Scholarship on Sufism in South Asia often oscillates between analyses of metaphysics and studies of lived devotional practices. This paper aims to merge the two approaches by looking at theoretical and practical Sufism through a close analysis of four legal treatises written by Ahmad Raza Khan (1856-1921), the founder of the Barelvi movement in colonial India. I argue that this portrays Sufism as a legally regulated theological tradition capable of engaging with modern debates.
In these texts, Khan not only justifies theoretical Sufism when it was challenged by Muslim reformists and modernists alike. He also draws legal boundaries around impermissible Sufi practices, such as women’s visitation to shrines and the usage of musical instruments in Sufi gatherings under the pretext of Sufi reform. By engaging with scholarly and ordinary publics simultaneously, Khan’s Urdu fatwas and their Arabic and Persian citations show his scholarly mastery in addition to their vernacular accessibility.