Books by Johannes Rosenbaum
Die Ehe bildet für Muslime den Kern ihrer Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft. Deswegen ist sie auch Kr... more Die Ehe bildet für Muslime den Kern ihrer Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft. Deswegen ist sie auch Kristallisationspunkt für die Verständigung über grundlegende Werte und Normen des Muslim-Seins. Die vorliegende Arbeit erforscht sunnitisch-islamische Diskurse zu Ehe und Sexualität in Ratgebern und Eheschriften, die auf Urdu von den
1940er Jahren bis heute in Nordindien und Pakistan erschienen sind. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse steht die Beziehung zwischen Rechtsdiskurs und Ethik. An fünf ausgewählten Themenbereichen veranschaulicht die Studie, welche Werte und Normen für die Ehe propagiert und wie diese plausibilisiert werden, wie dabei moderne Wissenschaften wie Psychologie oder Sexualwissenschaften genutzt werden und welche Rolle die Ratgeber für die Autorität religiöser Gelehrten haben. Dabei zeigt sich, in welch hohem Maße die Ratgeberautoren Liebe und emotionale Faktoren thematisieren.
Papers by Johannes Rosenbaum
Zakaria, Golam Abu: "Wie schamlos doch die Mädchen geworden sind!" : Bildnis von Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, 2006
A German translation of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's famous utopian story Sultana's dream.
Zeitschrift für Religions- und Geistesgeschichte
Lexikon für Kirchen- und Religionsrecht, 2020
U. (arabisch zinā od. zinā‘) ist ein Rechtskonzept aller islam. Rechtschulen, das sich auf korani... more U. (arabisch zinā od. zinā‘) ist ein Rechtskonzept aller islam. Rechtschulen, das sich auf koranische Bestimmungen der medinensischen Periode beruft. U. ist neben Ehe u. Konkubinat die dritte, illegitime Normkategorie sexueller Handlungen. U., im Koran auch
fāḥisha, gilt als Sünde u. wird durch Körperstrafen (ḥudūd), aber auch jenseitig bestraft (17:32, 25:68-9). Was darunter fällt, ist je nach Rechtsschule unterschiedlich geregelt.
Islamic sexual education in South Asia is still a largely unexplored
topic. At the forefront in t... more Islamic sexual education in South Asia is still a largely unexplored
topic. At the forefront in this field are sexual advice
manuals in Urdu, which began to appear in the 1970s and
which argue against the tabooization of sexuality. The authors
strive either to discipline their readers according to their version
of Islamic sexuality or they offer matter-of-fact details on
physiology and sexual practices. All the manuals emphasize
the joy of sex and educate their readers about health risks.
The authors are either physicians or Muslim scholars and lay
people. The present article introduces the sex manuals written
by Mobin Akhtar, Sayyid Ali Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad Shah
and Hakim Khan. It also gives a brief overview of South Asian
literature on sexual advice before the 20th century.
Sexuologie 23 (1–2) 2016 25–32 / DGSMTW
http://www.sexuologie-info.de
Available online at this link: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bamberg/frontdoor/index/index/docId/26438
Talks by Johannes Rosenbaum
The Babi and Baha'i faiths are mostly seen as having emerged in a Twelver Shi'i environment, amon... more The Babi and Baha'i faiths are mostly seen as having emerged in a Twelver Shi'i environment, among them the Usuli and Shaykhi schools. What has been mostly overlooked are the similarities and continuities with the Isma'ili branch of Shia Islam. This paper will give a short overview of the Isma'ili branch and then discuss six aspects: the doctrine of the imamate and prophethood, the concept of cyclical time, allegorical and esoterical exegesis, spiritual resurrection, apophatic theology and emanation resp. manifestation doctrine and the focus on ethics instead of law. Furthermore, it will explore the historical nexuses between Isma'ilis and Babis & Baha'is in Iran.
