ABSTRACT
Sufi tariqas are, in many respects, unique communities, not only in the diversity of structures and theologies, but also in their ability to adapt to social and cultural contexts. Integrating the theosophical and esoteric with the social and political, most tariqas have played, and many still play, a significant role in Muslim societies. In contemporary modern and postmodern contexts, the study of such communities is important as it facilitates an understanding of the adaptation of communities whose focus is essentially transcendent and whose interactions are increasingly transnational.
