Jeffrey T. Kenney
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195131697
- eISBN:
- 9780199785001
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513169X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The Kharijites were a splinter group that broke away from the main forces of Islam during the formative medieval period, purportedly refusing arbitration and committing bloody outrages against their ...
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The Kharijites were a splinter group that broke away from the main forces of Islam during the formative medieval period, purportedly refusing arbitration and committing bloody outrages against their fellow Muslims. Their influence in the political and theological life of the nascent faith has ensured their place in both critical and religious accounts of early Islamic history. Over the centuries, the Kharijites have repeatedly been invoked whenever militant opposition arose and today the label is frequently applied to extremist Islamic movements. After a brief look at Kharijite origins, this book focuses on contemporary Egypt. The book shows how religious images of the Kharijites have dominated public discussion about political opposition movements, effectively undermining attempts to discuss the real issues generating such movements.Less
The Kharijites were a splinter group that broke away from the main forces of Islam during the formative medieval period, purportedly refusing arbitration and committing bloody outrages against their fellow Muslims. Their influence in the political and theological life of the nascent faith has ensured their place in both critical and religious accounts of early Islamic history. Over the centuries, the Kharijites have repeatedly been invoked whenever militant opposition arose and today the label is frequently applied to extremist Islamic movements. After a brief look at Kharijite origins, this book focuses on contemporary Egypt. The book shows how religious images of the Kharijites have dominated public discussion about political opposition movements, effectively undermining attempts to discuss the real issues generating such movements.
Jeffrey T. Kenney
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195131697
- eISBN:
- 9780199785001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513169X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
To establish why and how modern Muslim thinkers were able to evoke and use the image of the Kharijite this chapter explores the historical, literary process by which the early Kharijites were ...
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To establish why and how modern Muslim thinkers were able to evoke and use the image of the Kharijite this chapter explores the historical, literary process by which the early Kharijites were transformed into a mythic symbol of rebellion. It argues that individuals find themselves recipients of a theology/ideology that was ordered in, and is sanctioned by, the past. However, the “givenness” with which such a tradition is received by later generations masks the fact that over time it has changed. It required interpretation and codification. In other words, the particulars of a tradition, such as those of the Kharijites in Islam, were made particular by a historical and historicizing process that is the very basis of the tradition.Less
To establish why and how modern Muslim thinkers were able to evoke and use the image of the Kharijite this chapter explores the historical, literary process by which the early Kharijites were transformed into a mythic symbol of rebellion. It argues that individuals find themselves recipients of a theology/ideology that was ordered in, and is sanctioned by, the past. However, the “givenness” with which such a tradition is received by later generations masks the fact that over time it has changed. It required interpretation and codification. In other words, the particulars of a tradition, such as those of the Kharijites in Islam, were made particular by a historical and historicizing process that is the very basis of the tradition.
Jeffrey T. Kenney
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195131697
- eISBN:
- 9780199785001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513169X.003.intro
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This introductory chapter begins with a study of the mythical image of the Kharijites created by medieval thinkers in the context of the political and cultural world of mid-20th-century Egypt. It ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a study of the mythical image of the Kharijites created by medieval thinkers in the context of the political and cultural world of mid-20th-century Egypt. It explains the relevance of Islam's mythic history, including the Kharijites, to the development of modern Egypt. It argues that reinvented Kharijism in Egypt has, at different times, fitted the assessments offered by both proponents and critics. An overview of the succeeding chapters is presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a study of the mythical image of the Kharijites created by medieval thinkers in the context of the political and cultural world of mid-20th-century Egypt. It explains the relevance of Islam's mythic history, including the Kharijites, to the development of modern Egypt. It argues that reinvented Kharijism in Egypt has, at different times, fitted the assessments offered by both proponents and critics. An overview of the succeeding chapters is presented.
Michael W. Dols and Diana E. Immisch
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202219
- eISBN:
- 9780191675218
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202219.003.0017
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
In dealing with the concept of insanity in medieval Islamic society several subtopics also emerge such as, what constitutes sanity? A major objective of this study has been to place the subject in ...
