DOCSLIB.ORG

Murid Spirituality a Lived Eschatology with Its Origins in The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Murid Spirituality a Lived Eschatology with Its Origins in The Studies in Spirituality 25, 291-312. doi: 10.2143/SIS.25.0.3112898 © 2015 by Studies in Spirituality. All rights reserved. CLAUDIA VENHORST MURID SPIRITUALITY A Lived Eschatology SUMMARY – Spiritual thought and practices of the West African Sufi order of the Muridiyya are strongly framed by eschatology. The belief in ‘the last things’ does not only shape attitudes towards death and afterlife but also provides leading guidelines for life and living. The article explores three interconnected domains that provide the eschatological backdrop against which Murid spirituality is brought together: tradition presented in the longstanding Sufi tradition in Islam, teacher the exem- plary life and teachings of shaykh Amadu Bamba the founder of the order and a model to his followers, and place referring to the holy city of Touba the physical and spiritual centre of the Muridiyya. The reader is guided through Murid webs of significance and their common spiritual practices, providing insights in Muslim lived eschatology in general and Sufi eschatology in particular. With its origins in the 1880s, the Murid Sufi order and the teachings of founder shaykh Amadu Bamba (1853-1927) are still very much alive. The Muridiyya is an eye catching Islamic spiritual movement with over four mil- lion adherents, predominantly living in West Africa with branches all over the world.1 The order has caught scholarly interest from the earliest days of its existence, but until recently the focus was very much on socio-economic and historical aspects. The spiritual side of Amadu Bamba’s teachings and the spir- ituality of his followers is only more recently uncovered, through the opening up of internal sources.2 This paper intents to contribute to this line of research on the Muridiya. 1 Today, of Senegal’s approximately 13 million inhabitants about 94% is Muslim and most of them are affiliated with one of the country’s Sufi orders – a remarkable statistic in the Islamic world where Sufis are generally a minority. With an estimated four million adherents the Muridiyya is the second largest order, immediately after the demographically dominant Tijaniyya. 2 C.A. Babou, Fighting the greater Jihad: Amadu Bamba and the founding of the Muridiyya of Senegal, 1853-1913, Athens: Ohio University Press, 2007; F. Ngom, Understanding Murīdiyya from ‘Ajami sources: Muhammad Mahmūd Ñaŋ’s “Jaar-jaari-Boroom Tuubaa” (Itineraries of 98401.indb 291 1/12/15 15:02 292 CLAUDIA VENHORST Murid spiritual thought and practice seems to be strongly framed by escha- tology or ‘the belief in the last things’. These eschatological conceptions shape beliefs concerning death and afterlife, and the ritual practices that accompany them. In case of the Muridiyya it also provides leading guidelines for life and living. Murid spirituality is configured against a dominant eschatological back- drop and it is against this horizon Murid religious life takes shape. This study aims to provide insight in how Murid perceptions of the End of Time and the hereafter are actually lived and ritually enacted. And at the same time provides interesting insights in a Muslim approach of eschatology in general. Eschatology is firmly rooted in Amadu Bamba’s writings and teachings and is vividly presented in numerous stories and poems. Studying Murid spirituality means drawing on general Islamic and Sufi sources as well as specific Murid sources on Bamba’s pedagogy and the role he is expected to play at the End of Time. For Bamba’s taalibe (Wolof/Arabic ‘students’), the founder has the status of a saint and is seen as a spiritual guide. His teachings and his exemplary life are at the basis of what is referred to as ‘the Murid way’ or ‘the path of the Muridiyya’. A path that is also laid out in Bamba’s poetic writings, the so called xassaide.3 In his most important pedagogical writing Masalik al Jinan – ‘Path- ways unto Heaven’, Bamba provides both a spiritual way and practical guide- lines for his disciples to live by.4 Masalik is a long poem dealing with mysticism and the human struggle to overcome the lower desires of the nafs and it is still widely read and studied on today. Alongside the Arabic xassaide, a vivid oral and written tradition has developed that provides exegetic commentaries and poetic odes on Bamba’s life journey. This tradition is provided in the local Wolof language, making its content accessible for those that don’t read Arabic. Boroom Tuubaa), Digital library for International Research-The African Language Materials Archive (ALMA) program, s.a. Online: http://dlir.aiys.org/ALMA/alma_ebooks/JaarTransl. pdf (accessed 4 August 2014); R. Ware, ‘In praise of the intercessor: Mawahib al- Nafi῾ fı Mada᾿ih al- Shafi῾ by Amadu Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927)’, in: Islamic Africa 4 (2013) no.2, 225-248. 3 From Arabic Qasida: poly-thematic poem, usually translated as ‘ode’, composed according to strict metrical rules: J. Esposito (Ed.), The Oxford dictionary of Islam, Oxford: Oxford Univer- sity Press, 2003. 