The Orientalist’ View of Sufism between the Old and the Modern: An Analytical Study 10.35781/1637-000-114-001

Abstract

Sufism is one of the significant fields of knowledge that has attracted the attention of Orientalists since the early days of the Orientalist movement. How they have approached this field has varied according to the different motivations and intellectual orientations of the Orientalists, as well as the historical contexts that accompanied this interest. In studying the motivations behind this interest, many researchers tend to make sweeping generalizations stemming from a negative view of the Orientalist movement as a whole, thereby rejecting any intellectual product that emerged from this movement. While it can be said that most of these researchers might be correct in their view due to the extreme ideologies that dominated the Orientalist movement in its early stages, objectivity and fairness require an in-depth study free from this preconceived notion's influence. This can be achieved through investigating the motivations behind the Orientalist movement, examining the methodology adopted by the Orientalists in exploring this vast heritage, the conclusions they reached, and the extent of the development that occurred in the Orientalist movement, influenced by the decline of colonialism and other factors that contributed to shaping the new Orientalist product. The study also needs to consider the impact of these changes on the objectivity, fairness, and correct understanding of the conclusions they reached. This research concludes that an objective perspective on the Orientalists' interest in Sufism leads the reader to conclude that the motivations behind the Orientalists' work can be divided into two categories: positive motivations related to legitimate intellectual curiosity, and negative motivations tied to the ideologies driving the colonial movement as a whole, which influenced the Orientalists' approach to reviving this heritage with the intent of distorting and misrepresenting Islam, creating divisions among its followers, and controlling them. The methodologies used by the Orientalists in studying Sufism have varied, from fragmented general studies and limited perspectives to the development of methodologies suited to the topics they were addressing. On the other hand, The Orientalist movement over the past two centuries has produced a vast heritage, making a quantitative comparison between the modern and the old lean in favour of the older studies. However, modern studies are considered more objective compared to older studies, some of which exhibited clear methodological flaws. While it can be said that objectivity in modern studies is greater than in the older ones, this does not deny the presence of some remnants of colonial biases in some modern studies, which are influenced by the political orientations of certain entities supporting this type of research.