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In dealing with the concept of insanity in medieval Islamic society several subtopics also emerge such as, what constitutes sanity? A major objective of this study has been to place the subject in its historical context and not to present insanity as a disembodied medical, religious, or legal notion. Because of the limitations of the medieval evidence, this goal has not always been fully achieved, but, in general, insanity has been presented as a significant aspect of Islamic social history. Insanity as a medical concept was closely related to the development of Islamic sciences and institutions; religious healing was intimately associated with the growth of Muslim saints; and the madman as holy fool was a vivid expression of the evolution of Muslim religiosity.Less
In dealing with the concept of insanity in medieval Islamic society several subtopics also emerge such as, what constitutes sanity? A major objective of this study has been to place the subject in its historical context and not to present insanity as a disembodied medical, religious, or legal notion. Because of the limitations of the medieval evidence, this goal has not always been fully achieved, but, in general, insanity has been presented as a significant aspect of Islamic social history. Insanity as a medical concept was closely related to the development of Islamic sciences and institutions; religious healing was intimately associated with the growth of Muslim saints; and the madman as holy fool was a vivid expression of the evolution of Muslim religiosity.
Emad El-Din Shahin
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164823
- eISBN:
- 9781400866427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164823.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter analyzes the concept of government in Islamic political thought. The question of who rules, or the qualities of the head of the Islamic government, has been critical in Islamic history. ...
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This chapter analyzes the concept of government in Islamic political thought. The question of who rules, or the qualities of the head of the Islamic government, has been critical in Islamic history. The first political conflict between the members of the early Muslim community took place immediately after the death of the Prophet (632) over the issue of ṭukm, or rule. The disagreement was not over the necessity of the establishment and continuation of political authority after the death of the Prophet but instead over who should succeed the Prophet as ruler of the Muslim community. Early Muslims also believed in the necessity of establishing one government under a single leader. The remainder of the chapter discusses the constitutional theory of government, principles of government, necessity of government, institutions and structures of government, legislative and judicial functions of government, and modern formulations of government.Less
This chapter analyzes the concept of government in Islamic political thought. The question of who rules, or the qualities of the head of the Islamic government, has been critical in Islamic history. The first political conflict between the members of the early Muslim community took place immediately after the death of the Prophet (632) over the issue of ṭukm, or rule. The disagreement was not over the necessity of the establishment and continuation of political authority after the death of the Prophet but instead over who should succeed the Prophet as ruler of the Muslim community. Early Muslims also believed in the necessity of establishing one government under a single leader. The remainder of the chapter discusses the constitutional theory of government, principles of government, necessity of government, institutions and structures of government, legislative and judicial functions of government, and modern formulations of government.
H. G. M. Williamson (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264010
- eISBN:
- 9780191734946
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264010.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
In recent years, the study of the history of Ancient Israel has become very heated. On the one hand there are those who continue to use the Bible as a primary source, modified and illustrated by the ...
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In recent years, the study of the history of Ancient Israel has become very heated. On the one hand there are those who continue to use the Bible as a primary source, modified and illustrated by the findings of archaeology, and on the other there are some who believe that primacy should be given to archaeology and that the Biblical account is then seen to be for the most part completely unreliable in historical terms. This book makes a contribution to this debate by inquiring into the appropriate methods for combining different sorts of evidence – from archaeology, epigraphy, iconography, and the Bible. It also seeks to learn from related historical disciplines such as classical antiquity and early Islamic history, where similar problems are faced. Chapters focus on the ninth century BCE (the period of the Omri dynasty) as a test case, but the proposals are of far wider application. The book brings together in mutually respectful dialogue the representatives of positions that are otherwise in danger of talking across one another.Less
In recent years, the study of the history of Ancient Israel has become very heated. On the one hand there are those who continue to use the Bible as a primary source, modified and illustrated by the findings of archaeology, and on the other there are some who believe that primacy should be given to archaeology and that the Biblical account is then seen to be for the most part completely unreliable in historical terms. This book makes a contribution to this debate by inquiring into the appropriate methods for combining different sorts of evidence – from archaeology, epigraphy, iconography, and the Bible. It also seeks to learn from related historical disciplines such as classical antiquity and early Islamic history, where similar problems are faced. Chapters focus on the ninth century BCE (the period of the Omri dynasty) as a test case, but the proposals are of far wider application. The book brings together in mutually respectful dialogue the representatives of positions that are otherwise in danger of talking across one another.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter examines the variety of meanings that “Islam” and “Muslim” may have held in the earliest period of Islamic history. Although later Muslim tradition would regard the earliest generations ...
