Sufism and Sufi Orders in Khaf

Abstract

Khaf is one of the cities of Razavi Khorasan Province and has an ancient and eventful history. The city was conquered by the Arabs in 639 CE, after which its inhabitants embraced the Hanafi school of Islam. During the Mongol period, Sufi tendencies spread in Khaf within the context of Sunni beliefs. In response to the adverse conditions of the time and through the interaction and contestation of diverse intellectual perspectives, Sufi agency contributed to the formation of theological ideas and Sufi-oriented approaches among the intellectual elites of Khaf. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, this study seeks to answer the following question: Why did Sufi orders enjoy greater acceptance and prosperity in Khaf during the medieval centuries of Iranian history? The findings indicate that, owing to the historical inclination of Khaf’s cultural and social circles toward theological and religious ideas and movements, the necessary conditions were created for the emergence and diffusion of Sufi orders and for the exchange of diverse intellectual perspectives. Consequently, the influence of Sufi orientations reinforced traditionalism and strengthened the resistance of this cultural center to Shiʿism, as well as to new jurisprudential interpretations of religion and the theological foundations of the Hanafi school. In particular, the role of the Naqshbandiyya order in the cultural and social life of Khaf merits careful consideration.