Alexander Murray
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207313
- eISBN:
- 9780191677625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207313.003.0017
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, Social History
This chapter begins with a second reflection about historical method. It is about an intellectual convention quite as innate as periodisation to historical thoughts, namely the assignment of sources. ...
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This chapter begins with a second reflection about historical method. It is about an intellectual convention quite as innate as periodisation to historical thoughts, namely the assignment of sources. It is divided into five sections, split into two groups. The first three sections look at custom and belief in societies with no obvious claim to be sources of universal European custom. Considered here are suicide taboos among primitive peoples, attitudes to suicide in ancient and medieval India, and suicide law in medieval Islam. The last two sections examine milieux from which suicide taboos might directly have been transmitted, looking at suicide and the early Germans, and Egypt.Less
This chapter begins with a second reflection about historical method. It is about an intellectual convention quite as innate as periodisation to historical thoughts, namely the assignment of sources. It is divided into five sections, split into two groups. The first three sections look at custom and belief in societies with no obvious claim to be sources of universal European custom. Considered here are suicide taboos among primitive peoples, attitudes to suicide in ancient and medieval India, and suicide law in medieval Islam. The last two sections examine milieux from which suicide taboos might directly have been transmitted, looking at suicide and the early Germans, and Egypt.
Ondřej Beránek and Pavel Ťupek
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474417570
- eISBN:
- 9781474444774
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474417570.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter provides an overview of the broader context within which debates regarding graves, funeral architecture and ziyāra have taken place. The early Islamic interdictions against certain ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the broader context within which debates regarding graves, funeral architecture and ziyāra have taken place. The early Islamic interdictions against certain funerary structures and grave-related rites did not arise in a vacuum. Therefore, the chapter contextualises these debates and the gap that began to emerge between the traditionalists’ (Ahl al-hadith) vision of ideal Islam and the reality of popular Islam. The chapter also offers a detailed focus on the teachings of Ibn Taymiyya, as it was his narrative of Islamic history and the ideal Islamic community that inspired later Sunni reformists, among them the Salafis, who sought to defend Islamic identity against the incursion of foreign influences and impurities, be they elements of Christianity, Judaism, syncretism or modernity.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the broader context within which debates regarding graves, funeral architecture and ziyāra have taken place. The early Islamic interdictions against certain funerary structures and grave-related rites did not arise in a vacuum. Therefore, the chapter contextualises these debates and the gap that began to emerge between the traditionalists’ (Ahl al-hadith) vision of ideal Islam and the reality of popular Islam. The chapter also offers a detailed focus on the teachings of Ibn Taymiyya, as it was his narrative of Islamic history and the ideal Islamic community that inspired later Sunni reformists, among them the Salafis, who sought to defend Islamic identity against the incursion of foreign influences and impurities, be they elements of Christianity, Judaism, syncretism or modernity.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226471075
- eISBN:
- 9780226471099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226471099.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter describes the concept of “tolerance” in discussing medieval Islam. Jewish-Christian relations in the medieval West varied from time to time and from region to region. Medieval Muslims ...
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This chapter describes the concept of “tolerance” in discussing medieval Islam. Jewish-Christian relations in the medieval West varied from time to time and from region to region. Medieval Muslims considering the “others” in their midst viewed the world through a rather different set of lenses. Samhah, tasamuh, and samahah took a different route before becoming synonymous with Western notions of tolerance. There were instances of Jewish converts serving in the administration of the state, but the extent of this phenomenon cannot be gauged. For Jews converting to Islam who were not figures at court or positioned within the religious establishment, there were questions of social space. Even in modern Europe, many Jewish converts looking for social space originally traveled in circles with other converts, an environment they found mutually comforting.Less
This chapter describes the concept of “tolerance” in discussing medieval Islam. Jewish-Christian relations in the medieval West varied from time to time and from region to region. Medieval Muslims considering the “others” in their midst viewed the world through a rather different set of lenses. Samhah, tasamuh, and samahah took a different route before becoming synonymous with Western notions of tolerance. There were instances of Jewish converts serving in the administration of the state, but the extent of this phenomenon cannot be gauged. For Jews converting to Islam who were not figures at court or positioned within the religious establishment, there were questions of social space. Even in modern Europe, many Jewish converts looking for social space originally traveled in circles with other converts, an environment they found mutually comforting.
