Preserving and Transmitting the Teachings of the Thariqah 'Alawiyyah: Diasporic Ba 'Alawi female preachers in contemporary Indonesia

Abstract

Within academic discussions of Indonesia’s Hadhrami diaspora, women’s voices have often escaped scholarly attention. This paper focuses on the changing roles of three contemporary Indonesian Ba ‘Alawi female preachers, in Jakarta, Surabaya and Solo, with regard to their endeavors in preserving and transmitting the teachings of the Thariqah ‘Alawiyyah, a Sufi path that is traditionally reserved for men and which was established by the founding ancestor of the Ba ‘Alawi, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad named Muhammad b. ‘Ali ‘Alawi (d. 1255). While many important studies focus on the Hadhrami diaspora in Southeast Asia, and particularly on the role of male religious authorities, there is a dearth of research that takes the role of female actors seriously. This article presents a more complex picture of female Ba ‘Alawi religious teachers, highlighting similarities between them, but also the differences. It argues that the intellectual legacies, spiritual engagements and genealogical connections that these female preachers enjoy have enabled them also to assume the roles of preservers and transmitters of the teachings of the thariqah. In doing so, they inform the dynamics of religious transmission spearheaded by Hadhramis in Indonesia today.