ribat (ribāṭ)

(Language: Arabic)

Short Description: An Arabic term for a Sufi retreat or cloister

Long Description: An Arabic term for a Sufi retreat or cloister where Sufis devote themselves to spiritual exercises and the learning of both the inward and outward religious sciences of Islam.

Sources: Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition, edited by Dr. Joseph Lumbard