Law and Practice at the Origins of Islam: Rituals of Death in the Hadith

Intervention de Leor Halevi lors du séminaire "Doctrines et pratiques de l’islam contemporain (19-21e s)" organisé par Sabrina Mervin, chargée de recherche au CNRS et Nabil Mouline, chargé de recherche au CNRS.

In the modern era, Salafis have frequently criticized Sufi and Shiʿite funerary practices for their failure to adhere to the norms and ideals embodied in oral scripture, the Hadith. This makes it all the more important to investigate historically the social contests over ritual form at the origins of Islam. In the seventh and eighth centuries, male as well as female authorities also struggled to elaborate key doctrines and values (concerning such matters as the purity of the body and the personal consequences of leading a sinful life) in relation to rituals of separation from the dead. To highlight the tension between emerging norms and traditional practices, we will focus in particular on oral traditions about lamentation for the dead (niyaha) and the preparation of corpses for burial (ghusl al-mayyit).