The Role of Sufism in Confronting Esoteric Ismaili Shiism in the 5th/11th Century

Abstract

The article discusses the role of the Sufi movement in protecting the Sunni doctrine and repelling internal Shiite Ismaili penetration during the 5th/11th century AD. The research indicates that Sufism was a significant tool used by the Abbâsîd authority and its Seljuk ally to confront Shiism intellectually. Sufism underwent a reform movement from within, which coincided with various intellectual and scientific activities outside the circle of Sufism. This involved linking Sufism with authentic Sunni concepts based on the Qur’an, Sunnah, and Islamic law. The goal was to purify it from the impurities of Ismaili esoteric ideas that began infiltrating Sufism in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Sufis benefited from their scientific knowledge in various religious fields, such as jurisprudence, religious principles, and theology. However, in the 5th/11th century, the Shafi’i Ash’ari Sufis, under the authority of Vizier Nizam al-Malik al-Seljuk, were more effective than others in serving the Sunni project.