Experiences with the Burhaniya in Europe: is this an established Sunni tariqa?
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
[I used AI to help me translate and formulate this post because my English isn’t perfect.]
I live in a European country where the Tariqa Burhaniya has a big, well-organized presence. I'm currently looking for a path, so I accepted an invitation to one of their hauliyas, where they hold their hadrah in honor of a member from Ahl al-Bayt. The whole thing was interesting, but also pretty unfamiliar to me:
It was mixed-gender, women without hijab (some of the young women were even dressed provocatively), men and women shaking hands and chatting freely. Honestly, for a moment it felt like I'd wandered into a different religious community.
The hadrah itself was powerful, cleansing even, and I actually liked it.
During the hauliyah (basically a full gathering with food, an overnight stay, and socializing), I noticed the murideen were constantly doing qasidas and music during their free time. I barely saw anyone reciting Qur'an, and the prayers were prayed with very short surahs and poor tajweed but when it came to qasidas, they knew a lot by heart, with perfect pronunciation.
My own background in tasawwuf comes from reading al-Ghazali and from visiting zawiyas in Morocco, where Qur'an and sharia seemed to be central, so the contrast hit me pretty hard.
Several murideen told me they joined the tariqa in the 80s and only grew into Islam gradually through it, so their practice of sharia came slowly, over time. I get that, but it left me with questions.
Is the Burhaniya considered a recognized Sunni tariqa? They call themselves Shadhili, but I can't find much solid info on their history or scholarly lineage. Would appreciate any insight, context, or personal experience.