From Sainthood to Saintly Kinship: How Claiming Saintly Kinship Is Structuring the Social and Patronage Relationships in Rural Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This article problematises ‘sainthood’ as a sacred spiritual construct by the understanding and appropriation of the same. We have examined claims of Chishti and Dhuddi biraderies (endogamous kinship groups) as spiritually elevated and socially superior groups based on our recent fieldwork in three villages in the district of Vehari, Punjab. We take a case study of Chishti biraderi’ s claims of spiritual ascendency because of their descendance from Shaykh Farid (d. 1265 CE). Chishties’ position as chosen ones is contested by Dhuddi biraderi who claim their descendance from an equally famous Sufi saint Dewan Baba Haji Sher (d. 752 CE). Our research shows how claims of saintly kinship reflect the power struggle in rural Punjab where the appropriation of saintly kinship as well as contestations of similar claims are advanced by zamindar (land owner) patrons to reproduce their position of power and privilege.