Daniella Talmon-Heller
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474460965
- eISBN:
- 9781474480772
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474460965.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Focusing on the construction of sanctity and its manifestations in individual devotions, formal ceremonies and communal rites, this book offers a fresh perspective on religious culture in the ...
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Focusing on the construction of sanctity and its manifestations in individual devotions, formal ceremonies and communal rites, this book offers a fresh perspective on religious culture in the medieval Middle East. It investigates Islamic thinking about and practice in sacred places and times through the detailed research of two contested case-studies: the shrine(s) in honour of the head of al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAli, and the (arguably) holy month of Rajab. The narrative spans the formative period of Islam until the late Mamluk period, attuned to changing political contexts and sectarian affiliations, and to the input of the social sciences and the study of religion. The juxtaposition of sacred place and time reveals that the two expanses were regarded as complementary venues for similar religious devotions, and imagined by a common vocabulary.Less
Focusing on the construction of sanctity and its manifestations in individual devotions, formal ceremonies and communal rites, this book offers a fresh perspective on religious culture in the medieval Middle East. It investigates Islamic thinking about and practice in sacred places and times through the detailed research of two contested case-studies: the shrine(s) in honour of the head of al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAli, and the (arguably) holy month of Rajab. The narrative spans the formative period of Islam until the late Mamluk period, attuned to changing political contexts and sectarian affiliations, and to the input of the social sciences and the study of religion. The juxtaposition of sacred place and time reveals that the two expanses were regarded as complementary venues for similar religious devotions, and imagined by a common vocabulary.
Ayman S. Ibrahim
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197530719
- eISBN:
- 9780197530740
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197530719.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Chapter 2 is devoted to sources attributed to pre-ᶜAbbāsid writers, who lived and wrote during the Umayyad Caliphate: Sulaym ibn Qays (d. 76/695), Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (d. 124/741), and Mūsā ibn ᶜUqba ...
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Chapter 2 is devoted to sources attributed to pre-ᶜAbbāsid writers, who lived and wrote during the Umayyad Caliphate: Sulaym ibn Qays (d. 76/695), Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (d. 124/741), and Mūsā ibn ᶜUqba (d. 135/752). These sources are problematic for various reasons, examined extensively in the first section of the chapter. The chapter then focuses on the literary descriptions of conversion and detectable themes. This chapter demonstrates how the earliest available historical reports include precursors of conversion themes, which are to be developed, used, or reinterpreted under the ᶜAbbāsid rule. Chapter 2 argues that, since the genesis of Muslim historical writing, religious historians not only emphasized conversion but also used it to advance their religious views and support their political agendas.Less
Chapter 2 is devoted to sources attributed to pre-ᶜAbbāsid writers, who lived and wrote during the Umayyad Caliphate: Sulaym ibn Qays (d. 76/695), Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (d. 124/741), and Mūsā ibn ᶜUqba (d. 135/752). These sources are problematic for various reasons, examined extensively in the first section of the chapter. The chapter then focuses on the literary descriptions of conversion and detectable themes. This chapter demonstrates how the earliest available historical reports include precursors of conversion themes, which are to be developed, used, or reinterpreted under the ᶜAbbāsid rule. Chapter 2 argues that, since the genesis of Muslim historical writing, religious historians not only emphasized conversion but also used it to advance their religious views and support their political agendas.
Menso Folkerts, Barnabas Hughes, Roi Wagner, J. Lennart Berggren, Menso Folkerts, Barnabas Hughes, Roi Wagner, J. Lennart Berggren, Menso Folkerts, Barnabas Hughes, Roi Wagner, and J. Lennart Berggren
Victor J. Katz, Victor J. Katz, and Victor J. Katz (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691156859
- eISBN:
- 9781400883202
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691156859.003.0004
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter turns to the mathematics of medieval Islam. These include the mathematical theories and practices that grew, and often flourished, in that part of the world where the dominant religious ...
