Usaama al-Azami, Islamist Sufism: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Spirituality, and Neo-traditionalism

Usaama al-Azami, Islamist Sufism: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Spirituality, and Neo-traditionalism
Centre for the Study of Islam, Exeter. Monday Majlis Online on the 27th of November, 2023.
Abstract
My presentation will examine the conception of Sufism found in the writings of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a leading Egyptian Islamist scholar. It outlines al-Qaradawi's views on Sufism based on his writings spanning several decades, from early fatwas in the 1970s to the mature summation of his ideas in a 2010 work. The paper shows that al-Qaradawi recognizes the importance of Sufism in cultivating spirituality and purifying the soul, which he sees as essential to a holistic Islamic life. However, he is critical of heterodox Sufi doctrines and practices that have developed historically. Al-Qaradawi advocates a “moderate” Sufism strictly based on Quran and Sunna, rooted in the example of seminal figures like al-Junayd and al-Ghazzali. His views are compared to contemporary Neo-traditionalist scholars, revealing significant common ground despite differing political orientations. I argue that al-Qaradawi exemplifies an orthodox Sunni conception of Sufism that synthesizes early influences like al-Ghazzali with later figures like Ibn Taymiyya.
Bio
Usaama al-Azami is Associate Faculty Member at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. He completed his BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Oxford and his MA and PhD in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. He is the author of Islam and the Arab Revolutions: The Ulama Between Democracy and Autocracy (Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2022).
www.orinst.ox....
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