Egyptian mawlids in the context of contemporary Sufi spirituality

Abstract

This paper deals with phenomenon of the mawlids (celebrations of Sufi saints, awliyā´) in Egypt. Since their beginnings in 13th century, mawlids underwent considerable development from modest reminders of the great Sufi masters to the extensive celebrations which annually attract thousands of believers from all regions of present-day Egypt. The cult of saints belongs to the most controversial features of Sufi thought often criticized by the orthodox scholars, culamā´. Muslim saints are categorized within the Sufi belief according to a hierarchical structure. At the top, there are the Poles or axial saints (qutb, pl. aqtāb). The axial saints are said to be four and two of them Ahmad al-Badawī and Ibrāhīm ad-Dasūqī were buried in Egyptian cities of Tantā and Dusūq and their monumental shrines became centres of the influential local cults. Popular Muslim belief knows a lot of ways how to express devotion and loyalty to a certain walī (Sufi saint). In the past (as today), many Muslims – either regularly or occasionally – performed ziyāra, a visit to the shrine of a holy person. Mawlid reminds the life and miracles of a saint that are made possible through his miracle-making force or blessing (baraka), the source of which is God (Allāh). In general, celebrations of mawlids connect both religious and profane aspects and up to the present day belong to the most significant sources for our study of the contemporary popular Muslim religiosity.