What is quietism?

 In Islam, quietism is the form of secularism developed by Muslims in the 8th century and has existed ever since

Muslims developed such a concept during the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) and it has generally been referred to by Western scholars as Quietism as Muslims believe that Islamic scholars must be quiet (hence the name) when it comes to politics.

This tradition never died out, take the Palestinian cause and Sufi Muslim orders in Egypt.

For instance, in many occasions, the Sufi orders refused to participate in marches of solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza that took place in Cairo. Sheikh Mohammed Chabraoui, from the council, refused any participation in a protest whose goal is to champion Arab and Islamic Affairs. Historically the Sufis in Egypt have been passive conformists who never formed a political party or used their power within the state.

Sufism and Politics in Morocco by Abdelilah Bouasria

To many that extract sounds outlandish due to Israel’s status in the Islamic World. However in Egypt, quietism has become the norm for most Islamic scholars, especially those in Sufi orders. Egyptian Islamic scholars believe it would be a violation of Islam if they were to take a political position, even if that position was very popular.

Sufis in a musical march in Egypt

So where does Quietism come from?

It comes from the Islamic hadiths, stories or sayings from Islam’s Prophet Mohammed that had been passed down for centuries before being written down in collections. According to many Sunni Scholars, Mohammed urged for quietism and argued that Muslims should always follow their leaders even if those leaders publically violated Islam.

Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Rulers after me will come who do not follow my guidance and my Sunnah. Some of their men will have the hearts of devils in a human body.”

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if I live to see that time?”

The Prophet said: “You should listen and obey them even if the ruler strikes your back and takes your wealth, even still listen and obey.”

Sahih Muslim 1847

Has there ever been an anti-Quietist force in Islam though?

Yes, many Islamic scholars are activists.

So in the first part of the answer, I quoted a book with a curious title, Sufism and Politics in Morocco. The reason why the author, a Moroccan, discusses Egyptian Sufi orders in a book about Moroccan politics is because he’s contrasting Egyptian Sufism with Moroccan Sufism.

Moroccan Sufis have typically been politically active

A Sufi order in Morocco, the man in the front row is holding photos of the order master who is also standing in the back with the black headgear

While Egyptian Sufi orders don’t engage in politics, not only do Moroccan Sufi orders engage in politics but they try their best to influence it. Now the Moroccan Sufis aren’t monolithic and their methods of influence vary.

The current dominant order in Morocco is the Boutchichia order, a favorite of King Mohammed VI. This order prefers not to back a political party or organize protests but rather “advise” the King. So if King Mohammed VI was to pass a law the Boutchichia order disliked, the order master would rush to the palace and ask to speak to the king in private.

While the order relies on networking for its political influence, there have been Sufi orders in Morocco that raised their own armies and fought campaigns and wars. The Dila order being the most notable example as they were the biggest threat to the ruling Alaouite dynasty in the civil war that brought the family into power.

In olive green is the land controlled by the Dila order during the civil war, the gray lines are rivers and borders

If Quietists argue that Islam’s Prophet Mohammed was in favor of quietism, then what do the anti-Quietists argue? I mean you provided a hadith that backs the Quietists!

There’s an extremely popular misconception that Muslims believe all hadiths. That’s nonsense.

First, Muslims disagree over which hadiths are authentic and which are real.

Second, Muslims disagree over what lesson to take from the hadiths. I used a hadith where Islam’s Prophet Mohammed said to always obey one’s ruler even if they violate Islam.

• Egyptian Sufis take this to mean to stay out of politics.
• Morocco’s Boutchichia order takes this to mean to never challenge the ruler in public.

Not once in its century of existence has the order taken a public position in politics even when it strongly disliked King Hassan II (r. 1961-1999). The order believes that Mohammed never wanted Islamic scholars to be public figures, not that he wanted them out of politics completely.

• The Dila order argued it all depended on context. Between 1603 and 1672, Morocco was in the third phase of a 300 year long civil war. Therefore normal rules of Islam no longer applied and the order was justified in raising an army and fighting.

So now you have an idea of why the Boutchichia and Dila orders are activist and not quietist. You should also better understand the concept of quietism in Islam.