The Quest for Orthodoxy and Tradition in Islam: Hanbali Responses to Sufism

Nowhere in the history of religion is the danger of interpretative generalization becoming reductionist or simplistic more acute than in the study of Islamic religion. No tradition, not even the Buddhist or Christian, has manifested itself in such widely varied geographical, historical, and cultural milieux with such diversity of particular manifestations and simultaneous continuity of generic social, religious, cultural, and political traits.
Few could readily dispute the sentiments expressed by Graham in the above quotation, as Islam has indeed, despite its historical genesis and geographical spread, produced a ‘unity in diversity’ that is admirable. Nevertheless, there have been numerous tensions between particular trends, schools of thought and sectarian groups throughout Islam’s history. In this regard, the very terms ‘Hanbalism’ and ‘Sufism’ are seemingly antagonistic, especially when examining contemporary Islamist discourse. This chapter therefore discusses how historical Hanbali responses influence and shape this debate, with special reference to Wahhabism and in turn, how such attitudes define the relationship of this contemporary manifestation of 'fundamentalist' Islam and the seemingly more quietist yet activist Sufi tradition.