Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh.

• Author: HERMANSEN, MARCIA
• Position: Review

Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh. By ARTHUR F. BUEHLER. Columbia: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRESS, 1998. Pp. xxvii + 312.$39.95.

This is an extensive study of the South Asian Naqshbandiyya, including the historical development and major teachings of this important Sufi Order. In its later chapters the work focuses on the figure of [Jam[bar{a}].sup.[subset]]at [Al[bar{i}].sup.[subset]] Sh[bar{a}]h (1841-1951[!]), a Naqshbandi shaykh who was one of the most renowned revivalist pirs of the colonial period, being active in both the religious and political spheres of pre-partition 'Panjab. This case allows Buehler to illustrate his broader thesis concerning the transformation of patterns of Sufi authority since the nineteenth century through an emphasis on the role of the shaykh as charismatic mediator.

Buehler's work exemplifies a trend in recent studies of Sufism by American scholars who have benefited from the extensive government and institutional support of area studies since the 1970s. These scholars have been able to master one or more languages of the Muslim world at a high level of proficiency while attaining extensive cultural literacy in Muslim societies, both classical and contemporary. Buehler's study is informed by both humanistic and social-scientific theoretical perspectives and presents both the social history of a specific movement and an exploration of broader concepts such as spiritual authority and charisma.

The intellectual vibrancy of South Asian Muslim studies is reflected in the way the study integrates current theorizing about how developments such as nationhood, modernity, and printing have impacted this Islamic Sufi movement. For example, Buehler discusses how the new expression of Naqshbandi religiosity included its English-inspired organizational style, its monthly magazine, and its shaykh who traveled extensively on the new Indian railway system. At the same time Buehler's study takes the categories of "religion" and "religious practice" seriously and includes extensive material on the Naqshbandi system of spiritual training.

This work furthers our understanding of a phenomenon often characterized as the "decline" of Sufism, following the era of the classical shaykhs, those charismatic individuals who personally directed disciples as part of an individualized leaching tradition. In a neo-Weberian vein Buehler indicates how the shaykh's charisma...