Author | Barbara D. Metcalf |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Bahishti Zewar |
Genre | Translation |
Published | 1992 |
Publisher | University of California Press, Oxford University Press |
Pages | 436 |
ISBN | 9780520080935 |
OCLC | 43476666 |
Website | ucpress.edu |
The National Endowment for the Humanities supports this with a translation fellowship. |
Perfecting Women: Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi's Bihishti Zewar is a partially translated work with commentary on the original text, Bahishti Zewar, authored by Barbara D. Metcalf, a Professor at the University of California, Davis. Initially published in 1992 by the University of California Press and Oxford University Press, this scholarly piece was made possible through a translation fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. [1] Its primary aim is to address and dispel misinterpretations surrounding the portrayal of women in Islam. [2] What sets it apart is its unique focus on a female audience, aligning with the Deobandi mission to impart foundational knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence to the Muslim laity. [3] The introduction not only delves into the content but also provides a socio-historical backdrop of the Deobandi reform movement, shedding light on its objectives and concerns. [2]
This partial rendition encapsulates insights from books one, six, seven, eight, and ten. Book One underscores the guidance of women, urging them to surpass innate instincts through intellectual and disciplined approaches, nurturing their growth as committed Muslims. Book Six critically dissects prevailing customs within North Indian Muslim households, disrupting the structured life dictated by Sharia and challenging the authenticity of Islam. Thanawi's managerial approach towards women aims at abolishing customs, particularly within the female sphere, with the objective of fostering virtuous Muslims of both genders. Book Six unveils an array of "erroneous" practices tied to life-cycle events, encompassing birth, marriage, education initiation, circumcision, and even pet ownership, illuminating the profound cultural impact on religious practices. Book Seven proposes alternatives to condemned practices, underscoring the importance of correct external behavior as a precursor to inner virtue. Book Eight weaves narratives of exemplary women, further fortifying the authoritative standing of Bahishti Zewar. In Book Ten, amid counsel on daily conduct and recommended readings, there is a portrayal of the evolving ambiance in North Indian society during the turn of the century, as perceived by Metcalf. [4]
The author delves into an unconventional perspective on the roles of women, shaping the concepts of a reformist Islamic scholar. [5] Metcalf emphasizes the central theme of self-mastery in the book, extending its significance to various situations faced by women. [6] According to Sarah Ansari, this focus seamlessly aligns with the Deobandi theory, which contrasts the lower self (nafs) with reasoned discrimination ('aql). The theory posits that genuine self-fulfillment emerges from prioritizing the latter over the former. [7]
Carla Petievich underscores Metcalf's commitment to her enduring scholarly inquiries, exploring how reformist Islam shapes the un-gendered Muslim individual, rather than framing the text primarily around women. [4] Sarah Ansari notes that, given the original text's extensive length and comprehensive content, Metcalf employs a judicious translation approach. This involves omitting substantial sections on normative Hanafi teachings, such as guidelines for ritual ablution, already available in English. Instead, Metcalf selectively translates segments vividly depicting key reformist themes and their immediate contextual application. [7]
Metcalf's translation portrays a society undergoing dynamic changes, both in religious and practical dimensions. By presenting nuanced details, readers gain profound insights into the everyday lives of relatively privileged North Indian Muslim women and families—the primary subjects and readership of the original work. The observed dissonance between Thanawi's observations and his aspirations underscores the perceived imperative for substantial societal transformations in the reformative process within Indian Muslim society. [7]
Carla Petievich points out a flaw in the author's analysis, expressing dissatisfaction with its insufficient exploration of the paradoxical relationship between the equality of male and female souls in Islam and the embedded social hierarchies. The critique centers on the perceived oversight in fully unpacking the implications of Ashraf Ali Thanwi's methodology for shaping exemplary Muslims, with a specific focus on prescribed female behavior. [4]
