“Pilgrims of Love” Sufism in a Global World

Sufism contains inherently trans-regional, transnational, and trans-ethnic dimensions. The difficulty in trying to understand Sufism is that in any particular locality there is a wide range of Sufi saints, from major shrines of great antiquity to minor saints with a highly localized clientele. Charting difference and similarity in Sufism as an embodied tradition requires attention beyond mystical, philosophical, and ethical ideas, to the ritual performances and religious organizational patterns that shape Sufi orders.