Nagshbandiyya Orthodoxy And Activism In A World Wide Sufi Tradition

The Naqshbandiyya is one of the most widespread Sufi brotherhoods in the world. Its strength lay in its characteristic combination of strict adherence to the divine law and active involvement in social and political affairs.The book begins with an examination of the place and unique features of this brotherhood within the larger Sufi movement, and Islam in general. It then traces its historical evolution through three main phases, each dominated by one offshoot: the original Naqshbandiyya of Central Asia, the Mujaddidiyya which sprang from India, and the Khalidiyya, which was formed in the Ottoman lands and reached the remotest corners of the Muslim world '¬" the North Caucuses, Siberia, and Indonesia, as well as Western Europe and North America. The final chapters examine modern Islamic thinkers and movements that had roots in the Naqshbandiyya and of the Naqshbandi masters and branches that have adopted new strategies to cope with the challenges of modernity and postmodernity.This fully illustrated study presents a broad synthesis of the history of the Naqshbandiyya throughout the eight centuries of its existence, and analyses its basic principles and the teachings of its outstanding masters. As such, it will be an indispensable tool for students of Sufi studies, scholars of medieval and modern Islam, and the informed public that is interested in the manifestations of Islam beyond its current militant version.Itzchak Weismann is senior lecturer at the Department of Middle Eastern history, University of Haifa, Israel. His research interests focus on modern Islam, particularly interrelations between Sufism and fundamentalist and radical movements.Weismann, Itzchak is the author of 'Nagshbandiyya Orthodoxy And Activism In A World Wide Sufi Tradition', published 2007 under ISBN 9780415322430 and ISBN 041532243X.