From Body to Shrine: The Construction of Sacred Space at the Grave of `Ali ibn Abi Talib in Najaf Public Deposited

Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Last Modified
  • March 19, 2019
Creator
  • Aslan, Rose
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religious Studies
Abstract
  • This dissertation analyzes medieval Muslim constructs and perceptions of sacred space from the ninth to fourteenth centuries using `Ali's grave as point of departure. It delves into three themes--sacred body, sacred space, and sacred ritual--all of which shed light on ways in which Shi`i scholars helped mold communal memory and identity, as well as how Sunni scholars contested Shi`i claims to legitimacy based on their distinct memories of the past. This dissertation seeks to understand how and why scholarly representations of `Ali's body, grave, and connected pilgrimage rituals impacted the development of normative Shi`ism. This dissertation makes three main arguments. First, by establishing `Ali's walaya, Shi`i scholars could elevate the status of Najaf through contact with the praesentia of `Ali's sanctified body contained within it. Second, by examining often conflicting Shi`i and Sunni narratives of `Ali's burial and location of his grave as found in geographical, historical, and hagiographical texts. By claiming the legitimacy of `Ali's grave, Shi`is could uphold Najaf's reputation as a pilgrimage destination, as well as retain control over the city, despite being persecuted minorities in a majority Sunni environment. Some Sunni scholars saw Shi`i-controlled Najaf as a threat in addition to their general distrust of Shi`i scholarship and doctrine. Third, the ritual practices and supplications recommended by scholars in their pilgrimage manuals guided pilgrims through a reenactment of pilgrimages scholars claimed were performed by the Imams when `Ali's grave was hidden. I suggest that scholars contributed to the growing genre of pilgrimage manuals in order to bolster the communal Shi`i identity and create a setting where Shi`is could express their religious devotion in a sacred space away from the domination of the Sunni majority. I argue that for Muslims, the grave of a sanctified figure such as `Ali could function as a symbolic site allowing for the reenactment of rituals of piety, the persistence of historical memory, and the strengthening of communal identity.  
Date of publication
Keyword
Subject
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Safi, Omid
  • Ernst, Carl
  • Ochoa, Todd
  • Kadivar, Mohsen
  • Bigelow, Anna
Degree
  • Doctor of Philosophy
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2014
Language
Publisher
Place of publication
  • Chapel Hill, NC
Access
  • This item is restricted from public view for 2 years after publication.
Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
Default Aslan_unc_0153D_14812.pdf 2019-04-09 Public