000			02171nam0a2200193 4500
001			23332
010			_a 1-56902-103-1
090			_a23332
100			_a20180809d1998 km|y0engy50 ba
101			_aeng
200	1		_aSaints and Somalis: Popular Islam in a Clan-Based Society _fI. M. Lewis
210			_aLondon _cThe Red Sea Press _d♭1998
215			_a174 c.
330			_aThis collection of essays, based on first-hand anthropological field research spanning many years, brings together in a single volume the author's collected material on characteristics of popular Islam amongst the Somali of the Horn of Africa. The tension between mystically mediated views of man's relation to God and more ritualistic interpretations of region provides the main focus of this book-Sufism on the one hand, and skeptical criticism of this mystical understanding of Islam on the other. A universal religion here, as elsewhere, Islam has its own local emphasis and special features, and in these investigations of the cult of saints, the reader is introduced to an array of Somali saints and holy men, their reputation for mystical powers, and the pathways to veneration. The repertoire includes clan ancestors, local holy men of outstanding piety, and famous pan-Islamic figures. These essays also look at some popular practices which are at the margins of orthodox religion, such as spirit possession cults associated primarily with women. Lewis' introductory essay to this volume deserves special attention. In it he challenges single strand theories on the cult of saints espoused by some scholars and non scholars, and sets the stage for the presentation of an intricate and integrated picture of Muslim beliefs and practice among the Somali. Rigorous, outspoken, and backing his arguments with reflections based on a lifetime of research and scholarship, Lewis makes a major contribution to understanding the place and role of religion in Somali society.
676			_a297.39096713
700		1	_4070 _9777 _aLewis _bI. M. _f1930-2014 _gIoan M.
801		0	_aUA _bUA-KiUET _c20180809
942			_2ddc _cBOOK _h297.39096713 _j297.39096713 LEW /1//1 _m/1//1 _n0 _vLEW