Vortrag im Rahmen des Seminars für Studenten der Hanns Seidel Stiftung, 28.11.2016 in Kloster Banz
Conventionally, hierarchy figures prominently in descriptions of sex relations between Muslim spo... more Conventionally, hierarchy figures prominently in descriptions of sex relations between Muslim spouses in Islamic fiqh. The husband as the one in charge, to be obeyed in matters of sexual urgency and to be delighted by a wife‘s attire. This perspective focuses on rights and duties. Yet, the discourse of mutuality in matters of emotion and sexual arousal is not to be discarded as irrelevant when discussing Islamic morality. Especially in this private area Muslim morality vacillates between rights and proper etiquette, adab. Muslim couples are, as the Qur‘an says, garments for one another.
This talk will present different attitudes and interpretations of the uneasy relationship between marital hierarchy and mutuality found in Urdu advice manuals from the later 20th century. It also shows patterns of how the authors anchor these interpretations in Islamic law and use its terminology.
The history of Islamicate philosophy in India has yet to be written. What we know a little more a... more The history of Islamicate philosophy in India has yet to be written. What we know a little more about is the opposition to certain strands of philosophy held by revivalist Sufi scholars of the 17th century. Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi‘s critique centered on the theology of Neoplatonism and the ill-founded trust in reason. A similar sentiment is shared in the writings of his contemporary Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haqq Muhaddith Dehlavi. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haqq was raised in the Wahdat al-Wujud tradition in the Qadiri circles of his father, but later went to Makkah and studied there with Sufi hadith scholar ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Muttaqi. When ‘Abd al-Haqq came back to India to introduce and revive hadith studies and shariatmindedness, he authored among other works a treatise on the harmonization of Sufism with shariat which hitherto has not been studied in depth. In it he attacks Hellenistic philosophy (falsafa) for its negative impact on belief (īmān) and criticizes the philosophers reliance on reason (ʿaql) to get foundational knowledge about the world. Instead he places kashf, uncovering of the heart, solidly above reason and reduces the latter to a servant for the traditionalist sciences (manqūlāt).
The paper seeks to introduce ‘Abd al-Haqq Dehlavi‘s critique of philosophy and to contextualize it both within the tradition of earlier Sufi critique and his own revivalist agenda.
Urdu reformist literature was at the forefront of scholars’ tools to reach a wide audience in Nor... more Urdu reformist literature was at the forefront of scholars’ tools to reach a wide audience in Northern India in the 19th and early 20th century which shows in the writings of Ashraf Ali Thanvi, Deputy Nazir Ahmad or Altaf Husayn Hali and the studies by B. Metcalf, M.Q. Zaman and F. Robinson. Yet the subsequent development of this medial technology, that is advice literature, has been not looked into. This paper argues that Urdu advice manuals changed especially in the first decade of the 21st c., taking cues from Western self-help books and psychological theories. Speaking about the emotional and psychological welfare of married couples in scientific terms provides the ‘ulama’ and Sufi authors in particular with a new tool to deliver their interpretation of Islam and its social message to the next generation. Key is here the employment of a language of love and mutuality. The paper will also address the question to what extent this adaptation and incorporation of scientific psychological concepts is a sign of modernity.
While adab as literature has received considerable scholarly attention both in Arabic as well as ... more While adab as literature has received considerable scholarly attention both in Arabic as well as in Urdu, the use, status, and employment of adab norms in modern societies has as yet garnered little attention. This is also true in spite of the importance of adab as moral conduct in South Asia. This paper will look at contemporary marriage advice and etiquette in Urdu and analyze how Sufi authors and ‘ulamā’ make use and possibly modernize adab. The basis of analysis form advice manuals from Sufi and reformist authors from the early 21th century, namely Zulfikar Ahmad Naqshbandi and Muhammad Anwar bin Akhtar. While propagating norms seemingly derived from hadith and traditional Islamic discourse and making use of traditional didactic anecdotes as a means of communication with their audience, there is a shift towards the South Asian environment and modern ideas of marital conduct.
What is the medium of the contemporary ‘Alim? Is it the fatwa, the sermon on the pulpit, the scho... more What is the medium of the contemporary ‘Alim? Is it the fatwa, the sermon on the pulpit, the scholarly treatise? One as yet little studied genre is that of Islamic advice manuals which target lay Muslims and are concerned with improving everyday morals. This talk presents South Asian examples of the genre and discusses the aims they pursue, the rhetorical strategies they employ and the specifics of the genre.
