Sufi Hybrids: Theorising Islamic Practical Theology: An Exploration of Sufism in Contemporary Britain

Abstract

This thesis builds on the works of Geaves (2000, 2010, 2014), Werbner (2004) and
Hamid (2016) to provide a new narrative of the nature of Sufism in contemporary
Britain. In doing so, it foregrounds the voices, narratives and experiences of Britishborn Sufi communities, as opposed to the immigrant settlers, who have historically
been the major focus and subject of previous research (Werbner 2004).Through the
lens of Practical Theology and theories of lived religion, this thesis contributes to the
discussion of the practice of Sufism in Britain today, through conversations with British
practitioners coupled with the author’s own insider positionality and autoethnographical reflections.
The thesis starts with an exploration of the historical and theological trajectory of
Sufism and its evolution through the history of Islam, both theologically and socially.
This historical narrative is juxtaposed with contemporary lived experience using data
collected through the semi structured interviews with British Sufis. Thus this thesis
elucidates the contemporary significance of Sufism within British Muslim religious
landscapes, the forms it takes, the connection (and disconnections) to traditions and
its social and spiritual evolution in response to its British contexts.
This thesis makes an original and topical contribution by focussing on British born Sufi
practitioners and what it means to them to be a specifically ‘British Sufi’. In this regard,
this thesis concludes that, in its iterative embrace and eschewing of aspects, both
tradition and British contexts, contemporary British Sufism is a religious hybrid in the sense of Hermansen (1997) and Bhabhi’s (1994) Ideas of religious and cultural
hybridity.
Finally, this thesis makes a foundational contribution to theorisations of Islamic
Practical Theology. Building on the precedence of an emphasis on practical
considerations within classical Islamic scholastic activity, this thesis asserts the urgent
need for inclusion of everyday needs in contemporary theological praxis within British
Muslim contexts and provides an initial methodology that may be developed by future
researchers and theological working in cognate areas. This work will also lay the
foundations for future study pertaining to Islamic Practical Theology and highlights the
need for a formal framework to be created for the study of Muslim communities through
the methodology of Practical Theology.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Coventry University
Supervisor	Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor (Supervisor), Chris Shannahan (Supervisor) & Dilwar Hussain (Supervisor)