Edinburgh University Press
Neo-traditionalism in Islam in the West
About this book
Examining Muslim neo-traditionalist scholars in the West and their community of young seekers of sacred knowledge, Walaa Quisay explores the emerging trend within Anglo-American Islam that emphasises the importance of ‘tradition’. This book focuses on spiritual retreats hosted by three main shaykhs – Hamza Yusuf, Abdal Hakim Murad and Umar Faruq Abd-Allah – to examine how religious authority is formed and affirmed. Through interviews with seekers who have attended retreats, the author sheds light on how discourses are shaped and practised and analyses how neo-traditionalist shaykhs construct the notion of ‘tradition’ concerning what they perceive to have been lost in modernity. The importance is highlighted of neo-traditionalism in the changing conceptions of religious orthodoxy, religious authority and spirituality for young Muslims in the West, and Quisay examines the political implications to the shaykhs’ critiques of modernity as it pertains to political quietism, race and gender.
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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CONTENTS
v -
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Acknowledgments
vi -
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Foreword by Professor Hasan al-Shafi’i
ix -
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Introduction
1 - STORIES OF DISENCHANTMENT
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1 Locating the (Neo)Traditional
21 -
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2 Modern Times
45 - PLACES OF RE-ENCHANTMENT
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3 Travelers to Tradition
67 -
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4 Formation of Authority and Conditions of Plausibility
98 -
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5 The Metaphysical Lens
123 -
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6 Race, Gender, and Belonging
148 - LOCATING NEO-TRADITIONALISM IN MODERNITY
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7 The Sufi, the Palace, and the People
177 -
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8 The Seekers, Politics, and Power
204 -
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Conclusion
234 -
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Notes
246 -
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Bibliography
292 -
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Index
319