Saints Are “Real” People
Saints Are “Real” People
Imitable Sainthood in Shiʿism
This chapter begins with an ethnographic anecdote because Khan's experience delivering his discourse on Fatimah Kubra and the attendant emotional response of the majlis participants demonstrate that the theological and hagiographical construction of sainthood in the Shi'i tradition is complex, and provides significant space for the inclusion of female saints whose femininity is positively acknowledged and embraced. Khan's focus on Fatimah Kubra was not exceptional, nor was this a special one-time-only topic; the following chapters illustrate how the women of the ahl-e bait are constructed in the hagiographical texts and ritual performance of the mourning assembly. The heroes of Karbala are reified into certain distinguishable types, yet the characterization and symbolic function of these heroes are remarkably fluid and are subject to adaptation to fit new vernacular contexts.
Keywords: ethnographic anecdote, Khan, Fatimah Kubra, majlis, Shi'i tradition, ahl-e bait
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