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Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia: An Introduction
Everyday Shiʿism in South Asia is an introduction to the everyday lived experiences of Shiʿi women and men in South Asia. This text introduces and contextualizes ritual performances, material objects and their practices, festivals, literature and aesthetics, vow-making, and festivals of South Asian Shiʿa through primary sources, ethnographic data, and images. Everyday Shiʿism includes rituals and traditions of devotion to the Imams and Ahl-e Bait (the family of the Prophet Muhammad) among Hindus and Sufi-oriented Sunnis. By focusing on the idea of the everyday, this book considers the diverse ways that the Shiʿa are participants in and contributors to South Asian religious culture and history, as well as to a broader Islamic humanistic tradition.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2021
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February 13, 2023
9/10
A beautiful exploration of how diverse groups of Hindus, Sunnis, and Shi’i Muslims interact with Shi’i themes—especially Imam Hussayn and Muharram—within the subcontinent, with an especially exciting (for me atleast) focus on Deccan and Hyderabad.
Ruffle examines pictorial representations, poetry, songs, rituals, and material objects associated with the Shi’i tradition in light of both scholarly Shi’ism as well as the spiritual currencies of South Asia. What was most fascinating for me was the discussion on how Shi’i sultanates in Deccan moulded the Shi’i faith for the Deccani landscape.
That said, I wonder if the term ‘Alid devotion’ (which is used frequently throughout the book) would have been a more fitting replacement for ‘Shi’ism’ both within the title and within the book. The reason I say this is because while Ruffle argues that what Shi’ism is should not be contingent on the male and scholarly interpretations of the howza (hence the ‘everyday’), not all the groups she interacts with and studies identify as Shi’i.
What makes Imam Hussayn just Shi’i when South Asian Sunni-Sufis have mourned the day of his martyrdom for centuries? Is Bibi Fatima still within the scope of Islam if she is worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Sita by Telugu Hindus?
A beautiful exploration of how diverse groups of Hindus, Sunnis, and Shi’i Muslims interact with Shi’i themes—especially Imam Hussayn and Muharram—within the subcontinent, with an especially exciting (for me atleast) focus on Deccan and Hyderabad.
Ruffle examines pictorial representations, poetry, songs, rituals, and material objects associated with the Shi’i tradition in light of both scholarly Shi’ism as well as the spiritual currencies of South Asia. What was most fascinating for me was the discussion on how Shi’i sultanates in Deccan moulded the Shi’i faith for the Deccani landscape.
That said, I wonder if the term ‘Alid devotion’ (which is used frequently throughout the book) would have been a more fitting replacement for ‘Shi’ism’ both within the title and within the book. The reason I say this is because while Ruffle argues that what Shi’ism is should not be contingent on the male and scholarly interpretations of the howza (hence the ‘everyday’), not all the groups she interacts with and studies identify as Shi’i.
What makes Imam Hussayn just Shi’i when South Asian Sunni-Sufis have mourned the day of his martyrdom for centuries? Is Bibi Fatima still within the scope of Islam if she is worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Sita by Telugu Hindus?
Displaying 1 of 1 review