ABSTRACT
In this study1 I investigate how various visions of spirituality in Islamic history have related to their socio-political contexts. More specifi cally, I explore the socio-political contexts and functions of the spiritual hierarchy that came to characterize classical Sufi sm and its possible relationship to the ways in which medieval Islamic society made itself “governable” in the decentralized, postcaliphate age. By “classical Sufi sm,” I mean not an essentialized doctrine but the various spiritual doctrines and practices that had evolved by the end of the fourth/ tenth century. To this end, I examine how the articulations of the concepts of spiritual authority, spiritual ranks, and the master-disciple relationship related to differing visions of socio-political confi gurations. By shedding light on the contrast between this relationship in the formative phase of classical Sufi sm and one infl uential post-classical articulation, I draw larger implications about the relationship between spiritual and socio-political ideas in medieval Islam.