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This chapter examines the variety of meanings that “Islam” and “Muslim” may have held in the earliest period of Islamic history. Although later Muslim tradition would regard the earliest generations of Muslims as the most pious and devout in all of Islamic history, most of them had little detailed knowledge of the message of the Prophet and paid scant heed to its implications for how they lived their lives. Moreover, even among those who did care about the Prophet's message, there was disagreement as to what exactly it was and shifting opinions about what would later be regarded as matters of central importance. Judged by later standards, most of the earliest followers of Muhammad—both the salaf and those who came after them—will have fallen far short of the expectations and assumptions about them that they have been saddled with for many centuries.Less
This chapter examines the variety of meanings that “Islam” and “Muslim” may have held in the earliest period of Islamic history. Although later Muslim tradition would regard the earliest generations of Muslims as the most pious and devout in all of Islamic history, most of them had little detailed knowledge of the message of the Prophet and paid scant heed to its implications for how they lived their lives. Moreover, even among those who did care about the Prophet's message, there was disagreement as to what exactly it was and shifting opinions about what would later be regarded as matters of central importance. Judged by later standards, most of the earliest followers of Muhammad—both the salaf and those who came after them—will have fallen far short of the expectations and assumptions about them that they have been saddled with for many centuries.
Abdulaziz Sachedina
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195388428
- eISBN:
- 9780199866755
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388428.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Islam
Whether Islam is compatible with human rights in general, and with the Declaration of Human Rights in particular, has been both a Muslim issue and a concern of the international community. Muslim ...
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Whether Islam is compatible with human rights in general, and with the Declaration of Human Rights in particular, has been both a Muslim issue and a concern of the international community. Muslim rulers, Western analysts and policymakers, and Muslim extremists as well as conservative Muslims, have often agreed for diverse reasons that Islam and human rights cannot co-exist. This book argues for the essential compatibility of Islam and human rights. It offers a critique of leading Western experts who ignore or marginalize the relationship of religion to human rights. At the same time, the book re-examines the inherited tradition that forms the basis of conservative Muslim objections, arguing that it is culturally conditioned and therefore open to development and change. Finally, and most importantly, the book delineates a fresh contemporary Muslim position that argues for a correspondence between Islam and secular concepts of human rights, grounded in sacred sources as well as Islamic history and thought.Less
Whether Islam is compatible with human rights in general, and with the Declaration of Human Rights in particular, has been both a Muslim issue and a concern of the international community. Muslim rulers, Western analysts and policymakers, and Muslim extremists as well as conservative Muslims, have often agreed for diverse reasons that Islam and human rights cannot co-exist. This book argues for the essential compatibility of Islam and human rights. It offers a critique of leading Western experts who ignore or marginalize the relationship of religion to human rights. At the same time, the book re-examines the inherited tradition that forms the basis of conservative Muslim objections, arguing that it is culturally conditioned and therefore open to development and change. Finally, and most importantly, the book delineates a fresh contemporary Muslim position that argues for a correspondence between Islam and secular concepts of human rights, grounded in sacred sources as well as Islamic history and thought.
Yasir Suleiman and Adel Al-Abdul Jader
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637386
- eISBN:
- 9780748653218
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637386.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The publication of this book honours Professor Carole Hillenbrand’s achievements in and service to Islamic and Middle Eastern Scholarship. It gathers original research from a range of international ...