4 This long poem – written in Arabic – deals with issues of mysticism, more specifically with the pitfalls facing the aspirant who wishes to gain mastery over the lower desires of the nafs. Bamba wrote the Masalik as a versification of al-Yadālī’s († 1166/1753) Khātimat al-taṣawwuf (Seals of Sufism) with autobiographical commentary regarding his own spiritual struggles. In addition to its references to prominent texts and authors of Classical Sufism, the Masalik contains important clues to Bamba’s philosophy. See C.A. Babou, ‘Educating the Murid: Theory and practices of education in Amadu Bamba’s thought’, in: Journal of Religion in Africa 33 (2003) no.3, 310-327; F. Ngom, ‘Aḥmadu Bamba’s pedagogy and the development of ‘Ajamī literature’, in: African Studies Review 52 (2009) no.1, 99-123. 98401.indb 292 1/12/15 15:02 MURID SPIRITUALITY 293 These Murid discourses go far beyond the founder’s spoken and written teach- ings and are still elaborated on today. The eschatological backdrop is also unmistakably present in this tradition. By paying attention to and elaborating on these eschatological roots we can gain access to Murid spirituality and get a more in depth view of their lived religion and spiritual practices. It is through a variety of sources Murids weave their webs of significance, offering a spiritual framework that provides meaning beyond the realities of everyday life. This study is conducted from a ‘lived religion’ approach,5 meaning we focus on spirituality as practiced, experienced and expressed by ordinary Murids. At the base is extensive personal fieldwork in Senegal, consisting of interviews, conversations and observations among Murid adherents and their personal shaykhs.6 It is combined with a study of available literature on the Muridiyya and of Murid sources. Additionally literature on Sufism and (Islamic) eschatol- ogy was studied to provide context and depth. All with the intention to ‘con- nect the dots’, to bring rather fragmented material together in order to charac- terize basic Murid spirituality. A spirituality that is so generously overlooked in previous research on this Sufi order. 1. UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUALITY AGAINST AN ESCHATOLOGICAL HORIZON Eschatology or ‘the doctrine of last things’ provides concepts of both end of time and afterlife perceptions and is an important element in Islam and an essential part of its spirituality. It is one of the so called three principles of the Islamic faith, along with ‘God, His angels, His books and His Messengers’ (Qur’an 4:136; 2:177) and primary sources frequently speaks on themes like the Last Day, the final judgement, resurrection and afterlife. Islamic eschatol- ogy, as expounded in the Qur’an and Hadith and elaborated on by generations of scholars and teachers, has developed into a grand narrative that involves both ‘personal’ and ‘collective’ dimensions.7 5 M. McGuire, Lived religion: Faith and practice in everyday life, New York: Oxford University Press, 2008, 12. 6 Fieldwork conducted in the period 2007-2014. 7 T. Quartier, ‘Eschatology’, in: C. Bryant & D. Peck (Eds.), Encyclopedia of death and the human experience, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2009, 417-421. This generic eschatological narrative is recounted in various works on the subject. See e.g., J.E. Campo, ‘Muslim ways of death: Between the prescribed and the performed’, in: K. Garces-Foley (Ed.), Death and religion in a changing world, Armonk, NY: Sharpe, 2006, 141-177; W.C. Chittick, ‘Eschatology’, in: S.H. Nasr (Ed.), Islamic spirituality: Foundations, New York: Crossroad, 1987, 378-409; Idem, ‘Muslim eschatology’, in: J.L. Walls (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of eschatology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, 132-150; A.H. Sakr, ‘Death and dying: An Islamic perspective’, in: 98401.indb 293 1/12/15 15:02 294 CLAUDIA VENHORST What is referred to as ‘The Last Day’, ‘Day of Reckoning’ or ‘Day of Resur- rection’ is perceived as a collective event all mankind has to face. It will arrive with what is called the signs of the hour, frightening events that will culminate in the complete destruction of the earth and all that live on it (Qur’an 55:26- 27). At the sound of the trumpet all the deceased will resurrect from their graves and all will be gathered. Each person will be offered his or her book – a written record of good and bad deeds accumulated during life on earth. Good deeds are carried by an angel on the right shoulder, bad deeds by an angel on the left shoulder. Scales are set up for the weighing of deeds and God himself descends to carry out the interrogation. People are asked one by one to explain their earthly deeds. The scrolls of their good and evil deed are weighed and are then taken to the bridge over hell.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Marcia Hermansen, and Elif Medeni
