The “Deep Secret” and Dangers of Karamat

Miraculous Acts, Revelation, and Secrecy in a South Indian Sufi Tradition

Authors

  • Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger Emory University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v1i2.159

Keywords:

Sufism, miracles in Islam, spiritual healing in Islam

Abstract

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

References

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Published

2007-02-04

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Flueckiger, J. B. (2007). The “Deep Secret” and Dangers of Karamat: Miraculous Acts, Revelation, and Secrecy in a South Indian Sufi Tradition. Comparative Islamic Studies, 1(2), 159-176. https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v1i2.159