Polyvalent, Transnational Religious Authority: The Tijaniyya Sufi Order and Al-Azhar University
The Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya, a Sufi Muslim community in West Africa, has a longstanding relationship with Al-Azhar University in Egypt; since the 1980s, many of the Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya's most prominent younger leaders have been graduates of Al-Azhar. This article explores what this relationship...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2018, Volume: 86, Issue: 3, Pages: 789-820 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Nigeria
/ Senegal
/ Tijānīyah
/ al-Azhar University
/ Transnationaization
/ Religious education
/ Authority
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| RelBib Classification: | AH Religious education BJ Islam KBN Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya, a Sufi Muslim community in West Africa, has a longstanding relationship with Al-Azhar University in Egypt; since the 1980s, many of the Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya's most prominent younger leaders have been graduates of Al-Azhar. This article explores what this relationship has meant for constructions of religious authority within the Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya, examining how Al-Azhar graduates view their experiences of educational pluralism. The article discusses two countries where the community is well represented: Senegal and Nigeria. Drawing on interviews with Al-Azhar graduates, the article shows that polyvalent authorityin this case, the combination of hereditary authority, classical Islamic studies, and formal university degreesrequires ongoing renegotiation. Using the case of the Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya and Al-Azhar, the article argues that polyvalent authority is a key product of transnational religious encounters. The Tijaniyya-Ibrahimiyya's experience sheds light on how other religious communities may be managing change, especially through the interlinked processes of credentialization and institutionalization. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfx090 |