Popular Beliefs As Reflected in 'Merits of Palestine and Syria' (Fadarhringil al-Sham) Literature: Pilgrimage Ceremonies and Customs in the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods

Abstract

This paper discusses literary, religious, economic and folkloristic aspects of saint worship in Muslim Syria and Palestine in the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, as reflected mainly in manuscripts of the genre ‘Merits of the Holy Land’. Traditions found in compositions of this type clearly go back to early Muslim times or even before, as they contain folk elements and legends which contradict accepted Islamic norms.The discussion is in two parts: a perusal of original traditions in manuscripts going back to the periods in question, for the purpose of determining the identity of the holy sites, the legends which grew up around them, their miracle-working capacity in the popular mind, ceremonies associated with them, etc.; a comparison of the manuscript material in question with available historical, historiographical, geographical and other sources to determine whether the traditions do indeed reflect the period in which they were collected and, in particular, whether specific local conditions and interests also played a part.In addition to literary and folkloristic aspects of traditions concerning holy places, the paper also looks at the official attitude of Islam towards expressions of saint worship as reflected in the traditions in question. In particular we discuss the opposition to saint worship by the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence. Because it was in the Mamluk period that the religious dispute among jurists concerning the status of saint worship was at its peak, it is no wonder that traditions on this matter are abundant for this period.We conclude that traditions concerning pilgrimage and saint worship in the Mamluk and Ottoman periods reflect a popular need, sometimes with local overtones, which found an outlet in pilgrimage to holy sites and in saint worship, despite the opposition of certain Islamic jurists to this practice.