Religion and Politics under the Early ‘Abbāsids

Religion and Politics under the Early ‘Abbāsids PDF Author: Muhammad Qasim Zaman
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004493190
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
The main concern of this book is the religious policies of the early ‘Abbāsid caliphs. It focuses on the religious trends which went into the making of Sunnī Islam, and traces the emergence of the nascent Sunnī elite in relation to the ‘Abbāsids. Various aspects of the caliphs' evolving relationship with the religious scholars are studied and the nature of caliphal patronage and its impact on the scholars, and ultimately on the evolution of early Sunnism, is explored. What emerges is a picture of close collaboration between the caliphs and the ‘ulama’, with the caliphs playing an active and multifaceted role in religious life. This book challenges the prevailing interpretations of the separation of religion and politics in early Islam, and offers new insights into the social and religious history of Islam's formative centuries.

Religion and Politics under the Early ‘Abbāsids

Religion and Politics under the Early ‘Abbāsids PDF Author: Muhammad Qasim Zaman
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004493190
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Get Book

Book Description
The main concern of this book is the religious policies of the early ‘Abbāsid caliphs. It focuses on the religious trends which went into the making of Sunnī Islam, and traces the emergence of the nascent Sunnī elite in relation to the ‘Abbāsids. Various aspects of the caliphs' evolving relationship with the religious scholars are studied and the nature of caliphal patronage and its impact on the scholars, and ultimately on the evolution of early Sunnism, is explored. What emerges is a picture of close collaboration between the caliphs and the ‘ulama’, with the caliphs playing an active and multifaceted role in religious life. This book challenges the prevailing interpretations of the separation of religion and politics in early Islam, and offers new insights into the social and religious history of Islam's formative centuries.

Law and Politics under the Abbasids

Law and Politics under the Abbasids PDF Author: Sohaira Z. M. Siddiqui
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781108721950
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Abu Ma'ali al-Juwayni (d.478/1085) lived in a politically tumultuous period. The rise of powerful dynastic families forced the Abbasid Caliph into a position of titular power, and created instability. He also witnessed intellectual upheavals living amidst great theological and legal diversity. Collectively, these experiences led him to consider questions of religious certainty and social and political continuity. He noted that if political elites are constantly changing, paralleled with shifting intellectual allegiances, what ensures the continuity of religion? He concluded that continuity of society is contingent upon knowledge and practice of the Shari'a. Here, Sohaira Siddiqui explores how scholars grappled with questions of human reason and knowledge, and how their answers to these questions often led them to challenge dominant ideas of what the Shari'a is. By doing this, she highlights the interconnections between al-Juwayni's discussions on theology, law and politics, and the socio-political intellectual landscapes that forged them.

The Early Abbasid Caliphate

The Early Abbasid Caliphate PDF Author: Hugh Kennedy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317358066
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
The early Abbasid Caliphate was an important period for Islam. The dynasty, based in Baghdad, ruled over a vast Empire, stretching from the Indus Valley and Southern Russia to the East to Tunisia in the West; and presided over an age of brilliant cultural achievements. This study, first published in 1981, examines the Abbasid Caliphs from their coming to power in 750 AD, to the death of the Caliph al-Ma’mun in 833 AD, when the period of Turkish domination began. It looks at the political history of the period, and also considers the social and economic factors, showing how they developed and influenced political life. The work is designed as a unique introduction to the period, and will prove invaluable to all students involved with Islamic, Byzantine and Mediterranean history and culture.

Religion, Learning and Science in the 'Abbasid Period

Religion, Learning and Science in the 'Abbasid Period PDF Author: M. J. L. Young
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521028875
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 616

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Book Description
Writings in learned subjects from the period eighth to thirteenth centuries, AD.

Religion and Politics Under the Early ʻAbbāsids

Religion and Politics Under the Early ʻAbbāsids PDF Author: Muhammad Qasim Zaman
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004106789
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
A study of the religious policies of the early Abb sids. It describes the caliphs' patronage of the nascent Sunni religious elite and offers a new interpretation of the relationship of religion and politics in Islam's first centuries.

Inquisition in Early Islam

Inquisition in Early Islam PDF Author: John P. Turner (Associate Professor of History)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780755607846
Category : Abbasids
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
"In 833 CE, the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun began a period of inquisition (mihna), one which continued until his successor al-Mutawakkil decreed its end, fifteen years later. During this period, the Caliphs in power strove to promote 'correct belief' in the 'createdness' of the Qur'an, thus ordering the interrogation of religious scholars on the subject and disqualifying, beating or even executing those who answered incorrectly. Here, John P. Turner examines and analyses this major episode, viewing it as the pivotal point for the era in question and ultimately for the state of relations between the temporal authorities and religious law. Inquisition in Early Islam focuses on the shifting control over matters of belief and orthodoxy, from the Caliph to the religious scholars, and explores the relationships between heresy, power and the articulation and definition of law and doctrine. Turner does so by exploring the mihna within its context, asking questions such as, why was it so pivotal? Why was it begun? Why did it end? When did the meaning of the Caliph's position in society shift? How did the Caliph lose his ability to assert himself in defining the boundaries and beliefs of religion? And why and when do the religious/legal scholars gain independence and control over the elaboration and interpretation of the law? By examining the definition of 'heresy' as conceived of by the Caliphs, Turner presents a vivid account of the heresy trials during this period, as well as an insightful analysis of the nature of rule and religion. Through investigating heretics and heresy in this period, Turner highlights the Caliph's social role, exploring the relationships between orthodoxy, heresy, power and authority in a context where there was no single arbiter of dogma. This book is therefore of particular interest to researchers and scholars of Islamic history as well as of comparative religion and medieval history."--Bloomsbury publishing.