This book has received acclaim from scholars, including M.A., Mohini Anjum, Carla Petievich, Gopi Devdutt Tripathy, and José Carlos Castañeda Reyes. Praised for its contribution to Western readers' understanding of social history and Islamic culture, the translation unveils rich socio-cultural insights into gender roles and religious reforms among nineteenth-century Indian Muslims. [1] Mohini Anjum commends the translator, highlighting the work's utility for social science students, teachers, and those interested in Islam's teachings. [8] Carla Petievich sees the book as a significant addition to gender and Islam literature, providing essential materials for a nuanced analysis of South Asian reform movements. [4] Gopi Devdutt Tripathy acknowledges the translation's high value, [2] while José Carlos Castañeda Reyes emphasizes its role in reflecting the gradual empowerment of women in Islamic countries. [9]
The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of law. It formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and several others, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. They consider themselves the continuation of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat. The main purpose of this movement was to reject the grave worshipping, shirk and protect the orthodoxy of Islam from Bidah, as well as the influence of non-Muslim cultures on the Muslim of South Asia. The movement pioneered education in religious sciences through the Dars-i-Nizami associated with the Lucknow-based ulema of Firangi Mahal with the goal of preserving traditional Islamic teachings from the influx of modernist, secular ideas during British colonial rule. The Deobandi movement's Indian clerical wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919 and played a major role in the Indian independence movement through its participation in the Pan-Islamist Khalifat movement and propagation of the doctrine of composite nationalism. The movement shares several similarities with Wahhabism.
Bahishti Zewar is a volume of Deobandi beliefs and practices written by Mawlānā Ashraf Ali Thanvi. The book is comprehensive handbook of fiqh, Islamic rituals and morals, it is especially aimed at the education of girls and women. The volume describes the Five Pillars of Islam and also highlights more obscure principles. For years it has remained a favorite with the people of the Indian subcontinent as well as the Indian Muslim diaspora all over the world. It was originally written in the Urdu language but has been translated into a host of other languages including English.
Usha Sanyal is an Indian scholar and historian of Islam specializing in the Barelvi movement. She is visiting assistant professor of history at Wingate University in North Carolina.
From a historical perspective, Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed of the University of Stockholm and Professor Shamsul Islam of the University of Delhi classified the Muslims of the subcontinent into two categories during the era of the Indian independence movement: Indian nationalist Muslims and Indian Muslim nationalists. The All India Azad Muslim Conference represented Indian nationalist Muslims, while the All-India Muslim League represented the Indian Muslim nationalists. One such popular debate was the Madani–Iqbal debate.
Fazail-e-Amaal, authored by Zakariyya Kandhlawi between 1929 and 1964, is a book that primarily consists of treatises from the Fada'il series, originally published in Urdu. Its purpose is to inspire and motivate Muslims in their religious practices by presenting a diverse range of Islamic teachings, stories, and anecdotes. The book's popularity has led to translations in multiple languages, including English and French, establishing it as a major resource for the Tablighi Jamaat, a transnational pietistic movement. Written at the request of Ilyas Kandhlawi, the founder of Tablighi Jamaat, the book was initially named Tablighi Nisab or Curriculum for Tabligh. It is the most popular ongoing publication of Urdu literature in the present era and is extensively read due to its inclusion in the literature of the Tablighi Jamaat. The book's language is appreciated for its simplicity, clarity, and accessibility to readers.
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki was an Indian Muslim Sufi scholar of the Chishti Sufi order. His disciples include Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and Ashraf Ali Thanwi. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he led the Muslims in Thana Bhawan to fight against British.
Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakimul Ummat and Mujaddidul Millat was a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and the revival of classical Sufi thought from Indian subcontinent during the British Raj, one of the chief proponents of Pakistan Movement. He was a central figure of Islamic spiritual, intellectual and religious life in South Asia and continues to be highly influential today. As a prolific author, he completed over a thousand works including Bayan Ul Quran and Bahishti Zewar. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1883 and moved to Kanpur, then Thana Bhawan to direct the Khanqah-i-Imdadiyah, where he resided until the end of his life. His training in Quran, Hadith, Fiqh studies and Sufism qualified him to become a leading Sunni authority among the scholars of Deoband. His teaching mixes Sunni orthodoxy, Islamic elements of belief and the patriarchal structure of the society. He offered a sketch of a Muslim community that is collective, patriarchal, hierarchical and compassion-based.
Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith, author of Fatawa-e-Rashidiya. His lineage reaches back to Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.
Abdul Majid Daryabadi was an Islamic scholar, philosopher, writer, critic, researcher, journalist and exegete of the Quran in Indian subcontinent in the 20th century. He was as one of the most influential Indian Muslim scholar and was much concerned with modernism and comparative religions and orientalism in India. In his early life, he became sceptical of religion and called himself a "rationalist". For almost nine years, he remained away from religion but repented and became a devout Muslim. He was actively associated with the Khilafat Movement, Royal Asiatic Society, Aligarh Muslim University, Nadwatul Ulama, Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy and several other leading Islamic and literary organisations. He was disciple of Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Hussain Ahmed Madani.
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Barbara Daly Metcalf is a professor emeritus of history at the University of California, Davis. She is a specialist in the history of South Asia, especially the colonial period, and the history of the Muslim population of India and Pakistan. She previously served as the dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Davis, and as the Alice Freeman Palmer Professor of History at the University of Michigan (2003–2009). She was the president of the Association for Asian Studies in 1994 and the president of the American Historical Association in 2010–11.
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Idris Kandhlawi was a Pakistani Sunni scholar during the mid-twentieth century, widely recognized for his contributions to various fields of Islamic studies, including hadith, Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, Prophetic biography, and theology. Holding the titles of Sheikh al-Hadith and Sheikh al-Tafsir, he traced his lineage to Abu Bakr on his father's side and Umar on his mother's side. He studied in Thana Bhawan under Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He studied hadith, first at Mazahir Uloom under Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, and later at Darul Uloom Deoband under Anwar Shah Kashmiri. He started his professional career at Madrasa Aminia and later e went to Darul Uloom Deoband. In 1929 he took a position in Hyderabad State, where he had access to the Asafia Library. This experience enabled him to produce a five-volume Arabic commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih titled Al-Taleeq al-Sabeeh, of which the first four volumes were published in Damascus. His scholarly work garnered recognition in the Arab world. He later assumed the roles of Sheikh al-Tafsir at Darul Uloom Deoband and Sheikh al-Hadith wa al-Tafsir at Jamia Ashrafia. In addition, he served as the Chancellor of Islamia University of Bahawalpur during its tenure as Jamia Abbasia.
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Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900 is a book authored by Barbara D. Metcalf, a professor at the University of California. Originally, this book emerged as a revised edition of her doctoral dissertation and was published in 1982 by Princeton University Press. At its core, the book focused on the Deobandi movement's formative phase, representing the first major monograph dedicated to the institutional and intellectual history of this movement. It seeks to clarify the transformative journey undertaken by Islamic scholars, commencing in the 18th century. This journey was catalyzed by the challenges faced by Indian Islam in the aftermath of the 1857 Mutiny, prompting a diverse array of approaches for resolution. Throughout her research, the author gathered pertinent materials in Urdu to present a precise depiction of Deoband's organizational structure.
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This bibliography of Ashraf Ali Thanwi is a selected list of generally available scholarly resources related to Ashraf Ali Thanwi, a leading Islamic scholar, philosopher, writer, preacher, reformer, the author of about one thousands books. He didn't write an autobiography during his lifetime. However, Aziz al-Hasan Ghouri, an authorized disciple of Thanwi, compiled a book from 1935 to 1943, into four volumes entitled Ashraf al-Sawaneh, which is the first and most important book and prime source on the biography of Thanwi. Another Maqalat Hakeemul Ummat was compiled in 34 volumes under the supervision of Taqi Usmani, collected from about 350 publications of Thanwi. This list will include his biographies, theses written on him and articles published about him in various journals, newspapers, encyclopedias, seminars, websites etc. in APA style.