Exploring the socio-political impact of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi processions in Pothohar region: A transformation from piety to power"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.03.337Keywords:
Barelvi, Milad Politics, Communal/Sectarian Violence, Muslims, RawalpindiAbstract
The present study explores the origin of Eid-Milad -un-Nabi processions in Rawalpindi, with a focus to discuss how an occasion which was previously associated with religious piety converted into a show of power. The historical city of Rawalpindi used to house a mixture of many communities i.e., Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. In 1896 the construction of the famous Jamia Masjid became a bone of contention between Sikhs and Muslims. After just a couple of decades, the chosen locality and surrounding areas witnessed a massacre, this incident of violence within the Pothohar region took the lives of hundreds of innocent people. This was the time when Muslims started the procession of Eid-Milad -un-Nabi, in which thousands of Muslims participated. It was observed as a deviation from mere religious piety to a show of power. This research would also explore how the Eid-Milad -un-Nabi procession presently serves socio political purposes and its conversion into a method to satisfy intrinsic political interests. This project aims to delve into how the Barelvis institutionalized Milad in their political activism, striving to reinstate piety within their political agendas and secure a prominent social space in society.
Downloads
References
Abbas, H. (2010). Shiaism and Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan. Identity Politics, Iranian Politics and Tit for Tat Violence. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Al-Islam.org. (2013). History of the cemetery of Jannat Al-Baqi. https://www.al-islam.org/history-shrines/history-cemetery-jannat-al-baqi
Azhar, S. (2023). Rawal Raj Rawalpindi Islamabad: History, Civilization and Fable. Book Corner Jhelum Press.
Fucsh, S. W. (2019). In a Pure Muslim Land: Shi’ism Between Pakistan and Middle East. The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hills.
Gugler, T. K. (2016). Faith Based Violence and Deobandi Militancy in Pakistan. Palgrave Macmillan.
Jones, Justin. (2012). Shia Islam in Colonial India: Religion Community and Sectarianism. Cambridge University Press.
Katz, M. H. (2007). The birth of the Prophet Muhammad: Devotional piety in Sunni Islam. Routledge.
Malik, J. (2022). Mīlād Al-Nabī in South Asia: Re-animating the Prophet. In D. Grill (Ed.), The presence of Prophet in early modern and contemporary Islam (p. 361). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004511492_016
Mindroastermir. (n.d.). Fatawa Rizvia Ahmad Raza Khan (Jild 11). http://archive.org/details/fatawa-rizvia-ahmad-raza-khan-jild-11
Najeeb-ur-Rehman, S. M. (2021). Celebration of Mawlid Al-Nabi. Sultan ul Faqar Publications.
Qadri, M. T. U. (2017). Tareekh Molud-i-Nabi: Hazoor Kay Makaan Wiladat Ka Haseen Tazkara. Minhaj ul Quran Publications.
Qureshi, A, H. (1983). Saath Saal Kabal Rawalpindi Ki Tarekh Ka Eik Waqia. Monthly Faiz-ul-Islam Rawalpindi. Faiz-ul-Islam Printing Press.
Rieck, Andres. (2015). The Shias of Pakistan: An Assertive and Beleaguered Minority. Oxford University Press.
Sajjad, M. W. (2023). Contesting the Milad: Deobandis and Barelvis in British India and contemporary Pakistan. Contemporary South Asia, 31(2), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2023.2180486
Singh, Kirpal. (1981). Factors Leading to the Rawalpindi Riots 1926. Indian History Congress, Vol 42, 468-472. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44141164
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. (1926). Rawalpindi riots of 1926 - SGPC report (pp. 6-8). http://archive.org/details/rawalpindi-riots-of-1926-sgpc-report
Talib, G, S. (1950). Muslim League Attack on Hindus and Sikhs in The Punjab 1947. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Tareen, S. A. (2020.). Defending Muhammad in modernity. University of Notre Dame Press.
TCM Originals. (2023, September 8). This is how processions on Eid Milad-un-Nabi started in the Subcontinent [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK03xEXg1k8
The Express Tribune. (2023, September 18). Rawalpindi prepares to celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2436445/rawalpindi-prepares-to-celebrate-eid-Miladun-nabi
The Nation. (2023, September 25). City being decorated to celebrate 12 Rabi-ul-Awal in befitting manner. https://www.nation.com.pk/25-Sep-2023/city-being-decorated-to-celebrate-12-rabi-ul-awal-in-befitting-manner
Zaman, M, Qasim. (2018). Islam in Pakistan A History. Princeton University Press.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
.png)
