Pilgrims of Love: The Anthropology of a Global Sufi Cult.

• Author: Gardner, Vika
• Position: Book review

Pilgrims of Love: The Anthropology of a Global Sufi Cult. By PNINA WERBNER. Bloomington: INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2003. Pp. xvi + 348.

This text is a much-needed examination of both the European and South Asian branches of a contemporary, Naqshbandiyya-affiliated group focused on the "Sufi cult" of Zindapir (d. 1999), which spread from its original location in the Northwest Frontier region of Pakistan throughout both Pakistan and England and beyond. Werbner's approach is that of the "new critics" who "advocate dialogical styles" so that "the anthropologist" creates "joint writing ventures with his or her interlocutors" (p. 14). While the first two and last chapters will be of interest primarily to anthropologists, and might be best read together, the other ten chapters discuss the British segment of the group (ch. 3), the development of Zindapir's reputation (chs. 4-5), relations among the various types of followers (chs. 6-8), spiritual structures as understood within the group (chs. 9-10), the shaykh's role in healing (chs. 10-11), and the changes in the cult following the death of Zindapir (ch. 12). The bulk of the book's description is physically located in Zindapir's home/shrine in Ghamkol Sharif, and as such will be a wonderful addition to the available literature providing physical and social descriptions of Sufi shrines. Although Werbner tried to avoid conflicts, the intra-group competitions both in England and Pakistan that she uncovers demonstrate the complexity of these very human networks.

This work might have problems finding an audience. The abundant doses of anthropological jargon will make reading it difficult for undergraduate students as well as anyone not conversant with the debates within anthropology concerning Islam. Scholars of Sufism, who will appreciate some of the detailed descriptions, may wish the author had been less rapturous in some of her descriptions. For instance, Werbner's descriptions of Ghamkol Sharif wander well into romanticism: "Ghamkol Sharif is, perhaps, as close to paradise as a Muslim can get on this earth" (p. 36). On the other hand, the descriptions of Zindapir's life story and its understanding among the close disciples of the shaykh in chapter four could readily be used in the classroom as a primary source. Werbner does a fine job of depicting how the shaykh maintained authority over far-flung networks as perceived by the participants. through an inner vision that some might consider common...