central Asia: A Gathering Storm?, London, Routledge.
13. Baran, Zeyno (2004). Hizb ut-Tahrir: Islam’s Political Insurgency, Washington DC, Nixon Center.
14. Baran, Zeyno (2004). Understanding Sufism and its Potential Role in U.S. Policy, Washington DC, Nixon Center.
15. Benningson, A., Anders, W. (1999). Sufis and Commissars, Translator by Afsaneh Monfared, Tehran, Cultural Research Office. (In Persian)
16. Burgat, Francois (2003). Face to Face with Political Islam, I.B. Taurus.
17. Center for International Cultural Studies (2015). Extremism in Central Asia (collection of articles), first edition, Tehran, Al-Huda. (In Persian)
18. Chittick, W., (2007). An Introduction to Sufism, Translated by Mohammad Reza Rajabi, First Edition, Qom, Center for the Study and Research of Religions. (In Persian)
19. Dudoignon, Stéphane and Hisao, Komatso, (2002). Islam in Politics in Russia and Central Asia, Routledge.
20. ERNST Carl W., LAWRENCE Bruce B. (2002). Sûfî Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond, New York, Palgrave Macmillan.
21. Esposito, John L. (2002). Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, Oxford University Press.
22. Farmanian, M. (2007). The sunni sects, Qom, Publication of Religions. (In Persian)
23. Farmanian, M. (2014). Theological sects and religions of Ahl al-Sunnah, Qom. (In Persian)
24. Gaborieau, Marc (2005). Un sanctuaire soufi en Inde: le dargâh de Nizamuddin à Delhi, Revue de l’histoire des religions, 4, 529-555.
25. Gaborieau, Marc (2006). What is left of Sufism in Tablîghî Jamâ‘at?, Archives de sciences sociales des religions, 135, 53-72
26. Gatling, Benjamin (2018). Expressions of Sufi Culture in Tajikistan, 1st edition, University of Wisconsin Press.
27. Guidère, Mathieu (2012). Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism, Scarecrow Press.
28. Gunaratna, Rohan, Kam, Stefanie (2016) Handbook of Terrorism in the Asia–Pacific, Imperial College Press.
29. Hanafi, H., (n.d.). Islamic Principles, Cairo, Madbouli School. (In Arabic)
30. Ibn Manzur, Muhammad ibn Makram (1993). Lessan Al-Arab, Vo. 8, Third Edition, Beirut, Dar Sader Publishing. (In Arabic)
31. Islami, Mohsen, Ayaz, Behrooz, (2017). The study of the reasons behind the presence of ISIS in the Central Asia and its probable consequences, The quarterly for the strategic political researches, No. 21, pp. 225-250. (In Persian)
32. Johnson, Rob (2007). Oil, Islam, and Conflict: Central Asia Since 1945, Reaktion Books.
33. Khalid, Adeeb (2014). Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia, University of California Press.
34. Kolaei, E. (2005). Fields of Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia, Journal of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, No. 67, pp. 201-224. (In Persian)
35. Kolaei, E., and Khansari, M.J. (2014). The Islamic Republic of Iran and Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia, Journal of Political Science, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 243-275. (In Persian)
36. Masud, Muhammad Khalid (2000). Travellers in Faith: Studies of the Tablīghī Jamā'at as a Transnational Islamic Movement for Faith Renewal, Brill.
37. Muedini, Fait (2015). Sponsoring Sufism, London, Palgrave Macmillan.
38. Nafisi, S. (1992). The origins of Sufism in Iran, Eighth Edition, Tehran: Foroughi Publication. (In Persian)
39. Nichol, James P. (2008). Central Asia: Security, Internal Affairs and U.S. Interests, Nova Science Pub Inc.
40. Noor, Shams al-Hagh (1995). Islam and Islamic movement in contemporary Tajikistan, Tehran: The Department for the Literature of Islamic Revolution.
41. Olcott, Martha Brill (2007). The Roots of Radical Islam in Central Asia, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
42. Olcott, Martha Brill (2012). In the Whirlwind of Jihad, Washington, Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace.
43. Pakatchi, Ahmad (2013). Sufi movements in Central Asia, Tehran: Hoda International Publication. (In Persian)
44. Rashid, A. (2008) Jihad: Fighter Islam in Central Asia, Translator: Jamal Aram, Tehran, Erfan Publishing. (In Persian)
45. Rytövuori-Apunen, Helena (2016). The Regional Security Puzzle around Afghanistan: Bordering Practices in Central Asia and Beyond, Barbara Budrich Publishers.
46. Sadeghi, Mojgan (2003). Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (Introduction to Sufism, Vocabulary Section) Editor: Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, Vol. 7, First Edition, Tehran, Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation. (In Persian)
47. Saharanpouri, Kh. A., (2015). Al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad, Translator: Abdul Rahman Sarbazi, Mashhad, Javdan Publishing. (In Persian)
48. Sanyal, Usha (1999). Devotional Islam and Politics in British India, Oxford University Press.
49. Sirhindi, A. (2004). Writings of Imam Rabbani, edited by Ayub Ganji and Hassan Zarei, Vol. 1, First Edition, Zahedan, Sedighi Publishing. (In Persian)
50. Sirriyeh, Elizabeth (2002). Sufis and Anti-Sufis, Tehran: Markaz publication.
51. Suhrawardi, Umar ibn Muhammad (1983). Awaref Al-Ma'aref, Translator: Ismail Ibn Abdul Mo'men Isfahani, Second Edition, Beirut, Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi. (In Arabic)
52. Taheri, Mahdi, Hashemi nasab, Saeed (2009). Sufism in Central Asia, Caucasus, and Russia, The quarterly for regional research, No. 2, pp. 15-67.
53. Trimingham, J. Spencer (1998). The Sufi Orders in Islam, Oxford University Press.
54. Troll, Christian W. (1982) Islam in India: Studies and Commentaries, Stosius Inc/Advent Books Division.
55. Vitaly V. Naumkin, (2005). Radical Islam in Central Asia: Between Pen and Rifle, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
The International Journal of Humanities
Volume 29, Issue 4
Autumn 2022
Pages 36-59