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The transfer of Sufism as a lived tradition to the Euro-American sphere, which first began in the early twentieth century, is a notable modern development that has been the subject of increasing academic interest in recent decades. Yet much of the literature on this topic to date has focused more on what has changed during the process of transfer, rather than on what has remained the same. It has also tended to prioritize context over mysticism. However, examining the main mystical doctrines and practices of the case study lineage of the Indian shaykh Azad Rasool (d. 2006), who from 1976 sought to introduce his teachings to Westerners arriving in India in search of spiritual fulfillment, in fact reveals substantial continuity with the early and pre-modern past. Such examination involved textual analysis of the primary sources of this lineage combined with multi-sited ethnography, comprised of participant observation as well as interviews, conducted primarily in Germany and the US, along with an excursion to India, among members of the two branches of this lineage between 2015 and 2020. It thus seems that shifting focus from context to mysticism itself, at least in some traditions, has the potential to also reveal much continuity in spite of changing contextual factors.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the da 'wah approaches and methodology of the Da'wat-i-Islāmī (DI) and contribution along with a survey of the da 'wah activities of the Barelwis, based on primary sources. DI uses the Barelwi faith as its religious mark. Barelwis are representatives of the 'popular' and 'Sūfi-oriented' Islam. The driving force behind this facet of Islam is 'to love Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and follow his Sunnah'. This is the focal point of all da'wah activities of the Barelwis. DI started its work in Karachi in 1981. It aims at promoting and deepening love for the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Its next aim is to establish a society similar to the early Muslim community of Madīnah through peaceful preaching. It expanded gradually all over Pakistan and then became so conspicuous, that nowadays it is functional in more than 180 countries and thus has turned into a global tablīghī movement. It has its own edifying literature. The most important of which is Faīdān-i-Sunnat. In this work, the Sunnah of the Prophet regarding daily affairs of life has been narrated. For the religious training, inter alia, it also holds weekly meetings in different cities and towns of Pakistan and even in some European cities as well. The members of the DI have to show their commitment to the Islamic way of life as reflected in the Faīdān-i-Sunnat. Besides religious sector, it is also working in social and educational fields. Although it is supported with reference to its aims to build character in its individual members, it nevertheless attracts diverse criticism about some of its practices.

In recent years, tens of thousands of young Africans have left the shores of Senegal and other West African countries in small boats headed for Spain's Canary Islands. Most have spent a week or more at sea, and unknown numbers have died in the attempt. Given the danger of the journey, we ask how it could become a large-scale social phenomenon. The analysis focuses on how prospective migrants assess and relate to the risks of migration. We show that risk taking is shaped by context-specific interaction of disparate factors. These include economic obstacles to reaching social adulthood, notions of masculinity, pride and honor, and religion, in the form of sufi Islam.

Lalla Fatma N’Soumer (1830–1863) is one of the major heroines of Algerian resistance to the French colonial enterprise in the region of Kabylia. Her life and personality have been surrounded by myths and mysteries. Although her name is mentioned in colonial chronicles recording the conquest of Algeria, her exact role in leading a movement of local resistance to the French army doesn’t seem to be very clear. This paper aims at shedding light on this exceptional Berber woman through the analysis of French colonial sources describing these military campaigns—despite their obvious bias—and later secondary sources. This paper focuses on the spiritual dimension which has been somehow overlooked in the existing literature. It precisely describes her family background whereby her ancestry goes back to a marabout lineage affiliated with the Raḥmāniyya sufi order. It argues that her level of education in spiritual and religious matters was probably higher than what had been so far assumed. This article discusses how this spiritual aspect helps explain the tremendous popularity she enjoyed among her people in Kabylia, where she has been considered almost a saint.