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Document Details : Title: Encounters between Sufis and Yogis in a Hagiographic Text from Nineteenth-Century India Author(s): VALDINOCI, Mauro Journal: Journal Asiatique Volume: 306 Issue: 2 Date: 2018 Pages: 235-247 DOI: 10.2143/JA.306.2.3285614 Abstract : Although South Asian Sufi hagiographic literature provides numerous examples of interaction between Sufis and yogis, the relationships between these two classes of religious men have received limited scholarly attention. In order to discuss the dynamics of exchanges between Sufis and yogis, this article analyses a number of tales included in Mishkat al-nubuwwat, a biographical dictionary written in early Nineteenth-Century Hyderabad. As in earlier Sufi hagiographies, the rivalry between Sufis and yogis appears to be a crucial issue and the theme of competition is instrumental in asserting the superiority of the Sufis, since the narratives invariably end with the defeat of the yogis. This article provides evidence in favour of the argument that the main purpose of these stories is to assert the superiority of Sufis over all their rivals in terms of their ability to demonstrate miraculous powers. Since Sufi hagiographies provide evidence of similar stories of conflicts between Sufis and Muslim religious men, placing these stories in the broader context of competition for religious authority between Sufis and other religious specialists, both Muslim and non-Muslim, can contribute to a more refined understanding of the meanings of these literary encounters. |
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