<p>In this study of devotional hagiographical texts and contemporary ritual performances of the Shi'a of Hyderabad, India, Karen Ruffle demonstrates how traditions of sainthood and localized cultural values shape gender roles. Ruffle focuses on the annual mourning assemblies held on 7 Muharram to commemorate the battlefield wedding of Fatimah Kubra and her warrior-bridegroom Qasem, who was martyred at the battle of Karbala, Iraq, in 680 C.E. before their wedding was consummated.Ruffle argues that hagiography, an important textual tradition in Islam, plays a dynamic role in constructing the memory, piety, and social sensibilities of a Shi'i community. Through the Hyderabadi rituals that idealize and venerate Qasem, Fatimah Kubra, and the other heroes of Karbala, a distinct form of sainthood is produced. These saints, Ruffle explains, serve as socioethical role models and religious paragons whom Shi'i Muslims aim to imitate in their everyday lives, improving their personal religious pra</p>

Gender, Sainthood, & Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi'ism (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks)

History

Karen G. Ruffle

Asia

The University of North Caroli

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Karen G. Ruffle. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Karen G. Ruffle

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Karen G. Ruffle. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Gender, Sainthood, & Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi'ism (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks)