Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia - Karen G. Ruffle

Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia

(Autor)

Buch | Softcover
368 Seiten
2021
John Wiley & Sons Inc (Verlag)
978-1-119-35714-8 (ISBN)
45,96 inkl. MwSt
The first textbook to focus on the history of lived Shi'ism in South Asia

Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an introduction to the everyday life and cultural memory of Shi’i women and men, focusing on the religious worlds of both individuals and communities at particular historical moments and places in the Indian subcontinent. Author Karen Ruffle draws upon an array primary sources, images, and ethnographic data to present topical case studies offering broad snapshots Shi'i life as well as microscopic analyses of ritual practices, material objects, architectural and artistic forms, and more.

Focusing exclusively on South Asian Shi'ism, an area mostly ignored by contemporary scholars who focus on the Arab lands of Iran and Iraq, the author shifts readers' analytical focus from the center of Islam to its periphery. Ruffle provides new perspectives on the diverse ways that the Shi'a intersect with not only South Asian religious culture and history, but also the wider Islamic humanistic tradition. Written for an academic audience, yet accessible to general readers, this unique resource:



Explores Shi’i religious practice and the relationship between religious normativity and everyday religious life and material culture
Contextualizes Muharram rituals, public performances, festivals, vow-making, and material objects and practices of South Asian Shi'a
Draws from author's studies and fieldwork throughout India and Pakistan, featuring numerous color photographs
Places Shi'i religious symbols, cultural values, and social systems in historical context
Includes an extended survey of scholarship on South Asian Shi’ism from the seventeenth century to the present

Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an important resource for scholars and students in disciplines including Islamic studies, South Asian studies, religious studies, anthropology, art history, material culture studies, history, and gender studies, and for English-speaking members of South Asian Shi'i communities.

Karen Ruffle, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies and the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto where she specializes in the study of South Asian Shi'ism. Her research and teaching interests focus on Shi'i devotional texts and ritual and material practices in South Asia. She is the author of Gender, Sainthood, and Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi'ism.

Acknowledgments xii

Transliteration Note xvi

Introduction 1

Everyday Shi'ism 6

Center and Periphery Reconsidered 8

The Hyper]visible "Invisible" Community 13

Redefining Norms: Shi'i/South Asia/Everyday 15

Representing Shi'ism 20

Contributions 31

The Scope of Everyday Shi'ism 32

References 34

Recommended Readings 38

Theoretical Lessons 38

1 South Asian "Lovers" of the Ahl-e Bait: Hindu and Non-Shi'i Muslim Traditions of Devotion 39

Muharram beyond Shi'ism: The "Composite Culture" of Commemorating Karbala in South Asia 40

The Husaini Brahmins: Hindu Devotees of Imam Husain 42

Pirla-Panduga: "The Festival of Pirs" among Hindus and Sunnis in South India 48

Devotion to Piru-Swami 51

Dulha! Dulha!: Sunni and Hindu Possession Rituals for the Bridegroom Qasem 56

The Shrine of Bibi Pak Daman in South Asian Muslim Cultural Memory 63

Conclusion 68

References 70

Recommended Readings 72

Theoretical Lessons 73

2 "Come, and Cry, Because 'Ashura Is Today": Shi'i Literary Aesthetics 74

Tears of a Horse: Sufi Metaphors in Shi'i Devotional Narratives of Birds and Horses 76

The Female Voice and the Development of Shi'i Devotional Literature 82

A Solace for the Heart, a Source of Religious Guidance: Multiple Perspectives on the Nauhah 84

'Why not Beat My Head in Lamentation?': Gender and Voice in the Nauhah 86

'Karbala: Come to the Best of Deeds': The Nauhah and Normative Discourse 88

Hearing the Miraculous: A Different Kind of Love Story 92

Human Rights and Communal Harmony: Re]Visioning Karbala in South Asian Literary Prose 106

References 109

Recommended Readings 111

Theoretical Lessons 111

3 In the House of the Tenth: Spaces of Shi'i Devotion 113

Mosques 115

Case Study-Microscopic 3.1: Toli Mosque, Hyderabad 120

Case Study-Snapshot 3.2: 'Ashurkhanah wa Masjid-e Ahl-e Bait: A Mosque-'Ashurkhanah in Hyderabad 124

