Sufism, the mystical path of Islam, is a key feature of the complex Islamic culture of South Asia today. Inflected with philosophies and traditions from other Muslim lands and with pre-Islamic rites and practices, Sufism offers a corrective to the image of Islam as monolithic and uniform. Indeed, the expressive practices and creations of Sufism–its poetry, music, dance, graphic arts, calligraphy and architecture–have tremendous appeal throughout the subcontinent.
In Sacred Spaces, Pakistani artist and educator Samina Quraeshi provides a locally inflected vision of Islam in South Asia that is enriched by art and by a woman's perspective on the diversity of Islamic expressions of faith. A unique account of a journey through the author's childhood homeland in search of the wisdom of the Sufis, the book reveals the deeply spiritual nature of major centers of Sufism in Pakistan and Northern India. Illuminating essays by Ali S. Asani, Carl W. Ernst, and Kamil Khan Mumtaz provide a scholarly context to the journey, discussing aspects of Sufi music and dance, the role of Sufism in current South Asian culture and politics, and the spiritual geometry of Sufi architecture.
Along her meandering path to the shines of Sufi saints in the Indus Valley, Quraeshi relies on memory, storytelling, and image making to create an imaginative personal history and a rich body of photographs and works of art that reflect the seeking heart of the Sufi way. Her vision builds on the centuries–old Sufi tradition of conveying mystical messages of love, freedom, and tolerance that offer the promise of building cultural and spiritual bridges between people of different faiths.
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