    CURRICULUM VITAE Marcia K. Hermansen October 2020 Theology Dept. Loyola University Crown Center 301 Tel. (773)-508-2345 (work) 1032 W. Sheridan Rd., Chicago Il 60660 E-mail [email protected] I. EDUCATION A. Institution Dates Degree Field University of Chicago 1974-1982 Ph.D. Near East Languages and Civilization (Arabic & Islamic Studies) University of Toronto 1973-1974 Special Student University of Waterloo 1970-1972 B.A. General Arts B. Dissertation Topic: The Theory of Religion of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi (1702-1762) C. Language Competency: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish II. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY A. Teaching and Other Positions Held 2006- Director, Islamic World Studies Program, Loyola 1997- Professor, Theology Dept., Loyola University, Chicago 2003 Visiting Professor, Summer School, Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium 1982-1997 Professor, Religious Studies, San Diego State University 1985-1986 Visiting Professor, Institute of Islamic Studies McGill University, Montreal, Canada 1980-1981 Foreign Service, Canadian Department of External Affairs: Postings to the United Nations General Assembly, Canadian Delegation; Vice-Consul, Canadian Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela 1979-1980 Lecturer, Religion Department, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario M. K. Hermansen—2 B.Courses Taught Religious Studies World Religions: Major concepts from eastern and western religious traditions. Religions of India Myth and Symbol: Psychological, anthropological, and religious approaches Religion and Psychology Sacred Biography Dynamics of Religious Experience Comparative Spiritualities Scripture in Comparative Perspective Ways of Understanding Religion (Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion) Comparative Mysticism Introduction to Religious Studies Myth, Magic, and Mysticism Islamic Studies Introduction to Islam. Islamic Mysticism: A seminar based on discussion of readings from Sufi texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Migrant Sufis and Shrines: a Microcosm of Islam Inthe Tribal Structure of Mianwali District
    IJASOS- International E-Journal of Advances in Social Sciences, Vol.II, Issue 4, April 2016 MIGRANT SUFIS AND SHRINES: A MICROCOSM OF ISLAM INTHE TRIBAL STRUCTURE OF MIANWALI DISTRICT Saadia Sumbal Asst. Prof. Forman Christian College University Lahore, Pakistan, [email protected] Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between sufis and local tribal and kinship structures in the last half of eighteenth century to the end of nineteenth century Mianwali, a district in the south-west of Punjab. The study shows how tribal identities and local forms of religious organizations were closely associated. Attention is paid to the conditions in society which grounded the power of sufi and shrine in heterodox beliefs regarding saint‟s ability of intercession between man and God. Sufi‟s role as mediator between tribes is discussed in the context of changed social and economic structures. Their role as mediator was essentially depended on their genealogical link with the migrants. This shows how tribal genealogy was given precedence over religiously based meta-genealogy of the sufi-order. The focus is also on politics shaped by ideology of British imperial state which created sufis as intermediary rural elite. The intrusion of state power in sufi institutions through land grants brought sufis into more formal relations with the government as well as the general population. The state patronage reinforced their social authority and personal wealth and became invested with the authority of colonial state. Using hagiographical sources, factors which integrated pir and disciples in a spiritual bond are also discussed. This relationship is discussed in two main contexts, one the hyper-corporeality of pir, which includes his power and ability to move through time and space and multilocate himself to protect his disciples.
    [Show full text]
  • Download (564Kb)
    CHAPTER THREE 3 BIOGRAPHY OF AL-FALIMBĀNĪ 3.1 Introduction This chapter discusses at length the biography of al-Falimbānī to the extent of the availability of the resources about him. It includes the following sections: on the dispute of his real name, his family background, his birth, his educational background, his teachers, his contemporaries, his works, the influence of scholars on him, his death and last but not least, his contribution. 3.2 His Name In spite of the fact that al-Falimbānī is one of the greatest Malay scholars in eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and having left many aspiring works, yet nothing much is known about this great scholar – neither the dates of his birth nor death has been established. All that is known is that he hailed from 1 Palembang. Even the exact name of his father remains unresolved and debated. Perhaps this scarcity of information2 that had forced P.Voorhoeve to write down only a few lines about al-Falimbāni in the Encyclopedia of Islam New Edition.3 1 Palembang is a city on the southern side of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the capital of the Southern Sumatra province. The city was once the capital of the ancient, partly Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya. 2 I beg to differ with Azra’s statement that “we have a rather complete account of his life and career…”, see Azra, Networks, 113. What we do have, however, are merely books written by him which have survived until these days, but as far as a complete biographical background of his is concerned, apart from in Salasilah and his short remarks here and there about himself in some of his works, we could hardly gather any other information concerning him.