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This chapter turns to the mathematics of medieval Islam. These include the mathematical theories and practices that grew, and often flourished, in that part of the world where the dominant religious and cultural influence was the religion of Islam, though this chapter focuses on the mathematics written in Spain and North Africa. The historical period under consideration is roughly the 700 years from 750 CE to 1450 CE, although the earliest mathematical works date from around 825. The chapter first discusses the arithmetic from this period, through the works of Aḥmad ibn al-Bannā, and others. Treatises on algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and trigonometry also follow, focusing on the selected works of many notable mathematicians of medieval Islam.Less
This chapter turns to the mathematics of medieval Islam. These include the mathematical theories and practices that grew, and often flourished, in that part of the world where the dominant religious and cultural influence was the religion of Islam, though this chapter focuses on the mathematics written in Spain and North Africa. The historical period under consideration is roughly the 700 years from 750 CE to 1450 CE, although the earliest mathematical works date from around 825. The chapter first discusses the arithmetic from this period, through the works of Aḥmad ibn al-Bannā, and others. Treatises on algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and trigonometry also follow, focusing on the selected works of many notable mathematicians of medieval Islam.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226471075
- eISBN:
- 9780226471099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226471099.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter discusses a monumental project on Islamic philosophy and science. It specifically considers cross-pollinations in philosophy and science that were to have a profound effect in the Latin ...
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This chapter discusses a monumental project on Islamic philosophy and science. It specifically considers cross-pollinations in philosophy and science that were to have a profound effect in the Latin West and in the Islamic world. The tension between philosophy and religion in Islamic times is evaluated. The beginnings of both philosophy and science in medieval Islam can be traced to the introduction of Arabic as a language. The analysis of science and philosophy was initially advanced by translators drawn from the Hellenized Christian and pagan communities of the pre-Islamic Near East. Medical education was probably uniform for all who practiced regardless of their faith community. The practical experience of working in a hospital was the final stage of medical education. Some early Zionist and current Israeli visionaries saw and continue to see the Jews as playing a central role in the transfer of valued knowledge.Less
This chapter discusses a monumental project on Islamic philosophy and science. It specifically considers cross-pollinations in philosophy and science that were to have a profound effect in the Latin West and in the Islamic world. The tension between philosophy and religion in Islamic times is evaluated. The beginnings of both philosophy and science in medieval Islam can be traced to the introduction of Arabic as a language. The analysis of science and philosophy was initially advanced by translators drawn from the Hellenized Christian and pagan communities of the pre-Islamic Near East. Medical education was probably uniform for all who practiced regardless of their faith community. The practical experience of working in a hospital was the final stage of medical education. Some early Zionist and current Israeli visionaries saw and continue to see the Jews as playing a central role in the transfer of valued knowledge.
Peter Sarris
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199261260
- eISBN:
- 9780191730962
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199261260.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
Drawing upon the latest historical and archaeological research, this work provides a panoramic account of the history of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East from the Fall of Rome to the Rise ...
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Drawing upon the latest historical and archaeological research, this work provides a panoramic account of the history of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam. The formation of a new social and economic order in western Europe in the fifth, sixth and seventh centuries, and the ascendancy across the West of a new culture of military lordship, are placed firmly in the context of on-going connections and influence radiating outwards from the surviving Eastern Roman Empire, ruled from the great imperial capital of Constantinople. The East Roman (or ‘Byzantine’) Emperor Justinian’s attempts to revive imperial fortunes, restore the empire’s power in the West, and face down Constantinople’s great superpower rival, the Sasanian Empire of Persia, are charted, as too are the ways in which the escalating warfare between Rome and Persia paved the way for the development of new concepts of ‘holy war’, the emergence of Islam, and the Arab conquests of the Near East. Processes of religious and cultural change are explained through examination of social, economic, and military upheavals, and the formation of early medieval European society is placed in a broader context of changes that swept across the world of Western Eurasia from Manchuria to the Rhine. Warfare and plague, holy men and kings, emperors, shahs, caliphs and peasants all play their part in a compelling narrative suited to specialist, student, and general readership alike.Less
Drawing upon the latest historical and archaeological research, this work provides a panoramic account of the history of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam. The formation of a new social and economic order in western Europe in the fifth, sixth and seventh centuries, and the ascendancy across the West of a new culture of military lordship, are placed firmly in the context of on-going connections and influence radiating outwards from the surviving Eastern Roman Empire, ruled from the great imperial capital of Constantinople. The East Roman (or ‘Byzantine’) Emperor Justinian’s attempts to revive imperial fortunes, restore the empire’s power in the West, and face down Constantinople’s great superpower rival, the Sasanian Empire of Persia, are charted, as too are the ways in which the escalating warfare between Rome and Persia paved the way for the development of new concepts of ‘holy war’, the emergence of Islam, and the Arab conquests of the Near East. Processes of religious and cultural change are explained through examination of social, economic, and military upheavals, and the formation of early medieval European society is placed in a broader context of changes that swept across the world of Western Eurasia from Manchuria to the Rhine. Warfare and plague, holy men and kings, emperors, shahs, caliphs and peasants all play their part in a compelling narrative suited to specialist, student, and general readership alike.
