From Amuq to Glastonbury: Situating the apocalypticism of Shaykh Nazim and the Naqshbandi- Haqqaniyya Submitted by Rhiannon Conner to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arab and Islamic Studies In May 2015 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. 1 Abstract The Naqshbandi-Haqqaniyya are one of the most well known and researched tariqas in the West. Until May 2014 the leader of the tariqa was Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani (1922-1914) who somewhat unusually among modern Sunni Sufi shaykhs taught consistently that the world is in its last days and approaching a global apocalyptic change. It is these apocalyptic teachings, primarily articulated by Shaykh Nazim, that are the focus of this thesis. While an element of Shaykh Nazim‟s teachings that has been noted by a number of scholars, there has been little in the way of comprehensive research on the apocalyptic teachings past the year 2000 or on how Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse compares to those found either in wider Islamic thought or other religious traditions. By utilising sources produced until Shaykh Nazim‟s death in 2014 this thesis thus aims to make a distinct contribution to the knowledge by identifying what characterises the apocalypticism of Shaykh Nazim and the Naqshbandi-Haqqaniyya, how this compares to other Muslim apocalypses, whether its form can be accounted for, and how murids in one branch of the tariqa interpret teachings in the post-millennial period. This thesis argues that it is important we come to a better understanding of Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse not just to further our understanding the Naqshbandiyya, but to address an imbalance in contemporary apocalyptic studies on how Islamic apocalyptic belief is presented. The thesis presents a new phenomenological dimensional approach to apocalyptic belief which forms the structure of the investigation. It begins by outlining broad trends in Islamic apocalyptic thought in order to provide a comparative base for the rest of the work. This is followed by an examination of where Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse converges and diverges from these broad trends. The following chapters seek to account for the distinctive form of Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse by discussing firstly whether they might be presented to appeal to Westerners, whether they might be seen as a way of addressing modernity, and if they act as a theodicy. These chapters are then followed by a discussion on authorities used to legitimise the apocalyptic teachings and how they are interpreted by a small group of murids in the Glastonbury branch of the tariqa. This thesis concludes by arguing Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse is distinctive in many respects, particularly in regards his absolute millenarian vision. Ultimately this millenarian vision is made necessary by a need to cleanse the world of satanic influence in a way not possible by reform. It also argues the apocalyptic teachings remained an important part of Shaykh Nazim‟s teachings post the millennium and that there are a number of strategies employed by murids to make sense of living in the end of times. It argues future research should monitor changes in apocalyptic emphasis given the new leadership of the tariqa and wider attention be paid to apocalyptic belief in Islam in general. 2 Acnowledgements I owe so many people thanks and gratitude for their support in preparing this thesis. I owe particular thanks firstly to Professor Ian Netton for his guidance, advice and wisdom, always given gently and with compassion. I have learnt so much from our time together. Thank you to my friends and family, who have been so supportive and patient throughout this study. Thank you to my parents Jan and Mike, and my grandmother Cicily for their encouragement to start and finish this work, and for their love and support throughout. Words cannot express my gratitude to my fiancé Chris for his endless patience, love and care. Special thanks must go to the members of the Naqshbandi tariqa who welcomed me into their lives and shared so much of themselves. I am so grateful for their kindness and hospitality. Thank you for making this work possible. Finally, this thesis is dedicated in loving memory to Zero, without whom it is safe to say it wouldn‟t exist. Thank you for your endless support and kindness. Rest peacefully. This research was funded by the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, University of Exeter. 3 Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements...................................................................................... 3 Contents....................................................................................................... 4 List of Illustrations........................................................................................ 7 Introduction 0.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 8 0.2 Aims....................................................................................................... 11 0.3 Research Questions.............................................................................. 12 0.4 Contribution............................................................................................ 13 0.5 Wider Relevance.................................................................................... 15 0.6 Thesis outline......................................................................................... 16 Literature Review 0.7 Introduction............................................................................................ 19 0.8 The end of the World in Islamic Studies................................................ 19 0.9 Sufism.................................................................................................... 28 0.10 Sufism in the West............................................................................... 31 0.11 Sufism in Britain................................................................................... 33 0.12 Naqshbandi-Haqqaniyya...................................................................... 34 0.13 Naqshbandi-Haqqaniyya: the apocalyptic dimension.......................... 45 0.14 Conclusion........................................................................................... 49 Methodology 0.15 Introduction.......................................................................................... 50 0.16 Philosophical phenomenology............................................................. 50 0.17 Phenomenology and religion............................................................... 52 0.18 Challenges to the phenomenological approach................................... 55 0.19 The application of phenomenology...................................................... 59 0.20 Towards a dimensional approach to apocalyptic belief....................... 66 0.21 A note on sources................................................................................ 72 Chapter One: The End of the World in Islam: a preparatory overview 1.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 75 1.2 The problem of terminology................................................................... 76 1.3 Eschatological imagery in the Qur‟an.................................................... 81 1.4 The apocalypse of Islam........................................................................ 86 1.5 Contemporary apocalypse..................................................................... 100 1.6 Conclusion............................................................................................. 106 Chapter Two: A Sufi Vision of the End of Time 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 108 2.2 The Naqshbandiyya tariqa..................................................................... 108 2.3 The Naqshbandi-Haqqaniyya................................................................ 111 2.4 The approach of the end: Shaykh Nazim‟s end time scenario.............. 120 2.5 Categorising Shaykh Nazim‟s apocalypse............................................. 126 2.6 Continuity and Divergence..................................................................... 136 2.7 Conclusion............................................................................................. 141 4 Chapter Three: A Western Apocalypse? 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 143 3.2 Sufism in the West................................................................................. 143 3.3 The New Age......................................................................................... 151 3.4 Nature.................................................................................................... 153 3.5 Nuclear apocalypse............................................................................... 157 3.6 Y2K........................................................................................................ 161 3.7 Discussion.............................................................................................