    [Show full text]
  • The 21 Century New Muslim Generation Converts in Britain And
    The 21st Century New Muslim Generation Converts in Britain and Germany Submitted by Caroline Neumueller to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arab and Islamic Studies October 2012 1 2 Abstract The dissertation focuses on the conversion experiences and individual processes of twenty-four native British Muslim converts and fifty-two native German Muslim converts, based on personal interviews and completed questionnaires between 2008 and 2010. It analyses the occurring similarities and differences among British and German Muslim converts, and puts them into relation to basic Islamic requirements of the individual, and in the context of their respective social settings. Accordingly, the primary focus is placed on the changing behavioural norms in the individual process of religious conversion concerning family and mixed-gender relations and the converts’ attitudes towards particularly often sensitive and controversial topics. My empirical research on this phenomenon was guided by many research questions, such as: What has provoked the participants to convert to Islam, and what impact and influence does their conversion have on their (former and primarily) non-Muslim environment? Do Muslim converts tend to distance themselves from their former lifestyles and change their social behavioural patterns, and are the objectives and purposes that they see themselves having in the given society directed to them being: bridge-builders or isolators? The topic of conversion to Islam, particularly within Western non-Muslim societies is a growing research phenomenon. At the same time, there has only been little contribution to the literature that deals with comparative analyses of Muslim converts in different countries.
    [Show full text]
  • CURRICULUM VITAE Marcia K. Hermansen September 2020
    CURRICULUM VITAE Marcia K. Hermansen September 2020 Theology Dept. Loyola University Crown Center 301 Tel. (773)-508-2345 (work) 1032 W. Sheridan Rd., Chicago Il 60660 E-mail [email protected] I. EDUCATION A. Institution Dates Degree Field University of Chicago 1974-1982 Ph.D. Near East Languages and Civilization (Arabic & Islamic Studies) University of Toronto 1973-1974 Special Student University of Waterloo 1970-1972 B.A. General Arts B. Dissertation Topic: The Theory of Religion of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi (1702-1762) C. Language Competency: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish II. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY A. Teaching and Other Positions Held 2006- Director, Islamic World Studies Program, Loyola 1997- Professor, Theology Dept., Loyola University, Chicago 2003 Visiting Professor, Summer School, Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium 1982-1997 Professor, Religious Studies, San Diego State University 1985-1986 Visiting Professor, Institute of Islamic Studies McGill University, Montreal, Canada 1980-1981 Foreign Service, Canadian Department of External Affairs: Postings to the United Nations General Assembly, Canadian Delegation; Vice-Consul, Canadian Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela 1979-1980 Lecturer, Religion Department, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario M. K. Hermansen—2 B.Courses Taught Religious Studies World Religions: Major concepts from eastern and western religious traditions. Religions of India Myth and Symbol: Psychological, anthropological, and religious approaches Religion and Psychology Sacred Biography Dynamics of Religious Experience Comparative Spiritualities Scripture in Comparative Perspective Ways of Understanding Religion (Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion) Comparative Mysticism Introduction to Religious Studies Myth, Magic, and Mysticism Islamic Studies Introduction to Islam. Islamic Mysticism: A seminar based on discussion of readings from Sufi texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Sufism: in the Spirit of Eastern Spiritual Traditions
    92 Sufism: In the Spirit of Eastern Spiritual Traditions Irfan Engineer Volume 2 : Issue 1 & Volume Center for the Study of Society & Secularism, Mumbai [email protected] Sambhāṣaṇ 93 Introduction Sufi Islam is a mystical form of Islamic spirituality. The emphasis of Sufism is less on external rituals and more on the inward journey. The seeker searches within to make oneself Insaan-e-Kamil, or a perfect human being on God’s path. The origin of the word Sufism is in tasawwuf, the path followed by Sufis to reach God. Some believe it comes from the word suf (wool), referring to the coarse woollen fabric worn by early Sufis. Sufiya also means purified or chosen as a friend of God. Most Sufis favour the origin of the word from safa or purity; therefore, a Sufi is one who is purified from worldly defilements. The essence of Sufism, as of most religions, is to reach God, or truth or absolute reality. Characteristics of Sufism The path of Sufism is a path of self-annihilation in God, also called afanaa , which means to seek permanence in God. A Sufi strives to relinquish worldly and even other worldly aims. The objective of Sufism is to acquire knowledge of God and achieve wisdom. Sufis avail every act of God as an opportunity to “see” God. The Volume 2 : Issue 1 & Volume Sufi “lives his life as a continuous effort to view or “see” Him with a profound, spiritual “seeing” . and with a profound awareness of being continuously overseen by Him” (Gulen, 2006, p. xi-xii).
