Check out the article entitled “Uncertain presents, unpredictable futures: Islam and the quest for spiritual support in (im)mobility” by Yassin Dia (FIERI researcher), published in the journal “Archivio Antropologico Mediterraneo” no. 27(2) of 2025, at this link.

ABSTRACT

This article investigates how individuals confront the uncertainty of life and the unpredictability of the future by tapping into Islam. Drawing on the oral narrative of Abdoulaye, a Senegalese return migrant in his sixties, it explores the interplay between existential challenges and religious practice in the context of international mobility. Building on the literature on religious experiences in the everyday, the study shows how the unknown unfolding of life, along with its contingencies, is mediated through Islam. At the core of the article lies Abdoulaye’s quest for spiritual support, pursued through practices such as consulting Muslim religious experts, turning to divination, almsgiving, soliciting blessings and prayers, and using amulets crafted from Qur’anic scripts. Overall, the article sheds light on the convergence between Abdoulaye’s struggles and religious practice, revealing how Islam engages with the uncertain and unpredictable nature of human existence.