Sufism, Old and New

Abstract

One of the main ideas advocated by revisionist historians is that of Neo-Sufism, which argues that eighteenth century Islamic thought was characterized by a new brand of reform Sufism which was devoid of spirituality and at the service of Orthodox, legalistic Islam. This common notion was first introduced by Fazlur Rahman. In contrast, the chapter argues that eighteenth century Sufism was not devoid of spirituality, and it supports the argument that the concept of neo-Sufism is not useful for understanding eighteenth century reform or Sufism. Beyond this valid critique, however, the chapter draws the outlines of an eighteenth-century tradition of non-Wahhabi critiques of Sufism.