Ayman S. Ibrahim
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197530719
- eISBN:
- 9780197530740
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197530719.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Chapter 1 introduces the topic of investigation by explaining the research problem and the state of the art. It shows how some modern scholars believe that classical Muslim sources include scarce ...
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Chapter 1 introduces the topic of investigation by explaining the research problem and the state of the art. It shows how some modern scholars believe that classical Muslim sources include scarce information on conversion and consider them the wrong sources for studying the phenomenon. Drawing straightforward links between historiographical reports and events which may have happened centuries earlier is problematic, especially in the absence of actual documentation. However, it is important to study conversion depictions in early Islamic historiographical accounts. Through analyzing a vast number of Arabic Muslim historical accounts, historiography reveals a great deal about conversion. The chapter explains the theoretical basis of the investigation and the methodology of marrying history and historiography by tracing the interplay between historical phenomena and historiographical depictions; external evidence is investigated, then internal criticism is applied. The chapter lists the conversion themes detected, lays out the major arguments of the investigation, and explains the research plan and the outline of the book.Less
Chapter 1 introduces the topic of investigation by explaining the research problem and the state of the art. It shows how some modern scholars believe that classical Muslim sources include scarce information on conversion and consider them the wrong sources for studying the phenomenon. Drawing straightforward links between historiographical reports and events which may have happened centuries earlier is problematic, especially in the absence of actual documentation. However, it is important to study conversion depictions in early Islamic historiographical accounts. Through analyzing a vast number of Arabic Muslim historical accounts, historiography reveals a great deal about conversion. The chapter explains the theoretical basis of the investigation and the methodology of marrying history and historiography by tracing the interplay between historical phenomena and historiographical depictions; external evidence is investigated, then internal criticism is applied. The chapter lists the conversion themes detected, lays out the major arguments of the investigation, and explains the research plan and the outline of the book.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny ...
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This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny about the sufferings of Abbot Maiolus and his captivity in the summer of 972 are a case in point. The Muslims of La Garde-Freinet were never recognized as a polity by any Islamic government, but this small community of entrepreneurs played an important role in the political system of Provence. Stories about the abduction of Maiolus by these Muslims provided Abbot Peter the Venerable with an example of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Consequently, Peter’s translation of the Qur’an became his most important contribution to the missionary activities regarding Islamic principalities, where mendicants preached to Christians and Muslims alike.Less
This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny about the sufferings of Abbot Maiolus and his captivity in the summer of 972 are a case in point. The Muslims of La Garde-Freinet were never recognized as a polity by any Islamic government, but this small community of entrepreneurs played an important role in the political system of Provence. Stories about the abduction of Maiolus by these Muslims provided Abbot Peter the Venerable with an example of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Consequently, Peter’s translation of the Qur’an became his most important contribution to the missionary activities regarding Islamic principalities, where mendicants preached to Christians and Muslims alike.
Michael Cook
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198748496
- eISBN:
- 9780191811081
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198748496.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter compares early-medieval Christian and Islamic ideas regarding the acceptability or otherwise of pagan law under the monotheist dispensation. It argues that by and large there is a clear ...
