March 12, 2025
Time:
3:45 pm
VC Faculty Lounge, Academic Block, LUMS
Abstract:
Gender as a category has been used to study all major textual genres in Islamic studies (Qur'an, tafsir, hadith, Islamic law, akhlaq/ethics, sufism, etc.)—that is, all major genres except one: sirah literature (biographies of the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace). In this seminar, I will be using Urdu sirah works of the 20th century to ascertain the role that the conceptual category of gender plays both in the production of these works and their normative interpretations. As an important case-study, I will be discussing a largely forgotten chapter in the story of Urdu sirah-writing in South Asia-the indomitable role of Sultan Jahan Begam, the Nawwab of Bhopal (d. 1930), as a patron, figurehead, and author with respect to multiple sirah works during the first half of the 20th century. I will also address something unique about Sultan Jahan Begam's Sirat-e-Mustafa (saw), a rare comprehensive sirah text in Urdu authored by a Muslim woman-namely, her repeated references to "cleanliness" and "physical purity," which I argue could be read as a kind of uniquely religious response to the British Raj and the loss of Muslim political sovereignty in South Asia. This particular argument, as well as the overall thesis, is still in its infancy; as a result, I would welcome those in attendance to share their feedback on my initial findings.
About the Speaker:
Ateeb Gul is a BARD Scholar and a LUMS alum from the Class of 2009. He is pursuing a PhD in Islamic Studies at Boston University’s Graduate Program in Religion, focusing on gender and nationalism in South Asian Sirah literature in Urdu (1880–1980). While completing his PhD, he will join the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at LUMS.
