Female saints and the practice of Islam in Sylhet, Bangladesh

Abstract

Unlike the saintly power of her male counterpart, which is conceived as an attribute of the individual, the spiritual power of the female saint in Sylhet, Bangladesh, is attributed to a supernatural entity that is temporarily affiliated with her. This difference cannot simply be regarded as an example of gendered domains of religious practice, in which men study the Qu'ran and women traffic with spirits, as in Sylhet, male healers practice with the aid of spirits. I describe how one woman's saintly status allowed her to resist the virilocal rule of residence, a patriarchal structure that is said to underpin women's subordinate position in Bangladesh. Her story demonstrates that Islam cannot be conflated with patriarchy and that it may support women's emancipation from structures of male authority. The meaning of Islam is context dependent and revised through practice. [Islam, gender, agency, sainthood, Bangladesh, spirit possession, healing]

Digital aspirations: ‘wrong‐number’ mobile‐phone relationships and experimental ethics among women entrepreneurs in rural Bangladesh

“…Jeffery () discusses purdah as a ‘negotiated privilege’ which is associated with urban elites and is a symbol of prestige forcefully defended by women of high class. Wearing a burqa signals status and economic security (Callan : 407).…”

The doctor's medicine and the ambiguity of amulets: life and suffering among Bangladeshi psychiatric patients and their families in London – an interview study – 1

“…Although shading into each other at the popular level, the imam is originally the ‘caller of prayers’ in the mosque (although often with higher spiritual and social status especially among Shia); the mullah is one with at least three years education in a madrasha and who can recite the Qur'an by heart (Callan 2008, 398); the measaab is one with some religious knowledge, a dedicated student at a madrasha; a kobiraj is a local herbalist or bone setter usually of low status; and a murshid is another saintly figure who may act as a guru.…”

“… 13. pir : ‘living saint’, mystic, a revered Sufi: religious figure in South Asia, often charismatic and usually with the power to offer spiritual counselling and healing greater than an imam: of a ‘diverse body of holy men’ ( Callan 2008 , 398), a heterogeneous group including both the purists and the more ecstatic. Although shading into each other at the popular level, the imam is originally the ‘caller of prayers’ in the mosque (although often with higher spiritual and social status especially among Shia); the mullah is one with at least three years education in a madrasha and who can recite the Qur'an by heart ( Callan 2008 , 398); the measaab is one with some religious knowledge, a dedicated student at a madrasha; a kobiraj is a local herbalist or bone setter usually of low status; and a murshid is another saintly figure who may act as a guru.…”

Women and Sufism in South Asia: A Survey of Historical Trends

“…With more studies produced throughout the world, it has started a new wave of scholarship exploring, analyzing, and discussing women and Sufism. Various aspects of this topic have been explored, including the rise, presence, role, and work of Sufi women (like, Callan, 2008;Flueckiger, 2006;Frede & Hill, 2014;Gemmeke, 2009;Hill, 2010Hill, , 2014Hill, , 2018Kakkar, 2006;Kasmani, 2016;Kim, 2009;Nurbakhsh, 2004;Raudvere, 2002;Shafiq & Rehman, 2018;Shaikh, 2012;Silvers, 2014;Tryckeri & Schielke, 2008;Widiyanto, 2014). Scholars (like, Pemberton, 2016;Ernst, 2009) working on the issue have argued that due to transformation in Sufism (structural and discursive), more and more women are taking up positions of authority and leadership that were previously reserved for men, which resulted in a rise of Sufi women shaykhs all over the world.…”