Sufism, Mystics, and Saints in Modern Egypt

by Valerie J. Hoffman

• ISBN13: 9781570030550
• ISBN10: 1570030553
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2023-02-07
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press

Summary

For centuries Sufism - Islamic mysticism - held a major place in Islamic spirituality, intellectual life, and popular religion. While many twentieth-century observers have commented on Sufism's decline, and modernists and fundamentalists alike have criticized the movement, few scholars have analyzed present-day Egyptian Sufism as a system in its own right rather than as a degradation of the classical ideal. Drawing on detailed fieldwork and on textual analysis of a variety of little-known recent and medieval sources, Valerie J. Hoffman presents Sufism as it exists in Egypt today, in the vivid experiences of its adherents, from humble housewives to famous mystics and saints. With an array of conclusions that overturn widely held beliefs about modern Sufis, Hoffman argues that the apparent assimilation of Egyptian Sufism masks a thriving movement hidden from the Western world.

Author Biography

Valerie J. Hoffman is associate professor of religion at the University of Illinois.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
General Editor's Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Sufism in an Age of Change	p. 1
Among the Sufis: Experiences, Methods, and Approach	p. 25
The Prophet Muhammad and His Family in Egyptian Sufism	p. 50
The Saints: Bearers of the Prophetic Light	p. 89
The Sufi Orders	p. 123
Foundations of the Sufi Path	p. 156
Mystical Concepts and Practices in Egyptian Sufism	p. 196
Women and Sexuality in Sufi Life and Thought	p. 226
Models of Sainthood	p. 255
The Life and Influence of Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman al-Burhani	p. 300
Coptic Christianity and Popular Islam in Egypt: Elements of a Common Spirituality	p. 328
Conclusion: Sufism in Modern Egypt	p. 357
Notes	p. 379
Glossary	p. 419
Biographical Dictionary	p. 427
Select Bibliography	p. 433
Index	p. 440
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