Creating Identity through Piety: The Culture of Niaz in Rawalpindi (1947-2019)

• HADIA A BID

  MPhil Scholar, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

  Author

This research proposes that Niaz, a traditional term for votive food offerings, is a central and defining cultural-religious marker for Shia Muslims, particularly in the socio-political context of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This practice is not merely a charitable act but a complex social ritual that builds and reinforces both personal and communal piety. It functions as a tangible embodiment of Shia religiosity, history, and collective identity. This essay investigates the historical evolution of Niaz culture within Rawalpindi over a 72-year period, from the formative moment of Partition in 1947 to the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. The study is methodologically grounded in qualitative analysis, primarily drawing upon oral histories and surveys conducted with members of the Shia community in Rawalpindi. I frame these findings within the theoretical lens of Émile Durkheim's work on social rituals, which posits that such collective rites are essential for transforming shared knowledge into profound, lived belief. Rawalpindi serves as a critical case study due to its unique history of post-partition migration and its subsequent role as an epicentre of sectarian tensions. My analysis demonstrates that Niaz is a resilient and adaptive practice. It has sustained the Shia community through periods of political instability, asserted a distinct identity in the face of militant sectarianism and associated taboos, and adapted its logistical forms to navigate state securitisation and public health mandates, all while preserving its core spiritual function.

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