Messianic Beliefs and Imperial Politics in Medieval Islam

Messianic Beliefs and Imperial Politics in Medieval Islam PDF Author: Hayrettin Yücesoy
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN: 9781570038198
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
An analysis of the dynamic relationship between apocalyptic prophesies and medieval Muslim politics Messianic Beliefs and Imperial Politics in Medieval Islam analyzes the role of Muslim messianic and apocalyptic beliefs in the development of the 'Abbasid Caliphate to highlight connections between charismatic authority and institutional developments in the early ninth century. Hayrettin Yücesoy studies the relationship between rulers and religion to advance understanding of the era's political actions and, more specifically, to illustrate how messianic beliefs influenced 'Abbsid imperial politics and contributed to the reshaping of the caliphate under al-Ma'mun (809-33) after a decade-long civil war. Yücesoy challenges traditional sociological views that marginalize messianic beliefs as oppositional ideologies of disfranchised social classes to be used against the political establishment. Instead he finds a mode of symbiosis between messianic beliefs, political reform, and imperial ambitions put in motion by al-'Ma'mun's acute understanding of the sociopolitical and ideological context of his time. Yücesoy demonstrates how the caliphate absorbed influences from the late antique world and Near Eastern cultures to fashion a prophetic vision that served to undergird al-'Ma'mun's imperial aspirations. A comprehensive portrait of the caliph and his reign emerges from this study as a result. By drawing on records of Muslim and non-Muslim apocalyptic prophecies circulating among the general public and educated elites alike, this study demonstrates the pertinence of messianic beliefs to medieval Muslim politics and illustrates the manner in which the caliph responded and shaped societal concerns on three distinct fronts: domestic fiscal and administrative reforms, an increase in missionary and military activities, and religious reform. Yücesoy shows that political usefulness contributed to the longevity of charismatic ideologies by addressing how the 'Abbsid ruling class adopted such beliefs as a medium to initiate governmental reforms and expand their authority. This work adds new layers to ongoing interdisciplinary discourse about the importance of religion in Islamic sociopolitical life, both historically and in the contemporary Muslim world.

Early Mahdism

Early Mahdism PDF Author: Jan-Olaf Blichfeldt
Publisher: Brill Archive
ISBN: 9789004076433
Category : Islam and politics
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description


The Making of a Religious Discourse

The Making of a Religious Discourse PDF Author: Muhammad Qasim Zaman
Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)
ISBN: 1565640861
Category : Abbasids
Languages : en
Pages : 9

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Book Description
: The Abbasid revolution is of of the major episodes of early Islamic history. It brought about not only the destruction of the Umayyad caliphate and its substitution by the caliphate of the Abbasids – both of which were among the most powerful empires of their time –but also major transformations in the social, political, military, administrative, and cultural spheres of Muslim life. Pone of the best documented episodes of early Islamic history, the Abbasid revolution, has also received considerable attention from modern scholars. This study takes a new look at the history and historiagraphy of the Abbasid revolution. The concern here is not with delineating the historical processes which culminated in this revolution, but with the revolution’s religious discourse, as depicted in the narratives of the major historians of classical Islam.

Disenchanting the Caliphate

Disenchanting the Caliphate PDF Author: Hayrettin Yücesoy
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231557922
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 668

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Book Description
The political thought of Muslim societies is all too often defined in religious terms, in which the writings of clerics are seen as representative and ideas about governance are treated as an extension of commentary on sacred texts. Disenchanting the Caliphate offers a groundbreaking new account of political discourse in Islamic history by examining Abbasid imperial practice, illuminating the emergence and influence of a vibrant secular tradition. Closely reading key eighth-century texts, Hayrettin Yücesoy argues that the ulema’s discourse of religious governance and the political thought of lay intellectuals diverged during this foundational period, with enduring consequences. He traces how notions of good governance and reflections on prudent statecraft arose among cosmopolitan literati who envisioned governing as an art. Competent in nonreligious branches of knowledge and trained in administrative professions, these belletrists articulated and defended secular political practices, reimagining the caliphal realm as politically constituted rather than natural. They sought to improve administrative efficiency and bolster state control for an empire made up of diverse cultures. Their ideas about moral cultivation, temporal reasoning, and governmental rationality endured for centuries as a counterpoint to religious rulership. Drawing on this history, Yücesoy critiques the concept of “Islamic political thought,” calling for decolonizing debates about “secular” and “religious” politics. Theoretically rich and historically grounded, Disenchanting the Caliphate is an insightful and provocative reconsideration of key strands of political discourse in the intellectual history of Muslim societies.