Tales of mastery: Spirit familiar in Sufis' religious imagination

Abstract

<jats:p>This article explores Sufis' conceptions of spirit beings through an examination of the relationship between Sufis and their spirit familiars called <jats:italic>muwakil</jats:italic>. I am particularly interested in exploring how Sufis come to experience muwakil as real, and how Sufis' beliefs in muwakil underpin the realization of their personal autonomy and mystical mastery. My analysis draws from various Sufis' conceptions of muwakil; what muwakil are and how they are constituted in the lives of Sufis. I contend that Sufis' accounts of muwakil provide an invaluable insight into the ways in which the “spiritual other” is constructed and experienced.</jats:p>