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This chapter compares early-medieval Christian and Islamic ideas regarding the acceptability or otherwise of pagan law under the monotheist dispensation. It argues that by and large there is a clear contrast between the two approaches. The default attitude among early-medieval Christians is that pagan law is acceptable in the absence of specific grounds for rejecting it, whereas the default among Muslims is that it is unacceptable unless there are specific grounds for adopting it. The chapter also seeks to identify the motivations involved—both the reasons actually advanced by jurists on both sides and the underlying historical causes of the divergence.Less
This chapter compares early-medieval Christian and Islamic ideas regarding the acceptability or otherwise of pagan law under the monotheist dispensation. It argues that by and large there is a clear contrast between the two approaches. The default attitude among early-medieval Christians is that pagan law is acceptable in the absence of specific grounds for rejecting it, whereas the default among Muslims is that it is unacceptable unless there are specific grounds for adopting it. The chapter also seeks to identify the motivations involved—both the reasons actually advanced by jurists on both sides and the underlying historical causes of the divergence.
Meira Polliack
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814740620
- eISBN:
- 9780814724798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814740620.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter illustrates how the Judaeo-Arabic Karaite exegetes brought about a transition toward a new type of understanding. This understanding embraces the in-depth analysis of the Bible's ...
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This chapter illustrates how the Judaeo-Arabic Karaite exegetes brought about a transition toward a new type of understanding. This understanding embraces the in-depth analysis of the Bible's language and carries it through into new dimensions of discourse analysis, literary structure, and narrative technique. Even though they were capable of applying varied interpretive modes to the biblical text, including midrashic-like allegorizing, the Karaites' rejection of the sanctity of Oral Law, and their refocusing on the Bible as a self-contained text fostered a new path in Jewish Bible interpretation. This path echoed wider needs of a new era of literacy among the Jews of the medieval Islamic world, and gradually it found expression in the works of the Rabbanite Judaeo-Arabic exegetes as well.Less
This chapter illustrates how the Judaeo-Arabic Karaite exegetes brought about a transition toward a new type of understanding. This understanding embraces the in-depth analysis of the Bible's language and carries it through into new dimensions of discourse analysis, literary structure, and narrative technique. Even though they were capable of applying varied interpretive modes to the biblical text, including midrashic-like allegorizing, the Karaites' rejection of the sanctity of Oral Law, and their refocusing on the Bible as a self-contained text fostered a new path in Jewish Bible interpretation. This path echoed wider needs of a new era of literacy among the Jews of the medieval Islamic world, and gradually it found expression in the works of the Rabbanite Judaeo-Arabic exegetes as well.
Ayman S. Ibrahim
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197530719
- eISBN:
- 9780197530740
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197530719.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Why did non-Muslims convert to Islam during Muhammad’s life and under his immediate successors? How did Muslim historians portray these conversions? Why did their portrayals differ significantly? To ...
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Why did non-Muslims convert to Islam during Muhammad’s life and under his immediate successors? How did Muslim historians portray these conversions? Why did their portrayals differ significantly? To what extent were their portrayals influenced by their time of writing, religious inclinations, and political affiliations? These are the fundamental questions that drive this study. Relying on numerous works, including primary sources from over a hundred classical Muslim historians, this investigation is the first scholarly study to detect, trace, and analyze conversion themes in early Muslim historiography. It emphasizes how classical Muslims remembered conversion, and how they valued and evaluated aspects of it. This study examines the interplay between history and historiography, as it scrutinizes the influence of religio-political and sociocultural contexts on historical narratives. While this study focuses on historical accounts, its conclusions are contrasted with recent findings of non-historiographical research on conversion to Islam. Readers will join an intellectual journey, exploring numerous early Muslim sources and wrestling with critical observations regarding the sources’ reliability. They will question whether Islam actually spread by the sword and deduce unconventional meanings of conversion. They will unearth the hidden link between historical narratives and historians’ religious sympathies and political agendas. This study leads readers through a complex body of literature, provides insights regarding historical context, and creates a vivid picture of conversion to Islam as early Muslim historians sought to depict it.Less
Why did non-Muslims convert to Islam during Muhammad’s life and under his immediate successors? How did Muslim historians portray these conversions? Why did their portrayals differ significantly? To what extent were their portrayals influenced by their time of writing, religious inclinations, and political affiliations? These are the fundamental questions that drive this study. Relying on numerous works, including primary sources from over a hundred classical Muslim historians, this investigation is the first scholarly study to detect, trace, and analyze conversion themes in early Muslim historiography. It emphasizes how classical Muslims remembered conversion, and how they valued and evaluated aspects of it. This study examines the interplay between history and historiography, as it scrutinizes the influence of religio-political and sociocultural contexts on historical narratives. While this study focuses on historical accounts, its conclusions are contrasted with recent findings of non-historiographical research on conversion to Islam. Readers will join an intellectual journey, exploring numerous early Muslim sources and wrestling with critical observations regarding the sources’ reliability. They will question whether Islam actually spread by the sword and deduce unconventional meanings of conversion. They will unearth the hidden link between historical narratives and historians’ religious sympathies and political agendas. This study leads readers through a complex body of literature, provides insights regarding historical context, and creates a vivid picture of conversion to Islam as early Muslim historians sought to depict it.
