Maktabah Al-Imām Al-Ghazālī

The Sufi/Neo-Traditionalist Network The Sufi neo-traditionalist network can be said to be the most sponsored by the UAE. The neo-traditionalist discourse emphasizes adhering to one of the traditional four schools of fiqh (jurisprudence) and one of the two schools of ‘aqīda (theology) as well as practising Sufism. For that, they consider themselves the true representatives of ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jamā‘a (Sunni Islam) and the continuation of the Islamic tradition transmitted to them through an unbroken chain of transmitters. As “neo-traditionalism” doesn’t have an Arabic counterpart, neo-traditionalists are usually referred to as “Sufis” in the Arabic-speaking world.  The most critical figures for the UAE-sponsored neo-traditionalism are al-Habib Ali al-Jifri – a Yemeni Sufi scholar from the Ba‘Alawi tariqa, Abdullah bin Bayyah – a widely-respected Mauritanian scholar, Hamza Yusuf – an American scholar and founder of the Zaytuna college in the US in 2008, and Aref Ali Nayed – a Libyan s...

Exaggerated celebrations during the mawlid (birthday festival) of "Sayyid Ahmad Al-Badawi" in Egypt, followed by "Sidi Ibrahim Al-Desouki," organized by Sufi orders, have sparked widespread questions. The spread of vulgar scenes inside the mosques where these celebrations are held—alongside the promotion of these festivals by media outlets and Western organizations—has raised concerns regarding the underlying reasons behind the excessive embrace of these un-Islamic rituals. Egyptian Sufi orders celebrate 23 annual mawlids dedicated to "righteous saints." However, the violations and excesses occurring during some of these festivals form part of a broader image promoted globally under the label of "popular Islam," "civil Islam," or "non-political Islam"—terms used by Western newspapers and think tanks that celebrate such festivals and promote the activities of Sufi orders within them. The underlying rationale for celebrating the...