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1 - Biography and Hagiography

from Part I - The Saint

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2021

Shivan Mahendrarajah
Shivan Mahendrarajah
Affiliation:
University of St Andrews, Scotland
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Summary

Ahmad-i Jam’s family and education are examined. Separating biography (putative fact) from hagiography (embellishment or fabrication), however, is challenging. His background includes elements that were whitewashed when political winds shifted, namely, Ahmad’s putative training in Karrami khanaqahs. His spiritual genealogy (silsila) was modified to interpolate a nexus to Imam Riza, the Eighth Imam for the Twelver Shiʿa. Ahmad-i Jam’s intellectual journey is captivating, and reflective of the fluidity of Khurasanian Sufism during his long life: Ahmad-i Jam, the son of a Shafiʿi scholar, transitioned to Karrami ascetic (zahid) and then to Hanafi mystic (sufi)

Keywords

hagiographyhagiologysilsilazahiduwaysikhirqaMalamatiKarramiHanafiSeljuq
Type
Chapter
Information
The Sufi Saint of Jam
History, Religion, and Politics of a Sunni Shrine in Shi'i Iran
 , pp. 9 - 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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