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The publication of this book honours Professor Carole Hillenbrand’s achievements in and service to Islamic and Middle Eastern Scholarship. It gathers original research from a range of international scholars from the UK, Europe and the USA, whose chapters throw new light on a set of topics in medieval Islamic history, Islamic doctrine and practice, and the interaction between Islam and the modern world. Seeking to present fresh evidence and engaging ways of looking at old and new material, the authors contribute to a richer understanding of the interaction between historical events, social trends, religious practices and lived experiences in medieval Turkey and Central Asia, Iran and the Arabic-speaking lands. The book also discusses how some of the most abiding themes in the Arab-Islamic tradition continue to resonate in the modern world. Contributors include Julia Bray, Edmund Bosworth, Farhad Daftary, Gerhard Endress, Gary Leiser, Remke Kruk, Charles Melville, A. H. Morton, Ian Netton, Andrew Newman, A. Kevin Reinhart and Yasir Suleiman.Less
The publication of this book honours Professor Carole Hillenbrand’s achievements in and service to Islamic and Middle Eastern Scholarship. It gathers original research from a range of international scholars from the UK, Europe and the USA, whose chapters throw new light on a set of topics in medieval Islamic history, Islamic doctrine and practice, and the interaction between Islam and the modern world. Seeking to present fresh evidence and engaging ways of looking at old and new material, the authors contribute to a richer understanding of the interaction between historical events, social trends, religious practices and lived experiences in medieval Turkey and Central Asia, Iran and the Arabic-speaking lands. The book also discusses how some of the most abiding themes in the Arab-Islamic tradition continue to resonate in the modern world. Contributors include Julia Bray, Edmund Bosworth, Farhad Daftary, Gerhard Endress, Gary Leiser, Remke Kruk, Charles Melville, A. H. Morton, Ian Netton, Andrew Newman, A. Kevin Reinhart and Yasir Suleiman.
Karen C. Pinto
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780226126968
- eISBN:
- 9780226127019
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226127019.001.0001
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Cartography
There are hundreds of cartographic images scattered throughout the medieval and early modern Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscript collections. The plethora of extant copies produced in a variety ...
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There are hundreds of cartographic images scattered throughout the medieval and early modern Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscript collections. The plethora of extant copies produced in a variety of locales across the Islamic world for eight centuries testifies to the enduring importance of these medieval Islamic cartographic visions. This book examines the rich corpus of Islamic maps to show that they can be read as iconographic representations of the way medieval Muslims perceived their world and that, just like text, they can be analyzed to reveal insights into the history of the period in which they were constructed. In these maps we see images informed by the work of other societies, by myth and religious belief, and by physical reality. This work disentangles the Islamic maps, traces their inception and evolution and reveals their picture cycles. It shows how these maps can be deconstructed to reveal the identities of their constructors, painters, and patrons. This book draws on complex debates in the realms of art history, history of science, and world history of cartography, as well as the philosophy of aesthetics, symbolic anthropology, and visual theory. It explores the applicability of newer and more innovative techniques for approaching the visual record of Islamic history. The author aims to bring Middle Eastern maps into the orbit of modern and postmodern theoretical paradigms. This is achieved through a series of analytical lenses that present alternate ways of viewing Islamic maps.Less
There are hundreds of cartographic images scattered throughout the medieval and early modern Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscript collections. The plethora of extant copies produced in a variety of locales across the Islamic world for eight centuries testifies to the enduring importance of these medieval Islamic cartographic visions. This book examines the rich corpus of Islamic maps to show that they can be read as iconographic representations of the way medieval Muslims perceived their world and that, just like text, they can be analyzed to reveal insights into the history of the period in which they were constructed. In these maps we see images informed by the work of other societies, by myth and religious belief, and by physical reality. This work disentangles the Islamic maps, traces their inception and evolution and reveals their picture cycles. It shows how these maps can be deconstructed to reveal the identities of their constructors, painters, and patrons. This book draws on complex debates in the realms of art history, history of science, and world history of cartography, as well as the philosophy of aesthetics, symbolic anthropology, and visual theory. It explores the applicability of newer and more innovative techniques for approaching the visual record of Islamic history. The author aims to bring Middle Eastern maps into the orbit of modern and postmodern theoretical paradigms. This is achieved through a series of analytical lenses that present alternate ways of viewing Islamic maps.
Daromir Rudnyckyj
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226551920
- eISBN:
- 9780226552118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226552118.003.0005
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter describes sukuk, one of the most celebrated instruments in contemporary Islamic finance. Often referred to as Islamic bonds, the chapter illustrates how Islamic finance experts identify ...
