SUFI TARIQAS IN TROPICAL AFRICA. HISTORY AND MODERNITY

Bobokhonov R.

Sufism, which focuses on the mystical elements of Islam, has many tariqas and followers in tropical Africa, seeks to know God through meditation and emotions. Followers of Sufism may be non-denominational Muslim, Sunni or Shia, and their ceremonies may include singing, music, dancing and meditation. In sub-Saharan Africa, various Sufi tariqas are skeptical of the more doctrinally strict branches of Islam in the Middle East. Most tariqas in sub-Saharan Africa emphasize the role of a spiritual guide, marabout, or supernaturally powerful Teacher, which is seen as an Africanization of Islam.

Keywords:Sufism, tariqas, Islam, marabouts, teacher, murids, murshids, maqams, dhikr, silsila