    [Show full text]
  • Stephen Burman
    SENEGALESE ISLAM: OLD STRENGTHS, NEW CHALLENGES KEY POINTS Islam in Senegal is based around sufi brotherhoods. These have substantial connections across West Africa, including Mali, as well as in North Africa, including Morocco and Algeria. They are extremely popular and historically closely linked to the state. Salafism has had a small presence since the mid-twentieth century. Established Islam in Senegal has lately faced new challenges: o President Wade’s (2000-2012) proximity to the sufi brotherhoods strained the division between the state and religion and compromised sufi legitimacy. o A twin-track education system. The state has a limited grip on the informal education sector, which is susceptible to extremist teaching. o A resurgence of salafism, evidenced by the growing influence of salafist community organisations and reports of support from the Gulf. o Events in Mali and Senegal’s support to the French-led intervention have led to greater questioning about the place of Islam in regional identity. Senegal is therefore vulnerable to growing Islamist extremism. Its institutions and sufi brotherhoods put it in a strong position to resist it, but this should not be taken for granted. DETAIL Mali, 2012. Reports on the jihadist takeover of the North include references to around 20 speakers of Wolof, a language whose native speakers come almost exclusively from Senegal. Earlier reporting refers to a Senegalese contingent among the jihadist kidnappers of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler. These and other reports (such as January 2013 when an imam found near the Senegal-Mali border was arrested for jihadist links) put into sharper focus the role of Islam in Senegal.
    [Show full text]
  • Ala Man Ankara Al-Tasa
    A TRANSLATION, WITH CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, OF SHAYKH AL-`ALAWI’S AL-RISĀLAH AL-QAWL AL-MA`RŪF FĪ AL-RADD `ALĀ MAN ANKARA AL-TASAWWUF (A KIND WORD IN RESPONSE TO THOSE WHO REJECT SUFISM) MOGAMAT MAHGADIEN HENDRICKS Student number 2352068 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Magister Artium in the Department of Foreign Languages, University of the Western Cape Supervisor: Professor Yasien Mohamed 14th of November 2005 CONTENTS KEYWORDS................................................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................ii DECLARATION........................................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.........................................................................................................................iv TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... I Section One: Literary works in defence of the Sufis...........................................................................I Section Two: The life of Shaykh Sidi Aḥmad ibn Muṣṭafā al-`Alāwi............................................... VI Section Three: The legacy of Shaykh Sidi Ahmad ibn Muṣṭafā al-`Alāwi .......................................VIII Section Four:
    [Show full text]
  • Download Date 26/09/2021 10:00:58
    Ecstatic Religious Expression within Islam Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Nettles Leavitt, Isolde Betty Blythe, 1950- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 10:00:58 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/558213 ECSTATIC RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION WITHIN ISLAM by Isolde Betty Blythe Nettles Leavitt Copyright ©Isolde Betty Blythe Nettles Leavitt 1993 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Near Eastern Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Masters of Arts In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 9 3 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: 'll P tt/r* J APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: William J. Wilson Professor ofiMkrale Eastern History 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My deepest gratude to Stephen Murray for his tireless efforts in the typing of this manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • Sufi Islamic Discourse in Africa
    religions Article Sufi Islamic Discourse in Africa: From the Greatest Jihad to the Establishment of the African Caliphate Hamdy A. Hassan Department of International Studies, Zayed University, Dubai P.O. Box 19282, UAE; [email protected] Received: 28 September 2020; Accepted: 24 November 2020; Published: 29 November 2020 Abstract: In the nineteenth century, African Muslim societies were marked by the emergence of a reformist Sufi Islamic discourse aimed at changing and moving away from traditional Islamic practices. Although this discourse was influenced, to some extent, by external sources of inspiration, it was linked to the local African context. This study demonstrates that the reformist discourse of major Sufi figures such as Sheikh Amadu Bamba in Senegal and Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio in Nigeria reflects a number of common features of Islamic reform in Africa, yet their reform programs were shaped by the conditions of the local context. This research contribution aims to understand the actual role that the discourse of Sufi spirituality played—and still does—in the religious, economic, and political life of Muslim societies in Africa. This study has shown that despite the prevailing belief that Sufi discourse does not tend to politicize as it tries to maintain a safe distance away from matters of politics and governance in order to achieve its message of moral and spiritual purity, it may turn into violent radicalism as embodied by the jihadist Sufi experience in West Africa. Keywords: Sufism; jihad; Islamic discourse; Muridiyya order; Caliphate; Amadu Bamba; Usman Dan Fodio 1. Introduction Islam has become, as Mazrui(1986) emphasizes, one of the main components of the triple cultural heritage of Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain
    centre of islamic studies, cambridge The Centre of Islamic studies seeks to develop a constructive and critical understanding of Islam in the modern world. Its priority is to develop high-quality research and outreach programmes about Islam in the United Kingdom and Europe. Through its roster of scholarship, symposia, reports and interactive educational events, the Centre is committed to engaging with academics, policy-makers and wider society. This report is exclusively about female converts to Islam in Britain. Conversion implies continuity and change, association and, at times, involuntary dissociation. It looks back, and it looks forward in a journey with meanings which vary with time and from person to person. Female conversion to Islam in particular challenges the binaries of tradition versus modernity and faith versus secularism, by combining in the person of the convert – and her body – both the insider and the outsider, and doing so in a way that has the capacity to dilute the rough and ready distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’. In the person and body of the female convert to Islam, the ‘twain shall and do meet’. This in-betweenness of female converts poses challenges to our mental and social tax- onomies, being insiders/outsiders and intimate strangers at one and the same time, to both the non-Muslim majority and the Muslim minority in Britain.’ PROFESSOR YASIR SULEIMAN , PREFACE Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain , , , Female Perspectives : + () • : + () • : @... PROFESSOR YASIR SULEIMAN , PROJECT LEADER FOUNDING DIRECTOR , PRINCE ALWALEED BIN TALAL www.cis.cam.ac.uk CENTRE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES , CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE 978-0-9573166-0-7 in association with THE NEW MUSLIMS PROJECT , MARKFIELD MARCH 2013 NARRATIVES of CO NVERSION TO ISLAM Female Perspectives Professor Yasir Suleiman Project Leader and Founding Director Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge in Association with The New Muslims Project, Markfield Contents Participants iv Preface 1 Executive Summary 9 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue CONTENTS
    THE ISLAMIC TEXTS SOCIETY Catalogue CONTENTS QUR’ĀN, SĪRA & ḤADĪTH The Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretationof the Verses of the Qurʾān 4 The Holy Qur’ ān: Translations of Selected Verses 5 Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources 6 The Life of the Prophet Muhammad 7 Al-Nawawī’s Forty Hadith 8 Forty Hadith Qudsi 9 Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origin, Development & Special Features 10 ISLAMIC LAW & JURISPRUDENCE Copyright in Islamic Law 11 Muslims in non-Muslim Lands: A Legal Study with Applications 12 Al-Shāfiʿī’s Risāla: Treatise on the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence 13 Language and the Interpretation of Islamic Law 14 On Schacht’s Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence 15 Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence 16 Islamic Commercial Law: An Analysis of Futures and Options 17 Citizenship & Accountability of Government: An Islamic Perspective 19 The Right to Education, Work and Welfare in Islam 20 The Right to Life, Security, Privacy and Ownership in Islam 20 Freedom of Expression in Islam 21 Equity and Fairness in Islam 21 Freedom, Equality and Justice in Islam 22 The Dignity of Man: An Islamic Perspective 22 THE GHAZĀLĪ SERIES Al-Ghazālī on Poverty and Abstinence 24 Al-Ghazālī on Invocations and Supplications 25 Al-Ghazālī on the Manners Relating to Eating 26 Al-Ghazālī on the Lawful and the Unlawful 27 Al-Ghazālī on Conduct in Travel 28 Al-Ghazālī on Disciplining the Soul & on Breaking the Two Desires 29 Al-Ghazālī on Patience and Thankfulness 30 Al-Ghazālī on Love, Longing, Intimacy and Contentment 31 Al-Ghazālī on Intention,
    [Show full text]