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This chapter describes sukuk, one of the most celebrated instruments in contemporary Islamic finance. Often referred to as Islamic bonds, the chapter illustrates how Islamic finance experts identify the emergence of Islamic bonds in Ottoman history. The chapter argues that one of the main problems with sukuk is that, due to the way Islamic finance is framed by conventional finance, they often wind up mimicking conventional bonds. The chapter empirically documents the efforts of one Islamic finance practitioner to find a lead issuer for a sukuk based on Australian home mortgages in Kuala Lumpur.Less
This chapter describes sukuk, one of the most celebrated instruments in contemporary Islamic finance. Often referred to as Islamic bonds, the chapter illustrates how Islamic finance experts identify the emergence of Islamic bonds in Ottoman history. The chapter argues that one of the main problems with sukuk is that, due to the way Islamic finance is framed by conventional finance, they often wind up mimicking conventional bonds. The chapter empirically documents the efforts of one Islamic finance practitioner to find a lead issuer for a sukuk based on Australian home mortgages in Kuala Lumpur.
Carool Kersten
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780748681839
- eISBN:
- 9781474434973
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748681839.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This is the first single-volume study of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples until the present day. It offers an overview of the ...
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This is the first single-volume study of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples until the present day. It offers an overview of the religion’s growing significance in the formation of what is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world, the greatest political power in Southeast Asia, and a growing player on the world scene. With close to a quarter of a billion Muslims, Indonesia is still overlooked by historians of Islam and other specialists in the Muslim world, while Southeast Asianists often underestimate the importance of Islam in the shaping of Indonesia. This survey provides a comprehensive insight into the different roles played by Islam in Indonesia throughout history: From the earliest evidence of its presence in the late thirteenth century; the importance of Indian Ocean networks for connecting Indonesians with the wider Islamic world; the religion’s role as a means of resistance and tool for nation building; and postcolonial attempts to forge an ‘Indonesian Islam’.Less
This is the first single-volume study of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples until the present day. It offers an overview of the religion’s growing significance in the formation of what is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world, the greatest political power in Southeast Asia, and a growing player on the world scene. With close to a quarter of a billion Muslims, Indonesia is still overlooked by historians of Islam and other specialists in the Muslim world, while Southeast Asianists often underestimate the importance of Islam in the shaping of Indonesia. This survey provides a comprehensive insight into the different roles played by Islam in Indonesia throughout history: From the earliest evidence of its presence in the late thirteenth century; the importance of Indian Ocean networks for connecting Indonesians with the wider Islamic world; the religion’s role as a means of resistance and tool for nation building; and postcolonial attempts to forge an ‘Indonesian Islam’.
Abdelmadjid Charfi and David Bond
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748639670
- eISBN:
- 9780748653188
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748639670.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This book could easily be called ‘A Guide for the Modern Muslim’. The author spells out what, for him, is the essential message of Islam, followed by a history of its unfolding through the person of ...
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This book could easily be called ‘A Guide for the Modern Muslim’. The author spells out what, for him, is the essential message of Islam, followed by a history of its unfolding through the person of the Prophet Muhammad, who was a visionary seeking to change the ideals, attitudes, and behaviour of the society in which he lived. The message and its history are delineated as two separate things, conflated by tradition. The author confronts those difficult questions with which Muslims are struggling, attempting to reconsider them from a moral and political perspective that is independent of the framework produced by tradition.Less
This book could easily be called ‘A Guide for the Modern Muslim’. The author spells out what, for him, is the essential message of Islam, followed by a history of its unfolding through the person of the Prophet Muhammad, who was a visionary seeking to change the ideals, attitudes, and behaviour of the society in which he lived. The message and its history are delineated as two separate things, conflated by tradition. The author confronts those difficult questions with which Muslims are struggling, attempting to reconsider them from a moral and political perspective that is independent of the framework produced by tradition.
Hussein Ali Abdulsater
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474404402
- eISBN:
- 9781474434898
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474404402.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Murtaḍā’s theology is assessed to gauge its debt to Muʿtazilism, with reference to the findings above. Its contribution to the consolidation of Imami Shiʿi identity is likewise examined, with the aim ...
