Abstract:

In classical Islamic traditions, miraculous deeds are identified by two words: mujizat and karāmat, words distinguishing the miraculous deeds of prophets and imams from those of the saints. Mujizat are public acts that confirm the identity of the prophets, whereas karāmat are not intended to be public, for fear of witnesses misunderstanding the source and nature of the miracle. However,in contemporary Indian Sufi practice, karāmat are often public acts through which the religious authority of the saint/pīr is identified. Nevertheless, the“deep secret” of how karāmat “work” can be understood only by the spiritually adept. This article analyzes the ambivalent nature of the secrecy of karāmat in the practice and narrative performance of a South Indian Sufi female healer, a pirānimā, and her pīr husband.

Author: Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger