A New Logic in the Sufi Organization: The Continuation and the Disintegration of the Ṭarīqas in Modern Egypt

抄録

The present article examines the logic behind “succession” to the leadership (mashyakha) within the ṭarīqas, and some factors involved in their disintegration in early 20th century Egypt.

Throughout the history, the question of succession to mashyakha has been a frequent cause of conflict among the members of ṭarīqas, which at times led to their divisions. Until the beginning of the 19th century, however, the word “ṭarīqa” did not necessarily refer to an organization but literally to the “Sufi Way,” which is a specific method of devotion. Actually, each ṭarīqa consisted of a number of small groups or families headed by their own leaders (shaykhs); this implied that a ṭarīqa did not have to be a single unified organization.

Through the institutionalization of the Egyptian ṭarīqas initiated by the state in the 19th century, a new logic in the Sufi organization was introduced, whereby each ṭarīqa had to be an organization headed by a single shaykh. This logic created a situation which encouraged leaders of those subgroups/families within a given ṭarīqa, who were now ranked as deputies (khalīfas), to claim that they were shaykhs of the independent ṭarīqas.

In 1905, this new logic was stipulated in the regulations, which must have aimed at the stability and the continuity of the existing ṭarīqas. However, this could not stop the recurrence of the divisions. Rather, a number of khalīfas started to claim independence from their shaykhs.

By analysing a case of how al-Ḥabībiyya gained independence from al-Rifā‘iyya, one factor responsible for the increase in the disintegration of the ṭarīqas can be pointed out: the new logic in the Sufi organization itself provided grounds for justifying the claims of those khalīfas who wanted to be shaykhs of their own ṭarīqas. In other words, the state’s very endeavor to stabilize the ṭarīqas served on the contrary to create instability.