What could drive a contemporary woman, born and raised in the West, to enter a polygamous marriage with a spiritual master from an ancient Islamic tradition? In this fascinating interview, EnlightenNext senior editor Elizabeth Debold speaks with Sufi master Aliya Haeri about her decision to become the third wife of Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri and how this unlikely relationship helped lead her to spiritual liberation.

Many critics would see such a move as a step backward, a rejection of the hard-won independence women enjoy in the West. But, as Haeri explains, her marriage and family life gave support to her commitment to “live at a higher level” and ultimately catalyzed a much deeper kind of personal freedom. Over the course of their conversation, Haeri tells of her unusual life, revealing a rare degree of spiritual conviction. She speaks about a “night of despair” that led to her discovery of Sufism, which provided her “an extraordinary opportunity to commit single-mindedly to wanting absolute knowledge of the divine above anything else.”

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