Ratgeber als Quelle für Sozial- und Emotionengeschichte sind erst in den letzten Jahren wieder ve... more Ratgeber als Quelle für Sozial- und Emotionengeschichte sind erst in den letzten Jahren wieder verstärkt in den Blick der Forschung gerückt, meist aus der Perspektive der Genderforschung. Gefragt wird dabei nach dem modus operandi der Diskurse über Geschlechterrollen in Familie, Öffentlichkeit und im Bereich der Bildung. Bis in die jüngste Zeit stand in Bezug auf Südasien das 19. und frühe 20. Jahrhundert im Mittelpunkt des Forschungsinteresses. Neuere Entwicklungen in der Ratgeberliteratur blieben bisher weitgehend unberücksichtigt. Daher konzentriert sich der Vortrag auf Argumentationsstrukturen in ausgewählten Urdu-Ratgebern der letzten 60 Jahre. Wie werden Autorität und Geltungshoheit für islamische Ehe- und Sexualitätsnormen im Minderheitenkontext der indischen islamischen Gemeinde vermittelt und gegen alternative Normsysteme verteidigt? Neben den rechtlichen Ausführungen ist von besonderem Interesse ist, wie ethische und emotionale Normen präsentiert und eingeschrieben werden. Erschöpft sich die Argumentation in einer bloßen Auswahl aus dem Fundus von Koran, Hadith und Rechtsschulgelehrsamkeit? Die Ratgeberautoren, zumeist Ulama und Ärzte, nutzen eine große Bandbreite an rhetorischen Mitteln. Dazu zählen unter anderem apologetische Appelle, autobiographische Erzählungen und Bezüge auf die Wissenschaften. In der Aufzählung klingt bereits an, dass sich die Argumentationsstrategien mitunter stark unterscheiden; ebenso die vertretenen Normen. Sollen minutiöse Handlungsanweisungen das Ehe- und Sexualleben ritualisieren und sunnatisieren oder den Lesern ein allgemeiner ethischer Handlungsfaden an die Hand gegeben werden?
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Books by Johannes Rosenbaum
1940er Jahren bis heute in Nordindien und Pakistan erschienen sind. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse steht die Beziehung zwischen Rechtsdiskurs und Ethik. An fünf ausgewählten Themenbereichen veranschaulicht die Studie, welche Werte und Normen für die Ehe propagiert und wie diese plausibilisiert werden, wie dabei moderne Wissenschaften wie Psychologie oder Sexualwissenschaften genutzt werden und welche Rolle die Ratgeber für die Autorität religiöser Gelehrten haben. Dabei zeigt sich, in welch hohem Maße die Ratgeberautoren Liebe und emotionale Faktoren thematisieren.
Papers by Johannes Rosenbaum
fāḥisha, gilt als Sünde u. wird durch Körperstrafen (ḥudūd), aber auch jenseitig bestraft (17:32, 25:68-9). Was darunter fällt, ist je nach Rechtsschule unterschiedlich geregelt.
topic. At the forefront in this field are sexual advice
manuals in Urdu, which began to appear in the 1970s and
which argue against the tabooization of sexuality. The authors
strive either to discipline their readers according to their version
of Islamic sexuality or they offer matter-of-fact details on
physiology and sexual practices. All the manuals emphasize
the joy of sex and educate their readers about health risks.
The authors are either physicians or Muslim scholars and lay
people. The present article introduces the sex manuals written
by Mobin Akhtar, Sayyid Ali Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad Shah
and Hakim Khan. It also gives a brief overview of South Asian
literature on sexual advice before the 20th century.
Sexuologie 23 (1–2) 2016 25–32 / DGSMTW
http://www.sexuologie-info.de
Talks by Johannes Rosenbaum
This talk will present different attitudes and interpretations of the uneasy relationship between marital hierarchy and mutuality found in Urdu advice manuals from the later 20th century. It also shows patterns of how the authors anchor these interpretations in Islamic law and use its terminology.
