The “Deep Secret” and Dangers of Kar?mat: MiraculousActs, Revelation, and Secrecy in a South Indian Sufi Tradition

Abstract

In classical Islamic traditions, miraculous deeds are identified by two words: mujizat and kar?mat, words distinguishing the miraculous deeds of prophets and imams from those of the saints. Mujizat are public acts that confirm the identity of the prophets, whereas kar?mat are not intended to be public, for fear of witnesses misunderstanding the source and nature of the miracle. However,in contemporary Indian Sufi practice, kar?mat are often public acts through which the religious authority of the saint/p?r is identified. Nevertheless, the“deep secret” of how kar?mat “work” can be understood only by the spiritually adept. This article analyzes the ambivalent nature of the secrecy of kar?mat in the practice and narrative performance of a South Indian Sufi female healer, a pir?nim?, and her p?r husband.