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Murtaḍā’s theology is assessed to gauge its debt to Muʿtazilism, with reference to the findings above. Its contribution to the consolidation of Imami Shiʿi identity is likewise examined, with the aim of tracing the scope and duration of his influence. The interaction of cosmology, ethics and theology is investigated, particularly where they converge to answer critical questions of human experience. The dynamics of this interaction thus serve as a basis for classifying Murtaḍā’s doctrinal system in light of his cultural milieu and with reference to recent scholarship. As such, the monograph serves to deepen readers’ understanding of Islamic intellectual history writ large and to depict a particularly influential conceptual framework from within the parameters of religious faith as shaped by sectarian identities.Less
Murtaḍā’s theology is assessed to gauge its debt to Muʿtazilism, with reference to the findings above. Its contribution to the consolidation of Imami Shiʿi identity is likewise examined, with the aim of tracing the scope and duration of his influence. The interaction of cosmology, ethics and theology is investigated, particularly where they converge to answer critical questions of human experience. The dynamics of this interaction thus serve as a basis for classifying Murtaḍā’s doctrinal system in light of his cultural milieu and with reference to recent scholarship. As such, the monograph serves to deepen readers’ understanding of Islamic intellectual history writ large and to depict a particularly influential conceptual framework from within the parameters of religious faith as shaped by sectarian identities.
Peter Webb
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474408264
- eISBN:
- 9781474421867
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474408264.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Middle Eastern Cultural Anthropology
Pursuing the references to ‘Arabs’ in the Islamic-era poetry examined in Chapter 2, this chapter explores the processes by which Arab identity developed as a new form of community in early Islam. ...
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Pursuing the references to ‘Arabs’ in the Islamic-era poetry examined in Chapter 2, this chapter explores the processes by which Arab identity developed as a new form of community in early Islam. Analysis begins with the Qur’an, the first extant text to use the word ʿarabī to describe itself. It is revealed that the Qur’an’s Arabness is not a marker of ethnic identity, but it does mark key shifts which were amplified by new social processes following the Muslim Conquests. Employing models of ethnogenesis to interpret early Islam, this chapter demonstrates how the spread of Muslim communities and the centralisation of the Caliphate fostered an environment conducive to rethinking identities. The new social processes prompted early Muslims to experiment with various terms to define their community, and ‘Arab’ gradually gained traction during the later Umayyad period. The rise of Arabness as an ethnic identity thus closely intertwines with the maturation of Muslim community, but conflicting social pressures and imperfect communal cohesion meant that Umayyad-era Arab identity developed very unevenly in this formative period.Less
Pursuing the references to ‘Arabs’ in the Islamic-era poetry examined in Chapter 2, this chapter explores the processes by which Arab identity developed as a new form of community in early Islam. Analysis begins with the Qur’an, the first extant text to use the word ʿarabī to describe itself. It is revealed that the Qur’an’s Arabness is not a marker of ethnic identity, but it does mark key shifts which were amplified by new social processes following the Muslim Conquests. Employing models of ethnogenesis to interpret early Islam, this chapter demonstrates how the spread of Muslim communities and the centralisation of the Caliphate fostered an environment conducive to rethinking identities. The new social processes prompted early Muslims to experiment with various terms to define their community, and ‘Arab’ gradually gained traction during the later Umayyad period. The rise of Arabness as an ethnic identity thus closely intertwines with the maturation of Muslim community, but conflicting social pressures and imperfect communal cohesion meant that Umayyad-era Arab identity developed very unevenly in this formative period.
Hussein Ahmad Amin
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474437073
- eISBN:
- 9781474453653
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474437073.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Originally published in Arabic in 1983, this book remains a timely and important read today. Both the resurgence of Islamist politics and the political, social and intellectual upheaval which ...
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Originally published in Arabic in 1983, this book remains a timely and important read today. Both the resurgence of Islamist politics and the political, social and intellectual upheaval which accompanied the Arab Spring challenge us to re-examine the interaction between the pre-modern Islamic tradition and modern supporters of continuity, reform and change in Muslim communities. This book does exactly that, raising questions regarding issues about which other Muslim intellectuals and thinkers have been silent. These include – among others – current religious practice vs the Islamic ideal; the many additions to the original revelation; the veracity of the Prophet’s biography and his sayings; the development of Sufism; and historical and ideological influences on Islamic thought.Less
Originally published in Arabic in 1983, this book remains a timely and important read today. Both the resurgence of Islamist politics and the political, social and intellectual upheaval which accompanied the Arab Spring challenge us to re-examine the interaction between the pre-modern Islamic tradition and modern supporters of continuity, reform and change in Muslim communities. This book does exactly that, raising questions regarding issues about which other Muslim intellectuals and thinkers have been silent. These include – among others – current religious practice vs the Islamic ideal; the many additions to the original revelation; the veracity of the Prophet’s biography and his sayings; the development of Sufism; and historical and ideological influences on Islamic thought.
