The danger of shariatic sufis

Submitted by Concerned European (Lithuania), Dec 8, 2006 at 08:07

The article on Shah Waliullah mentions certain Muslim groups which could potentially highly complicate the war on terror. That are the followers of Naqshbandiya, especially those of Mujaddidi line(followers of Ahmad Sirhindi), and some other sufi groups(as eg. some groups of North African Shadhiliya and Qadiris of Nigeria), who although being mystics, are equally keen on implementing Sharia.

If Naqshbandis join the pro-islamist camp en masse(and some have already done it long ago (as for example Necmettin Erbakan or Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey), with their spiritual fervor they could became more formidable enemy as Wahhabis, Ikhwan or Mawdudists with their rather unattractive and dry doctrines. Obviously not all Naqshbandis, Shadhilis and Qadiris have islamist inclinations (and some are well known moderate Muslims as Nazim Qubrusi or Hisham Kabbani, both Naqshbandis), however dangerous potential exists.

There are, of course much bad blood and enmity between Ikhwan/Salafists and Sufis(whether pro-shariatic fundamentalists or not), however some forward looking leaders of Ikhwan, as Yusuf Qardawi, speak about "suficizing the Salafism and salafising the Sufism") and try to forge the alliance with the pro-shariatic wing of Sufism.

On the contrary, those Sufis who do not insist on the implementation of Sharia could become the kernel of the moderate Islam. In my mind when the majority of Muslims will became aware on impossibility/impracticability to enforce Sharia, islam will transform to a sort of post-islam largely based on liberal and spiritual kind of Sufi doctrine, as eg. that of Rumi or Ibn Arabi.

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