The Hadhrami Sada and the Evolution of an Islamic Religious International, c.1750s to 1930s

Abstract

Modern scholars have tended to neglect the role of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad when considering the intricate transnational networks that developed over the centuries in Islam. They have paid more attention to schools of law, sects, mystical brotherhoods and pilgrims. Earlier generations of scholars, however, were keenly attuned to the significance of the genealogical charisma of the lineage of the Prophet, and the subject is coming back into vogue.1