In this article I propose that questions about the nature of contemporary Sufism, especially in Western contexts, can be addressed with further precision and nuance by shifting the focus from ...Sufism’s relationship to Islam, to its relationship to shari‘a, or Islamic law (fiqh). As very few questioned Sufism’s Islamic nature prior to the modern period, this analytical shift offers the advantage of contextualizing contemporary debates about Sufism within the much richer history of intra-Islamic difference over Sufism and shari‘a. I suggest that traditional Sufi-shari‘a conceptions, though varied in nature, can be categorized for analytical purposes as (a) juristic, (b) supersessionist, and (c) formless Sufism. I propose these terms not as archetypal categories, but rather as a tentative template for mapping Sufi approaches to the shari‘a, which can allow us to better appreciate how contemporary Western Sufi orientations towards the shari‘a reflect premodern tendencies.
An American Sufism Dickson, William Rory
Studies in religion,
09/2014, Letnik:
43, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi order is a transnational religious organization. Founded by Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani (b. 1922), the order spread throughout the Middle East in the 1950s and 1960s, and then ...to Britain in the 1970s. In 1990, Nazim’s student Shaykh Hisham Kabbani moved to the United States and established a branch of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order there. The past fifteen years have seen the emergence of this order as one of the most widespread and politically active Sufi organizations in America. In this paper I ask: Why and how is it that the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order effectively functions as a public religion in America? To answer this question, I will use José Casanova’s theory of public religion to understand why and how the order has developed and maintained a public profile in the United States. I contend that the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order’s public activity is rooted in: (1) the Naqshbandi order’s history of public significance in Muslim societies; (2) the order’s theological and practical appreciation of religious and cultural pluralism; (3) the order’s transnational character; and (4) its adoption of certain elements of American civil religion.
L’ordre Naqshbandi-Haqqani soufie est une organisation transnationale religieuse. Fondée par Cheikh Nazim al Haqqani (b. 1922), l’ordre s’est répandue dans tout le Moyen-Orient dans les années 1950 et 1960, puis en Grande-Bretagne dans les années 1970. En 1990, Cheikh Hisham Kabbani, un étudiant de Nazim, a déménagé aux États-Unis où il a créé une branche de l’ordre Naqshbandi-Haqqani. Les quinze dernières années ont vu l’émergence de cet ordre comme l’une des organisations soufies les plus répandues et politiquement actives en Amérique. Dans cet article, je demande : Comment et pourquoi est-ce que l’ordre Naqshbandi-Haqqani fonctionne en effet comme une religion publique en Amérique ? Pour répondre à cette question, je vais utiliser la théorie de José Casanova au sujet de la religion du public à fin de comprendre pourquoi et comment l’ordre a développé et maintenu un profil public aux États-Unis. Je soutiens que l’activité publique de l’ordre Naqshbandi-Haqqani est ancré dans : 1) l’histoire d’une importance publique de l’ordre Naqshbandi dans les sociétés musulmanes ; 2) l’appréciation théologique et pratique de l’ordre envers le pluralisme religieux et culturel ; 3) le caractère transnational de l’ordre ; et 4) l’adoption de certains éléments de la religion civile américaine.
Drawing upon our ethnographic research of the Jerrahi Sufi Order, in this paper we consider an analytical problem in the study of Sufism in North America. In engaging two distinct branches of the ...Jerrahi Order, we draw attention to the ways in which identities and practices shaped by classical Islamic law and theology cannot be easily parsed from those associated with the New Age movement in North America. We begin by offering a brief overview of Sufism in North America, highlighting reconfigurations of authority, organization, and practice. Following this, we consider the two major North American branches of the Jerrahi Sufi order: The Jerrahi Order of America, and the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Order, drawing out the conceptual problems of categorizing these branches by distinguishing between the “Islamic” and the “New Age” within these movements. We conclude with a summary of the utility and drawbacks these categories offer the study of Sufism, while considering some directions for future scholarship on the subject.