In the House of the Tenth: 'Ashurkhanahs in Southern India 130

Lions, Arches, and Chains: Visual Representation and Symbolic Meaning in Shi'i Built Spaces 135

Case Study-Microscopic 3.3: Panjah Shah-e Wilayat 'Ashurkhanah, Hyderabad 141

Imambaras: Dwelling in the Court of the Imam 146

Case Study-Microscopic 3.4: The Bara Imambara of Lucknow 148

Karbala Grounds: Pilgrimage and Burial 151

Case Study-Microscopic 3.5: Karbala Kazmain, Lucknow 157

Conclusion 160

References 161

Recommended Readings 163

Theoretical Lessons 164

4 Metal Hands and Stone Footprints: Shi'i Material Practice 165

Conceptualizing Shi'i Materiality 168

Gazing in the Eyes of a Martyr: Embodiment and

Presencing in the 'Alams of Karbala Heroes 171

Na'izah 172

Bori 174

' Peta 174

Hatheli 175

Sharja 179

Jibh 180

Case Study]Microscopic 4.1: 'Alam]e Sartauq, Hyderabad 182

Case Study]Microscopic 4.2: The 'Alam of Imam Husain at Dargah Hazrat 'Abbas, Lucknow 187

Ta'ziya: Karbala on the Move in South Asia 192

Ephemeral Ta'ziya 196

Permanent Ta'ziya 197

Case Study]Snapshot 4.3: Permanent Ta'ziya: Seeing, Embodying, and Making Imam Husain Close 197

Zuljanah: Remembering Karbala with Imam Husain's Loyal Horse 203

Debating Devotional Representations of the Imams and Ahl]e Bait 208

Conclusion 213

References 214

Recommended Readings 217

Theoretical Lessons 218

5 Every Place Is Karbala, Every Day Is 'Ashura: South Asian Muharram Rituals 219

"Hobson]Jobson": Representing Muharram in the Religious Imaginaire 221

The Ten Saddest Days: The Ayyam]e 'Aza 223

1 Muharram 225

3 Muharram 227

4 Muharram 228

7 Muharram 229

8 Muharram 231

9 Muharram 234

10 Muharram 236

'Ashura: The Battle of Good vs. Evil, Or Remembering Imam Husain's Martyrdom 237

Always Weep and Remember in the Majlis]e 'Aza 244

The Annual Majlis 247

Silsilah Mourning Assemblies 247

The Dawrah (Round) of Mourning Assemblies 247

Regular Mourning Assemblies 248

The Majlis Structure 248

Opening: The Call for Blessing (Salawat) 249

Burning Words: Soz 249

Poetic Meditations and Salutations: The Salam 249

Poetry of Epic Heroes: The Marsiyah 250

The Remembrance: Zikr 252

Mourning for Husain: Nauhah Recitation 254

Ziyarat: Prayers of Salutation to the Fourteen Infallibles 254

Processions 256

Matam: Inscribing Love for the Ahl]e Bait on the Body 258

Every Place Is Karbala 258

Performing Love for Husain 261

Matam as a Moral Contract 263

Conclusion 267

References 267

Recommended Readings 270

Theoretical Lessons 271

6 Tasting Sorrow before Joy: Vow]Making and Festival Occasions 272

Sweet Blessings: The Niyaz of Imam Ja'far al]Sadiq on 22 Rajab 273

Women's Votive Practices 280

Spreading the Cloth for Abu Fazl 'Abbas: The Dastarkhwan]e Nazri 281

Bringing God and the Imams Close: Women's Prayer Rituals 283

The Prayer of Divine Assistance: Performing 'Amal 288

Pilgrimage to Husain: India – Karbala – India 290

Before Joy, a Taste of Sorrow: Celebratory Events 294

Conclusion 297

References 298

Recommended Readings 299

Theoretical Lessons 300

Afterword 301

Teaching Appendix 305

Glossary 318

Index 331

Erscheinungsdatum
Reihe/Serie Lived Religions
Verlagsort New York
Sprache englisch
Maße 145 x 221 mm
Gewicht 408 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Religion / Theologie
ISBN-10 1-119-35714-4 / 1119357144
ISBN-13 978-1-119-35714-8 / 9781119357148
Zustand Neuware
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