The paper seeks to introduce ‘Abd al-Haqq Dehlavi‘s critique of philosophy and to contextualize it both within the tradition of earlier Sufi critique and his own revivalist agenda.
1940er Jahren bis heute in Nordindien und Pakistan erschienen sind. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse steht die Beziehung zwischen Rechtsdiskurs und Ethik. An fünf ausgewählten Themenbereichen veranschaulicht die Studie, welche Werte und Normen für die Ehe propagiert und wie diese plausibilisiert werden, wie dabei moderne Wissenschaften wie Psychologie oder Sexualwissenschaften genutzt werden und welche Rolle die Ratgeber für die Autorität religiöser Gelehrten haben. Dabei zeigt sich, in welch hohem Maße die Ratgeberautoren Liebe und emotionale Faktoren thematisieren.
fāḥisha, gilt als Sünde u. wird durch Körperstrafen (ḥudūd), aber auch jenseitig bestraft (17:32, 25:68-9). Was darunter fällt, ist je nach Rechtsschule unterschiedlich geregelt.
topic. At the forefront in this field are sexual advice
manuals in Urdu, which began to appear in the 1970s and
which argue against the tabooization of sexuality. The authors
strive either to discipline their readers according to their version
of Islamic sexuality or they offer matter-of-fact details on
physiology and sexual practices. All the manuals emphasize
the joy of sex and educate their readers about health risks.
The authors are either physicians or Muslim scholars and lay
people. The present article introduces the sex manuals written
by Mobin Akhtar, Sayyid Ali Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad Shah
and Hakim Khan. It also gives a brief overview of South Asian
literature on sexual advice before the 20th century.
Sexuologie 23 (1–2) 2016 25–32 / DGSMTW
http://www.sexuologie-info.de
This talk will present different attitudes and interpretations of the uneasy relationship between marital hierarchy and mutuality found in Urdu advice manuals from the later 20th century. It also shows patterns of how the authors anchor these interpretations in Islamic law and use its terminology.
The paper seeks to introduce ‘Abd al-Haqq Dehlavi‘s critique of philosophy and to contextualize it both within the tradition of earlier Sufi critique and his own revivalist agenda.
The 16th and 17th century C.E. with the rise of the Islamic gunpowder empires and their respective denominational outlooks and rivalries saw several attempts of synthesis and harmonization of Sufism and Fiqh after the grand synthesis of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazzālī‘s Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn, for instance in the works of Zakariyyāʾ al-Anṣārī (1420-1520) or ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī (1492/3–1565). Some of these syntheses were often also attempts at tajdīd, revival.
This paper analyzes the rhetorical strategies of the influential Sufi and hadith scholar Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Dihlawī (1551-1642) in his work Maraj al-baḥrayn fi’l-jamʿ bayn al-ṭarīqayn. This book, in trying to harmonize Sufism and Fiqh, narrates the story of the Ahl al-sunna, applauding and censoring scholars and methods. While certain authors are canonized, others are ostracized. This rift and line is drawn, between Law and Sufism on the one side, and peripatetic philosophy and polemical kalām on the other side. But it is also drawn within Fiqh and Taṣawwuf. I will focus here on the epistemological and psychological arguments and narratives Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Dihlawī employs to sustain his agenda and sketch the contours of a canon of his own.
An argument of this paper is that orthodoxy has to be expressed as a narrative in historiography. The author does not confine himself to arguments or statements from authoritative sources. He frames them with a narrative that appeals to humans‘ innate search for meaning in history, identifying heros and villains, or saviours and deceivers. Consequently, in ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq‘s narrative, an opponent or a different school of thought doesn’t merely interpret sources differently, their underlying agenda must be psychologically devalued and shown as malicious. For the Sufi scholar the issue is therefore to define the epistemological tools which Sunni authors may use.
The paper is meant as a contribution to the later development of Sunni canon-formation and deployment of religious authority which, especially for the time between the formative and the modern age has been inadequately explored.