Neo-Traditionalism in Islam in the West

Walaa Quisay
Hardback, 296 pages
9781399502771

Orthodoxy, Spirituality and Politics

Studies the impact neo-traditionalism has on the religious and political subjectivities of Muslims in the WestShows the importance of neo-traditionalism in the changing conceptions of religious orthodoxy, religious authority and spirituality for young Muslims in the WestStudies primarily although not exclusively three neo-traditionalist shaykhs: Hamza Yusuf, Abdal Hakim Murad and Umar Faruq Abd-Allah Analyses how neo-traditionalist shaykhs construct the notion of 'tradition' concerning what they perceive to have been lost in modernity Examines the political implications to their critiques of modernity as it pertains to political quietism, race and genderThis book examines the salience of neo-traditionalism in Anglo-American Muslim communities. By tracing the scholarship and impact of the key public pedagogues (shaykhs) associated with this phenomenon Hamza Yusuf, Abdal Hakim Murad, and Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Quisay shows how their critiques of modernity is solidified as political ideals and strategies. The shaykhs guide their community of followers and students known as 'seekers of sacred knowledge' to paradigmatic critique of modernity that emphasises the importance of reconnecting with the tradition, self-purification, religious orthodoxy, and advocating for the notion of traditional metaphysical worldview and recognition and deference to spiritual (and political) authorities.

In secluded, spiritual retreats held by the shaykhs the seekers hope to opt out of the disenchanted modern in search for a form of re-enchantment where neither the modern world nor the particularities of their modern subjectivities can intrude. The enticement of re-enchantment, however, proves problematic in the face of modern political power.