Sufism and Tariqas Facing the State

Their Influence on Politics in the Sudan

Abstract

This study focuses on the political influence of Sufism and tariqas in the Sudan. Previous studies have emphasized the political influences of Sufi shaykhs and tariqas on Sudan’s history and demonstrated why and how Sufis and tariqas have exercised their political influence over time; however, the problem is that these researches are largely limited to only two particular religious orders, the Khatmīya order and the Anṣār, that have their own political parties. Therefore, this study stresses on the political importance of Sufis and tariqas without their own political parties and aims to reveal their presence in present Sudanese politics, with special references to the strategies and activities of the government and the remarks of Sufis at meetings held by several tariqas during the national election campaign in 2010. In order to reveal the influences of Sufism and tariqas without their own political parties in Sudanese politics, this study introduces four sections. The first section traces the historical transition of the political influences of Sufism and tariqa from the rudiment until the present Islamist government. The second section introduces the thoughts of Islamists toward Sufism in the Islamic Movement (al-Ḥaraka al-Islāmīya) such as the introduction of new terminology ahl al-dhikr (people that remember [Allāh]), which accentuates the political attitude toward Sufism, and the third section deals with the policies and activities of the present government with regard to Sufism and tariqas, such as the foundation of the committee for Sufis and tariqas. The fourth section discusses the relationship between Sufis and the president, focusing attention on their speeches at the meetings held during the national election.