This article is a case study of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen shrine in Pennsylvania, United States. The authors illustrate how various ‘Sufisms’ coexist and engage in contestation over the way that Bawa’s ...remaining disciples, new members, and otherwise interested devotees utilize Bawa’s burial shrine. The Fellowship in Philadelphia has established links with spaces affiliated with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen in Sri Lanka as well as with branches of the Fellowship in Toronto, Canada, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hence, although this project is in many ways a case study of localized Sufism in the United States, it further highlights the dynamics of what might be called globalized Sufism in the 21st century.
As Sufism becomes more established in North America, observers note the difficulty in making sense of a tradition with such a beguiling diversity of form, ranging from Sufi orders characterized by ...their Islamic practice, to Sufi orders with little in the way of explicit Islamic reference. Why is it that Sufism takes such a diversity of form? What is at the heart of this diversity? Why are some orders in North America more explicitly Islamic whereas others have little to do with Islamic religiosity? Why have some orders taken on a more distinctly North American cultural style, while others have maintained the culture of their country of origin? Furthermore, is there a way to think about Sufism in North America that transcends these dichotomies? In this work, I suggest that the answers to these questions can be found in understanding the role of the shaykh or Sufi teacher. It is the shaykh or shaykha (feminine) who makes critical decisions on how to teach Sufism: what elements of the tradition to maintain and what to adapt in a new context. Beginning in late 2009 and continuing to November 2010, I traveled throughout the United States and Canada visiting Sufi centers and interviewing ten Sufi leaders. During my research with Sufi leaders in North America I found that commonly used categories based on the term "Islamic" too often obscure the many ways that "non" or "quasi" Islamic Sufis are grounded in the Islamic tradition, and alternately the ways in which "Islamic" Sufis maintain broadly universalistic perspectives. I also found that ostensibly "traditional" Sufi leaders engaged in notable adaptations of their tradition, or held views that might be seen as surprisingly liberal, while those Sufi leaders thought of as liberal, or even "New Age," considered themselves deeply traditional in their approach to Sufism. In light of these findings, I argue that Sufism is better understood as an inherently fluid, dynamic, and diverse tradition that takes a multiplicity of forms in North America based on the choices Sufi teachers make regarding: a) the degree to which Sufism can or should be adapted to suit the North American context, and b) the degree to which Sufism is connected to Islamic practice (the rituals and rules prescribed by Islamic law). I offer here the first exploration of Sufi leadership in North America, bringing to light the views of leaders who, in many ways, shape the discourse and practice of Sufism as it takes root in a new cultural, geographic space.
Current guidelines for the management of bronchiectasis (BE) highlight the lack of evidence to recommend mucoactive agents, such as hypertonic saline (HTS) and carbocisteine, to aid sputum removal as ...part of standard care. We hypothesise that mucoactive agents (HTS or carbocisteine, or a combination) are effective in reducing exacerbations over a 52-week period, compared to usual care.
This is a 52-week, 2 × 2 factorial, randomized, open-label trial to determine the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of HTS 6% and carbocisteine for airway clearance versus usual care - the Clinical and cost-effectiveness of hypertonic saline (HTS 6%) and carbocisteine for airway clearance versus usual care (CLEAR) trial. Patients will be randomised to (1) standard care and twice-daily nebulised HTS (6%), (2) standard care and carbocisteine (750 mg three times per day until visit 3, reducing to 750 mg twice per day), (3) standard care and combination of twice-daily nebulised HTS and carbocisteine, or (4) standard care. The primary outcome is the mean number of exacerbations over 52 weeks. Key inclusion criteria are as follows: adults with a diagnosis of BE on computed tomography, BE as the primary respiratory diagnosis, and two or more pulmonary exacerbations in the last year requiring antibiotics and production of daily sputum.
This trial's pragmatic research design avoids the significant costs associated with double-blind trials whilst optimising rigour in other areas of trial delivery. The CLEAR trial will provide evidence as to whether HTS, carbocisteine or both are effective and cost effective for patients with BE.
EudraCT number: 2017-000664-14 (first entered in the database on 20 October 2017). ISRCTN.com, ISRCTN89040295. Registered on 6 July/2018. Funder: National Institute for Health Research, Health Technology Assessment Programme (15/100/01).
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Ethics Reference Number: 17/NE/0339. Protocol version: v3.0 Final_14052018.
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