Literature Atlas

How Stories Are Told
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Genre

Ginan

Religious and Devotional Writing

Ginans are a genre of devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims, literally meaning gnosis, spanning topics of divine love, cosmology, rituals, eschatology, ethical behavior and meditation. Ranging from three verses to hundreds of pages, ginans are attributed to the Pirs, who were second only to the Imams in the Ismaili hierarchy, and were originally an oral rendition composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.

Facts
Place of Origin
South Asia 1
Defining Trait
Devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims 1
Sources
1. Ginans, Wikipedia
  • Languages
    Ginans are composed in many languages of South Asia, especially Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Burushaski and many more.
  • Opening paragraph
    Ginans are devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.