An Islamic Saint, a Descendant of Prophet Muhammad, and the Emergence of Sufi Orders: With Special Reference to Sufi Master A in Contemporary Egypt

Abstract

This article elucidates the initial formation process of a Sufi order through a certain saint’s relation with his devotees. This saint is a descendant of Prophet Muhammad. His devotees think that he has knowledge of Islam, special power by which he can even kill people, and personal magnetism. I consider that the community that is formed around the saint is one in which devotees share the original Islamic view of the world, and which represents the initial state of Sufi orders before systematization. Before the 19th century, when the institutionalization and systematization of Sufi orders by the state started, there were religious groups centering on a certain charismatic person in Egypt.