CONTEMPORARY SUFI RELIGIOUS ORDERS

This book seeks to investigate the emergence and role of a contemporary Sufi religious order -Saifis an off shoot of Naqashbandya order in Lahore. The saifi order that constitutes the main focus of study has emerged since the last three decades, as the most vibrant Sufi order among other contemporary Sufi orders in Lahore. Kenneth.P Lizzio [2003], a scholar on Sufism, described Saifis in one of his article as ¿It is one of the most widespread and important Sufi order in Asia in the recent past¿.Moreover, anthropological study of the Sufi cults provides us the realities of Sufi cosmologies. There is always need to study the historical phenomena on contemporary basis as there is always a change following the institutions of society. Hence the study of Sufi cults in contemporary era provides us with the change and development in institution from earlier era.