Aydogan Kars
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190942458
- eISBN:
- 9780190942489
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190942458.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, Theology
What cannot be said about God, and how can we speak about God by negating what we say? Traveling across prominent negators, denialists, ineffectualists, paradoxographers, naysayers, ...
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What cannot be said about God, and how can we speak about God by negating what we say? Traveling across prominent negators, denialists, ineffectualists, paradoxographers, naysayers, ignorance-pretenders, unknowers, I-don’t-knowers, and taciturns, Unsaying God explores the negative theological movements that flourished in the first seven centuries of Islam. It shows that there were multiple and often competing strategies for self-negating speech in the vast field of theology. By focusing on Arabic and Persian textual sources, the book defines four distinct yet interconnected paths of negative speech formations on the nature of God that circulated in medieval Islamic world. Expanding its scope to Jewish intellectuals, Unsaying God also demonstrates that religious boundaries were easily transgressed as scholars from diverse sectarian or religious backgrounds could adopt similar paths of negative speech on God. This is the first book-length study of negative theology in Islam. As an introductory work, it aims to encompass vast fields of scholarship and diverse intellectual schools and figures, in order to tell the story of negative theology and apophaticism and to become a stepping-stone for further research in the field. It is an encompassing book, accessible to a wide audience while addressing the advanced reader of religion who wants to learn about the diverse ways in which God has been unsaid for centuries.Less
What cannot be said about God, and how can we speak about God by negating what we say? Traveling across prominent negators, denialists, ineffectualists, paradoxographers, naysayers, ignorance-pretenders, unknowers, I-don’t-knowers, and taciturns, Unsaying God explores the negative theological movements that flourished in the first seven centuries of Islam. It shows that there were multiple and often competing strategies for self-negating speech in the vast field of theology. By focusing on Arabic and Persian textual sources, the book defines four distinct yet interconnected paths of negative speech formations on the nature of God that circulated in medieval Islamic world. Expanding its scope to Jewish intellectuals, Unsaying God also demonstrates that religious boundaries were easily transgressed as scholars from diverse sectarian or religious backgrounds could adopt similar paths of negative speech on God. This is the first book-length study of negative theology in Islam. As an introductory work, it aims to encompass vast fields of scholarship and diverse intellectual schools and figures, in order to tell the story of negative theology and apophaticism and to become a stepping-stone for further research in the field. It is an encompassing book, accessible to a wide audience while addressing the advanced reader of religion who wants to learn about the diverse ways in which God has been unsaid for centuries.
Ayman S. Ibrahim
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197530719
- eISBN:
- 9780197530740
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197530719.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Chapter 5 presents a cohesive conclusion, summarizing the findings, rehearsing the arguments, and synthesizing the concluding remarks of the entire study. Islamic historiography presents varying ...
