Translocal networks of saints and the negotiation of religious disputes in local contexts

Abstract

The examples of Shaykh Nasiru Kabara and Shaykh 'Uways show that translocal links with the spiritual centre of the tarîqa, such as Baghdad in the case of the Qâdiriyya, may be cultivated for many reasons. The examples of Nasiru Kabara and Shaykh 'Uways, however, also show that local frame conditions and contexts are of major importance for the development of religious movements, in particular, when we look at the ways in which specific elements of a translocal or even universal tradition are translated into local contexts. It seems as if translocal or universal traditions may win acceptance in the local context only, when they are explicitely "quoted" and, subsequently, translated into a specific local context. This is certainly true for Nasiru Kabara and Shaykh 'Uways and their respective efforts to legitimize initiatives of ritual reform by establishing legitimatory links with Baghdad. Only through their efforts, a translocal tradition, as represented by Baghdad, came to be quoted in the respective local setting.