‘Islamist Sufism’: spirituality and hybridity in the thought of Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī

This contribution explores the Islamist conception of Sufism articulated by the influential Egyptian-Qatari scholar Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī (d. 1444/2022). It introduces the notion of ‘Islamist Sufism’, highlighting Qaraḍāwī’s unique approach, which synthesises Sufi spirituality with Islamist political engagement. While Sufism is usually portrayed as preoccupied with personal spirituality and Islamism as oriented towards political action, Qaraḍāwī’s writings demonstrate how these dimensions coexist within his comprehensive vision for Islam. Drawing significantly from the legacy of the influential Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111), Qaraḍāwī advocates a moderate (wasaṭī) Sufism, firmly rooted in Quranic teachings and Prophetic practice, while abjuring more controversial historical tendencies associated with Sufism, such as pantheism and antinomianism. The contribution further situates Qaraḍāwī within broader contemporary debates by comparing his approach to that of prominent Neo-traditionalist scholars like Abdallah bin Bayyah (b. 1353f./1935) and Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān al-Būṭī (d. 1434/2013), revealing unexpected convergences. Ultimately, the contribution argues that common scholarly distinctions between Islamist and Neo-traditionalist denominations obscure significant overlaps in the realms of spirituality. Qaraḍāwī’s Islamist Sufism thus emerges as an instructive example of the fluid boundaries characterising contemporary Sunni Islam, offering a salutary reminder to avoid simplistic typologies of religious and political thought in the modern Muslim world.