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Chapter 5 presents a cohesive conclusion, summarizing the findings, rehearsing the arguments, and synthesizing the concluding remarks of the entire study. Islamic historiography presents varying notions of conversion to Islam which are evidenced by repeated literary features and depictions. It suggests not only that conversion started slowly (as recent studies advocate) but also that conversion meant different things, including sincere religious conviction and mere political submission. Medieval Muslim historians utilize conversion themes to address both non-Muslims and Muslims, highlighting the supremacy of Islam to non-Muslims and emphasizing genuineness of faith to Muslims. Literary depictions of conversion are a product of the religious views of the historians, influenced by the sociopolitical requirements at the time of writing.Less
Chapter 5 presents a cohesive conclusion, summarizing the findings, rehearsing the arguments, and synthesizing the concluding remarks of the entire study. Islamic historiography presents varying notions of conversion to Islam which are evidenced by repeated literary features and depictions. It suggests not only that conversion started slowly (as recent studies advocate) but also that conversion meant different things, including sincere religious conviction and mere political submission. Medieval Muslim historians utilize conversion themes to address both non-Muslims and Muslims, highlighting the supremacy of Islam to non-Muslims and emphasizing genuineness of faith to Muslims. Literary depictions of conversion are a product of the religious views of the historians, influenced by the sociopolitical requirements at the time of writing.
Mustafa Banister
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781474453363
- eISBN:
- 9781474495547
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474453363.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This introductory chapter discusses past scholarship on the Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo (1261-1517) and lays out some of the main themes, concerns and guiding questions of the book. The book’s central ...
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This introductory chapter discusses past scholarship on the Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo (1261-1517) and lays out some of the main themes, concerns and guiding questions of the book. The book’s central hypothesis and organisation are also presented in summary.Less
This introductory chapter discusses past scholarship on the Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo (1261-1517) and lays out some of the main themes, concerns and guiding questions of the book. The book’s central hypothesis and organisation are also presented in summary.
Aydogan Kars
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190942458
- eISBN:
- 9780190942489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190942458.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, Theology
This chapter introduces the framework and the content of the book and discusses the basic conceptual problems revolving around “negative theology.” It argues that we should not only move from ...
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This chapter introduces the framework and the content of the book and discusses the basic conceptual problems revolving around “negative theology.” It argues that we should not only move from “negative theology” to “negative theologies” in order to approach Islamic intellectual landscapes, but we should also qualify the particular question of theology we are examining. Discussions of negative theology as such tend to confuse divine attributes and the divine essence and reduce apophaticism into a hunt for negative particles and statements. The chapter narrows down the scope of the book to the negative theologies of the divine essence. It also presents justifications for its boundaries and its linguistic preferences, and it defines some technical terms that appear throughout the book. It provides a conceptual introduction to negative theology and a compass to the subsequent chapters of the book.Less
This chapter introduces the framework and the content of the book and discusses the basic conceptual problems revolving around “negative theology.” It argues that we should not only move from “negative theology” to “negative theologies” in order to approach Islamic intellectual landscapes, but we should also qualify the particular question of theology we are examining. Discussions of negative theology as such tend to confuse divine attributes and the divine essence and reduce apophaticism into a hunt for negative particles and statements. The chapter narrows down the scope of the book to the negative theologies of the divine essence. It also presents justifications for its boundaries and its linguistic preferences, and it defines some technical terms that appear throughout the book. It provides a conceptual introduction to negative theology and a compass to the subsequent chapters of the book.
Aydogan Kars
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190942458
- eISBN:
- 9780190942489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190942458.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, Theology
This chapter introduces paradoxical apophaticism on the divine essence and tests the common association of paradox and Sufism, with a particular focus on the self-contradictory phrases and statements ...
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This chapter introduces paradoxical apophaticism on the divine essence and tests the common association of paradox and Sufism, with a particular focus on the self-contradictory phrases and statements in the “X-not-X” forms. Neither the employment nor the celebration of paradoxes were uniquely Sufi phenomenon. Yet it was primarily Sufis from early on who consciously adopted paradoxical apophatic approaches to the divine essence. I argue that the employment of paradoxes follows a rule-governed set of strategies in order to negate propositional discourse on God. These strategies entailed (1) a balanced, or symmetrical, attitude that finds affirmative and negative language equally disqualified, (2) a balanced take on the binary of divine incomparability and immanence, while the vast majority of Muslim scholars hold the former superior, and (3) a dialectical logic that performs divine trans-discursivity by uniting the irreconcilable opposites that constitute propositional discourse.Less
This chapter introduces paradoxical apophaticism on the divine essence and tests the common association of paradox and Sufism, with a particular focus on the self-contradictory phrases and statements in the “X-not-X” forms. Neither the employment nor the celebration of paradoxes were uniquely Sufi phenomenon. Yet it was primarily Sufis from early on who consciously adopted paradoxical apophatic approaches to the divine essence. I argue that the employment of paradoxes follows a rule-governed set of strategies in order to negate propositional discourse on God. These strategies entailed (1) a balanced, or symmetrical, attitude that finds affirmative and negative language equally disqualified, (2) a balanced take on the binary of divine incomparability and immanence, while the vast majority of Muslim scholars hold the former superior, and (3) a dialectical logic that performs divine trans-discursivity by uniting the irreconcilable opposites that constitute propositional discourse.
