Neo-traditionalism in Islam in the West: Orthodoxy, Spirituality and Politics

Examining Muslim neo-traditionalist scholars in the West and their community of young seekers of sacred knowledge, Walaa Quisay explores the emerging trend within Anglo-American Islam that emphasises the importance of 'tradition'. This book focuses on spiritual retreats hosted by three main shaykhs Hamza Yusuf, Abdal Hakim Murad and Umar Faruq Abd-Allah to examine how religious authority is formed and affirmed. Through interviews with seekers who have attended retreats, the author sheds light on how discourses are shaped and practised and analyses how neo-traditionalist shaykhs construct the notion of 'tradition' concerning what they perceive to have been lost in modernity. The book highlights the importance of neo-traditionalism in the changing conceptions of religious orthodoxy, religious authority and spirituality for young Muslims in the West, and Quisay examines the political implications to the shaykhs' critiques of modernity as it pertains to political quietism, race and gender.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Foreword by Professor Hasan al-Shafi’i Introduction STORIES OF DISENCHANTMENT 1 Locating the (Neo-)Traditional 2 Modern Times PLACES OF RE-ENCHANTMENT 3 Travelers to Tradition 4 Formation of Authority and Conditions of Plausibility 5 The Metaphysical Lens 6 Race, Gender, and Belonging LOCATING NEO-TRADITIONALISM IN MODERNITY 7 The Sufi, the Palace, and the People 8 The Seekers, Politics, and Power Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Walaa Quisay is Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at The School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. Previously, she worked at the University of Manchester, the University of Birmingham, and Istanbul ehir University. She has published extensively on neo-traditionalism and is currently working on carceral theologies. This will be her first monograph.

Review :
Neo-Traditionalism in Islam in the West serves as a valuable resource in comprehending the impact of neo-traditionalism on the religious and political outlooks of Western Muslims. [...] In the context of today’s society, the book’s strengths enhance our understanding of the intricate dynamics of Islamic neo-traditionalism. By delving into its repercussions on religious practices, political engagement, and the shaping of identities, the book offers an encompassing perspective of a multifaceted phenomenon. Addressing the phenomenon of Islamic "neo-traditionalism", Dr Quisay skilfully analyses not only the positions of its most prominent advocates and acolytes, but also the larger epistemological and ethical contexts in which it has developed. She brings out clearly the aspirations, as well as the disillusionment, associated with these efforts to re-enchant the world. Engagements of Islam with modernity are crucial chapters in the history of both. In this in-depth and resolutely even-handed exploration, Walaa Quisay shows how a neo-traditionalist strand of Sufism has developed in contention with modernity’s disenchantment of the world. For readers concerned with alternative formations of Islam in relation to modernity, Neo-traditionalism in Islam in the West is a significant resource. Readers more generally will find it relevant to understanding other neo-traditionalist movements around the globe. [A] deft examination of the rise of neo-traditionalist Islamic movements in the United States and the United Kingdom. Drawing on immersive fieldwork and ethnography, Quisay theorizes neo-traditionalist Islam as “an orientation that emphasizes the primacy of a notion of ‘tradition’ and sees a moral and political imperative in its resurrection” (4). She traces how religious authority is produced and disseminated by prominent white American and British shuyukh such as Hamza Yusuf, Abdal Hakim Murad, and Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, and the mostly brown and Black student “seekers” who gravitate toward them. In so doing, she presents a layered portrait of neo-traditionalist discourses that advocate for spiritual return and a revival of the sacred while entangled within the racial, gendered, and geopolitical dynamics of a post-9/11 world.