Michael Geyer
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226584645
- eISBN:
- 9780226584812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226584812.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
Geyer’s contribution takes us on an intellectual voyage into the heart of middle America, Colorado Springs. There Hodgson organized an anti-racism group in his high school in 1942. Their concern was ...
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Geyer’s contribution takes us on an intellectual voyage into the heart of middle America, Colorado Springs. There Hodgson organized an anti-racism group in his high school in 1942. Their concern was anti-Japanese racism, WWII having just commenced. Young Marshall acquired enough notoriety locally to be interned as a conscientious objector in Camp Elkton, Oregon. There he was plunged into a fervently religious and politically radical environment that shaped his underlying convictions. From this life-altering encounter came his world historical inspiration and (less obviously) his growing interest in Islamic history. Geyer traces the steps along the path by which Hodgson became a world class intellectual with a mission to bring about an epistemic change from a history centered upon Europe to what he called a hemispheric interregional approach to world history. After the war Hodgson became first a graduate student and then a faculty member at the University of Chicago. Blessed with a gift for languages, he learned Arabic and Persian and launched himself as a scholar of Islamic civilization closely identified with his innovative undergraduate course, “The Venture of Islam.” Geyer’s essay is an essential element in charting the emergence of Hodgson as a man of conscience and world intellectual.Less
Geyer’s contribution takes us on an intellectual voyage into the heart of middle America, Colorado Springs. There Hodgson organized an anti-racism group in his high school in 1942. Their concern was anti-Japanese racism, WWII having just commenced. Young Marshall acquired enough notoriety locally to be interned as a conscientious objector in Camp Elkton, Oregon. There he was plunged into a fervently religious and politically radical environment that shaped his underlying convictions. From this life-altering encounter came his world historical inspiration and (less obviously) his growing interest in Islamic history. Geyer traces the steps along the path by which Hodgson became a world class intellectual with a mission to bring about an epistemic change from a history centered upon Europe to what he called a hemispheric interregional approach to world history. After the war Hodgson became first a graduate student and then a faculty member at the University of Chicago. Blessed with a gift for languages, he learned Arabic and Persian and launched himself as a scholar of Islamic civilization closely identified with his innovative undergraduate course, “The Venture of Islam.” Geyer’s essay is an essential element in charting the emergence of Hodgson as a man of conscience and world intellectual.
Edmund Burke III and Robert J. Mankin (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226584645
- eISBN:
- 9780226584812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226584812.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
When Hodgson began his career, both world history and Islamic history were still deeply embedded in an essentially Eurocentric and present-centered intellectual world. This mental framework made it ...
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When Hodgson began his career, both world history and Islamic history were still deeply embedded in an essentially Eurocentric and present-centered intellectual world. This mental framework made it difficult for contemporaries to grasp the stakes in World War II, the horrors that attended it, or the necessity of the movement of decolonization following it. The essays here constitute a kind of necessary stocktaking that allows us to grasp Hodgson’s originality, as well as the extent to which he was still shaped by the presuppositions that affected his generation. To accomplish this task Hodgson developed an interregional approach to world history while simultaneously globalizing Islamic history. His 1974 textbook, The Venture of Islam was a conceptual breakthrough in both arenas. His research on early Shi’ism constituted a major breakthrough in its own right. The essays in this volume make three things clear: the complexity of the mental world of Hodgson’s generation (and the daring of his ideas), the reasons why his writings both on Islam and on world history (after initially eliciting great praise) were pushed to one side, and finally, the extent to which his ideas and especially his morally engaged stance are of relevance to us once again today.Less
When Hodgson began his career, both world history and Islamic history were still deeply embedded in an essentially Eurocentric and present-centered intellectual world. This mental framework made it difficult for contemporaries to grasp the stakes in World War II, the horrors that attended it, or the necessity of the movement of decolonization following it. The essays here constitute a kind of necessary stocktaking that allows us to grasp Hodgson’s originality, as well as the extent to which he was still shaped by the presuppositions that affected his generation. To accomplish this task Hodgson developed an interregional approach to world history while simultaneously globalizing Islamic history. His 1974 textbook, The Venture of Islam was a conceptual breakthrough in both arenas. His research on early Shi’ism constituted a major breakthrough in its own right. The essays in this volume make three things clear: the complexity of the mental world of Hodgson’s generation (and the daring of his ideas), the reasons why his writings both on Islam and on world history (after initially eliciting great praise) were pushed to one side, and finally, the extent to which his ideas and especially his morally engaged stance are of relevance to us once again today.