Aydogan Kars
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190942458
- eISBN:
- 9780190942489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190942458.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam, Theology
Since its emergence as a systematic discipline, the scholarship on prophetic traditions depicted itself as the heir of a scripturalist apophaticism, which cancels itself in favor of the unknowability ...
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Since its emergence as a systematic discipline, the scholarship on prophetic traditions depicted itself as the heir of a scripturalist apophaticism, which cancels itself in favor of the unknowability of the divine nature and the incomprehensibility of the sacred Qurʾanic discourse on it. The main features of this tradition were as follows: (1) the conviction that the Qurʾan is the uncreated, eternal word of God. (2) This premise was fundamental in canceling out human discursive constructs, since they cannot grasp the meaning of the transcendent discourse on God’s nature, specifically in the case of Her anthropomorphic depictions. (3) Any interpretive inquiry is doomed to fail before the unknowable divine nature and the transcendent discourse on it. Theological discourses nullify themselves in favor of a non-cognitive position, where neither the divine ipseity, nor the meaning of the transcendent discourse on it can be known. This non-cognitive, anti-interpretive position played an important and rather exceptional role in the canonization of Sufism in the tenth and eleventh centuries and in the formation of the nascent Sufi orders in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.Less
Since its emergence as a systematic discipline, the scholarship on prophetic traditions depicted itself as the heir of a scripturalist apophaticism, which cancels itself in favor of the unknowability of the divine nature and the incomprehensibility of the sacred Qurʾanic discourse on it. The main features of this tradition were as follows: (1) the conviction that the Qurʾan is the uncreated, eternal word of God. (2) This premise was fundamental in canceling out human discursive constructs, since they cannot grasp the meaning of the transcendent discourse on God’s nature, specifically in the case of Her anthropomorphic depictions. (3) Any interpretive inquiry is doomed to fail before the unknowable divine nature and the transcendent discourse on it. Theological discourses nullify themselves in favor of a non-cognitive position, where neither the divine ipseity, nor the meaning of the transcendent discourse on it can be known. This non-cognitive, anti-interpretive position played an important and rather exceptional role in the canonization of Sufism in the tenth and eleventh centuries and in the formation of the nascent Sufi orders in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.
Benjamin D. Sommer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814740620
- eISBN:
- 9780814724798
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814740620.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
What do Jews think scripture is? How do the People of the Book conceive of the Book of Books? In what ways is it authoritative? Who has the right to interpret it? Is it divinely or humanly written? ...
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What do Jews think scripture is? How do the People of the Book conceive of the Book of Books? In what ways is it authoritative? Who has the right to interpret it? Is it divinely or humanly written? And have Jews always thought about the Bible in the same way? This book traces the way some of the most important Jewish thinkers throughout history have addressed these questions from the rabbinic era through the medieval Islamic world to modern Jewish scholarship. The chapters address why different Jewish thinkers, writers, and communities have turned to the Bible—and what they expect to get from it. Ultimately, the book argues, in understanding the ways Jews construct scripture, we begin to understand the ways Jews construct themselves.Less
What do Jews think scripture is? How do the People of the Book conceive of the Book of Books? In what ways is it authoritative? Who has the right to interpret it? Is it divinely or humanly written? And have Jews always thought about the Bible in the same way? This book traces the way some of the most important Jewish thinkers throughout history have addressed these questions from the rabbinic era through the medieval Islamic world to modern Jewish scholarship. The chapters address why different Jewish thinkers, writers, and communities have turned to the Bible—and what they expect to get from it. Ultimately, the book argues, in understanding the ways Jews construct scripture, we begin to understand the ways Jews construct themselves.