[Special Feature: The Dynamics of Islamic Knowledge and Practice: Across Texts, Rituals, and Societies] Ulama or Sufi: Selective Use of Personas by 15th–16th Century Moroccan Islamic Intellectuals

This paper analyzes how 15th–16th century Moroccan Islamic scholars, particularly those who were both Sufis and jurists like Muḥammad Ibn Sulaymān al-Jazūlī (d. 1465) and ‘Abd Allāh al-Habṭī (d. 1556), selectively used personas in their writings and social activities. Amid social turmoil, they acted as jurists, criticizing deviant popular customs. The analysis reveals that al-Jazūlī differentiated his personas in his works, presenting himself as a jurist for popular education and as an ecstatic Sufi saint claiming a spiritual status equal to the prophets. Al-Habṭī, while criticizing collective dhikr (a Sufi practice of reciting the name of God) in his writings, pragmatically used it and his own saintly authority in his campaign to abolish bid‘a (habits contradicting the Islamic law) to make the populace adhere to Sharī‘a. Furthermore, a “twist” was observed: both emphasized their “saintliness” (walī) in popular-oriented juridical/theological works, while conversely highlighting their “scholarship” in mystical works for the elite. This suggests the strategic use of personas, recognizing that saintly charisma was effective in guiding the masses, while scholarly authority was necessary to legitimize mystical thought for the intellectual class.