Konrad Hirschler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474408776
- eISBN:
- 9781474418812
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474408776.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth ...
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The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth century onwards. While the existence of these libraries is well known our knowledge of their content and structure has been very limited as hardly any medieval Arabic catalogues have been preserved. This book discusses the largest and earliest medieval library of the Middle East for which we have documentation – the Ashrafiya library in the very centre of Damascus – and edits its catalogue. This catalogue shows that even book collections attached to Sunni religious institutions could hold rather unexpected titles, such as stories from the 1001 Nights, manuals for traders, medical handbooks, Shiite prayers, love poetry and texts extolling wine consumption. At the same time this library catalogue decisively expands our knowledge of how the books were spatially organised on the bookshelves of such a large medieval library. With over 2,000 entries this catalogue is essential reading for anybody interested in the cultural and intellectual history of Arabic societies. Setting the Ashrafiya catalogue into a comparative perspective with contemporaneous libraries on the British Isles this book opens new perspectives for the study of medieval libraries.Less
The written text was a pervasive feature of cultural practices in the medieval Middle East. At the heart of book circulation stood libraries that experienced a rapid expansion from the twelfth century onwards. While the existence of these libraries is well known our knowledge of their content and structure has been very limited as hardly any medieval Arabic catalogues have been preserved. This book discusses the largest and earliest medieval library of the Middle East for which we have documentation – the Ashrafiya library in the very centre of Damascus – and edits its catalogue. This catalogue shows that even book collections attached to Sunni religious institutions could hold rather unexpected titles, such as stories from the 1001 Nights, manuals for traders, medical handbooks, Shiite prayers, love poetry and texts extolling wine consumption. At the same time this library catalogue decisively expands our knowledge of how the books were spatially organised on the bookshelves of such a large medieval library. With over 2,000 entries this catalogue is essential reading for anybody interested in the cultural and intellectual history of Arabic societies. Setting the Ashrafiya catalogue into a comparative perspective with contemporaneous libraries on the British Isles this book opens new perspectives for the study of medieval libraries.
Arezou Azad
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199687053
- eISBN:
- 9780191766954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199687053.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, World Religions
The chapter describes the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh and sets its historiographical elements within the wider context of Islamic historiography through a source-critical study. The story that is being told here ...
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The chapter describes the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh and sets its historiographical elements within the wider context of Islamic historiography through a source-critical study. The story that is being told here is one of survival of a rare text, and its role in keeping alive a narrative on sacred landscape. In the inventory of texts that has been compiled, most of the sources are classified in one of five established categories of Islamic history-writing: the biographical ṭabaqāt, the genre of faḍīla, legal and juridical works, mystical and Sufi treatises, and poetry. Balkh is not alone in this form of history-writing, and there are comparanda from Bukhara, Samarqand, Nishapur, Isfahan and Bayhaq. The chapter argues that rather than seeing local history-writing in the ‘non-Arab’ lands as an expression of political autonomy from the caliphal centre, they are an attempt by the inhabitants to describe a history with ancient roots that is compatible within Islamic traditions.Less
The chapter describes the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh and sets its historiographical elements within the wider context of Islamic historiography through a source-critical study. The story that is being told here is one of survival of a rare text, and its role in keeping alive a narrative on sacred landscape. In the inventory of texts that has been compiled, most of the sources are classified in one of five established categories of Islamic history-writing: the biographical ṭabaqāt, the genre of faḍīla, legal and juridical works, mystical and Sufi treatises, and poetry. Balkh is not alone in this form of history-writing, and there are comparanda from Bukhara, Samarqand, Nishapur, Isfahan and Bayhaq. The chapter argues that rather than seeing local history-writing in the ‘non-Arab’ lands as an expression of political autonomy from the caliphal centre, they are an attempt by the inhabitants to describe a history with ancient roots that is compatible within Islamic traditions.
