Religious Performance in Contemporary Islam

“A goldmine of evidence about the religious outlook and observance of a significant yet ignored subcommunity of South Asian Muslims. . . . It is an astonishing, engaging portrait of piety in action. It has no precursor; it will have few, if any, sequels in the academic study of South Asian Islam.” Vernon James Schubel’s pioneering study of religious ritual in contemporary Pakistan underscores the importance of popular piety among Shi Muslims. Focusing on the allegiance of Shi Muslims to Muhammad and his extended family, Schubel analyzes the series of mourning rituals performed during Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad'’s grandson, al-Husayn. Drawing primarily on his fieldwork in Pakistan, Schubel clearly exposes the connection between popular manifestations of devotion and the classical textual traditions of Shii Islam. Schubel explores the mourning assemblies and processions as well as the phenomenon of matam, or physical mourning that features firewalking and self-flagellation with chains, practiced in Karachi during the first ten days of Muharram.The observance culminates on the anniversary of al-Husayn’s death with a recreation of the Battle of Karbala. Solidly based in a humanistic study of religious ritual, Schubel’s work illustrates the centrality of the ritual expression of suffering and loss within the Shi world view. Through a detailed discussion of the Mujizat Kahanis, or miracle stories, it also contributes to the growing literature on women’s piety in Islam.