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Papers by Aaron Hagler

In the West, the study of the phenomenon known as the Crusades has long been dominated by Europea... more In the West, the study of the phenomenon known as the Crusades has long been dominated by European concerns: European periodization, European selection of important moments and personages, and, most of all, European sources. In recent years, scholars such as Carole Hillenbrand, Paul Cobb, and Michael Lower have mined Arabic-language material with the purpose of creating a more balanced view of the Crusades--one that gives the Muslim experiences a voice in the English language. Now, Dr. Suleiman Mourad, Professor of Religion at Smith College, and Dr. James Lindsay, Professor of History at Colorado State University, have produced an anthology known as Muslim Sources of the Crusader Period: An Anthology (Hackett, 2021). Covering a wide range of topics and a diverse set of sources, Muslim Sources of the Crusader Period makes new translations of primary source material available to English-speaking students and scholars of the Crusades. In our conversation, Jim, Suleiman and [Aaron M. Ha...

The Battle of Ṣiffīn (36 AH/656 AD) seems, at first glance, a highly unlikely venue for pro-Umayy... more The Battle of Ṣiffīn (36 AH/656 AD) seems, at first glance, a highly unlikely venue for pro-Umayyad discourse, but through an emerging sympathy towards the memory of the Umayyad dynasty, in the work of a handful of well-known Syrian Sunnī Arabic historians, that is precisely what it became. The Ṣiffīn story—the narrative of the famous battle on the banks of the

Der Islam, 2020

In the era of the “Sunnī Revival” and the couple of centuries following, scholars engaged in a la... more In the era of the “Sunnī Revival” and the couple of centuries following, scholars engaged in a large historiographical project aimed at rehabilitating the reputation of the Umayyad dynasty and Syria’s role in the early Islamic narrative. One of Ibn Kathīr’s historiographical missions in his history Kitāb al-Bidāya wa-l-nihāya was specifically the defense of the Companions of the Prophet. As such, the narrative of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib required some manipulation to answer Shīʿī narratives that cast some of the most important Companions (especially those associated with the Umayyads and Syria) in a rebellious light. This article explores the literary-narrative strategies Ibn Kathīr employs to alter the narrative so as to counteract the implications of the pro-ʿAlīd versions of the story he found in his sources, especially al-Ṭabarī’s Taʾrīkh al-Rusul wa-l-mulūk.

Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal, 2018

This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors t... more This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors through the lens of stage actor performance theory. In particular, it argues that semi-canonical writings, such as al-Ṭabarī's History of the Prophets and Kings, become the "script" that later authors, such as Ibn al-Athīr and Ibn Kathīr "perform" as actors. This methodology is novel, and argues that by examining the changes authors made to narratives presented in earlier Arabic texts, we can draw important conclusions about the authors' opinions of the relative importance of narrative elements, the authors' literary-narrative strategies for endowing memories with meaning, and establish each author's "super-objective" (his primary thematic or narrative concerns).

Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal, 2013

Arabica, 2018

The historical chronicle al-Kāmil fī l-ta⁠ʾrīḫ (The Complete History) of Ibn al-Aṯīr al-Ǧazarī (5... more The historical chronicle al-Kāmil fī l-ta⁠ʾrīḫ (The Complete History) of Ibn al-Aṯīr al-Ǧazarī (555/1160-630/1233) treats conservatively the existing corpus of narratives of the fitna, the first Muslim civil war (36/656-41/661). Ibn al-Aṯīr alters his main source’s accounts of troublesome moments, usually through omission, to present a universal history that serves to rehabilitate the reputation of the Umayyads without criticizing the partisans of ʿAlī. While this approach may be understood as remarkable scholarly detachment from perhaps the most contentious episode of the early Islamic narrative, in fact this narrative strategy is carefully calculated to present a past that can serve as an example for the future: one in which the disagreements that had fractured the umma were surmountable, and its unity was recoverable. Such changes, while small, had a large qualitative impact due to the narrative centrality of the fitna within the wider early Islamic narrative.

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2015

One mission of Ibn Kathir'sKitab al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya fi al-Taʾrikh(The Book of the Beginnin... more One mission of Ibn Kathir'sKitab al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya fi al-Taʾrikh(The Book of the Beginning and the End in History) is to provide a Sunni answer to a generally ʿAlid-legitimizing corpus of early Islamic historical accounts. Part of the 13th- and 14th-century movement that sought to rehabilitate the image of Syria and the otherwise reviled Umayyad dynasty (r. 661–750), Ibn Kathir's grand work of history cleverly reframes the early Islamic narrative to fit into what he considers a more “properly” Sunni framework than his sources provided. This article focuses on Ibn Kathir's presentation of theshūrā, the council appointed by ʿUmar and charged with choosing from among its six members his successor. It identifies the literary tools Ibn Kathir employed and offers a framework for his strategy of employing them. Whether through narrative aside or criticism of other historians, Ibn Kathir's recasting of a pro-ʿAlid grudge story as an Umayyad apologetic highlights moments ...

collegecatalog.uchicago.edu

Majors in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Chicago pursue rig... more Majors in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) at the University of Chicago pursue rigorous knowledge about a region of the world that is known as "the cradle of civilization" and the home of several important religious and cultural traditions, as well as one of the most important geopolitical areas of our contemporary world. NELC majors acquire languages; learn how archaeologists, economists, historians, linguists, literary scholars, and careful readers of legal, religious, economic, and other kinds of texts critically evaluate evidence; and acquire, largely in small class settings, analytical writing, thinking, and research skills that will help prepare them for a variety of careers. Geographically centered on the Nile to Oxus and Danube to Indus region, NELC also embraces North Africa and Islamic Spain, as well as Central Asia and the Balkans in its ambit, from the early Bronze Age to the recent era of revolutions. Students can gain expertise in a wide variety of languages, including the living spoken tongues of the modern Middle East and Central Asia (Arabic, Armenian, modern Hebrew, Kazakh, Persian, Turkish, and Uzbek) or languages that open gateways onto the ancient past and the scriptures of contemporary religious traditions (Aramaic, Babylonian, Biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Elamite, Ge'ez, Hittite, Middle and Old Persian, Ottoman, Syriac, Ugaritic, etc.). In an interdisciplinary area studies department like NELC, majors learn about the region through primary sources (material, oral, or textual) and scholarly analysis, structuring their curriculum around various disciplines and methodologies, including stratigraphy and paleobotany, comparative literature, cultural and civilizational studies, economics and numismatics, gender studies, history (economic, political, religious, and social), human rights, public policy, and digital humanities approaches.

Mathal, 2018

This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors t... more This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors through the lens of stage actor performance theory. In particular, it argues that semi-canonical writings, such as al-Ṭabarī’s History of the Prophets and Kings, become the “script” that later authors, such as Ibn al-Athīr and Ibn Kathīr “perform” as actors. This methodology is novel, and argues that by examining the changes authors made to narratives presented in earlier Arabic texts, we can draw important conclusions about the authors’ opinions of the relative importance of narrative elements, the authors’ literary-narrative strategies for endowing memories with meaning, and establish each author's "super-objective" (his primary thematic or narrative concerns).

Arabica, 2018

The historical chronicle al-Kāmil fī l-taʾrīḫ (“The Complete History”) of Ibn al-Aṯīr al-Ǧazarī (... more The historical chronicle al-Kāmil fī l-taʾrīḫ (“The Complete History”) of Ibn al-Aṯīr al-Ǧazarī (AH 555-630/CE 1160-1233) treats conservatively the existing corpus of narratives of the fitna, the first Muslim civil war (36-41/656-661). Ibn al-Aṯīr alters his main source’s accounts of troublesome moments, usually through omission, to present a universal history that serves to rehabilitate the reputation of the Umayyads without criticizing the partisans of ʿAlī. While this approach may be understood as remarkable scholarly detachment from perhaps the most contentious episode of the early Islamic narrative, in fact this narrative strategy is carefully calculated to present a past that can serve as an example for the future: one in which the disagreements that had fractured the umma were surmountable, and its unity was recoverable. Such changes, while small, had a large qualitative impact due to the narrative centrality of the fitna within the wider early Islamic narrative.

L’Histoire universelle d’Ibn al-Aṯīr al-Ǧazarī (AH 555-630/CE 1160-1233), intitulée al-Kāmil fī l-taʾrīḫ (“L’histoire compléte”) traite avec prudence le corpus des récits de la fitna, première guerre civile des musulmans (36-41/656-661). Ibn al-Aṯīr modifie la narration des moments gênants, généralement par le biais d’omissions, afin de présenter une histoire universelle qui réhabilite la réputation des Omeyyades, sans pour autant critiquer les partisans d’ʿAlī. Bien que cette approche puisse être
Interprétée comme le détachement remarquable d’un savant à l’égard de l’épisode le plus litigieux de l’histoire des débuts de l’Islam, cette stratégie narrative est soigneusement calculée pour faire du passé un exemple pour l’avenir. Un future dans lequel les désaccords qui avaient fracturé la communauté étaient surmontables, et l’unité possible. Bien que mimimes, de telles de modifications narratives avaient un large impact, en raison de la centralité de la fitna dans le récit plus général des premiers temps de l’Islam.

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2015

One mission of Ibn Kathir's Kitab al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya fi al-Taʾrikh (The Book of the Beginning ... more One mission of Ibn Kathir's Kitab al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya fi al-Taʾrikh (The Book of the Beginning and the End in History) is to provide a Sunni answer to a generally ʿAlid-legitimizing corpus of early Islamic historical accounts. Part of the 13th- and 14th-century movement that sought to rehabilitate the image of Syria and the otherwise reviled Umayyad dynasty (r. 661–750), Ibn Kathir's grand work of history cleverly reframes the early Islamic narrative to fit into what he considers a more “properly” Sunni framework than his sources provided. This article focuses on Ibn Kathir's presentation of the shūrā, the council appointed by ʿUmar and charged with choosing from among its six members his successor. It identifies the literary tools Ibn Kathir employed and offers a framework for his strategy of employing them. Whether through narrative aside or criticism of other historians, Ibn Kathir's recasting of a pro-ʿAlid grudge story as an Umayyad apologetic highlights moments of sectarian contention and emphasizes the evolution of Sunni opinion on ʿAli and ʿUthman.

Book Reviews by Aaron Hagler

Conference Presentations by Aaron Hagler

Ibn al-'Adim's biographical dictionary of the city of Aleppo, Bughyat al-Talab fi Ta'rikh Halab ... more Ibn al-'Adim's biographical dictionary of the city of Aleppo, Bughyat al-Talab fi Ta'rikh Halab (“Everything Desirable about the History of Aleppo,” or the Bughya), presents a description of the life and careers of notables who are connected to the city of Aleppo (which is defined rather broadly to include much of Syria). As a work of history focused on such people, rather than on events, the standard well-known synthetic narrative of the first fitna becomes essentially homeless, and appears only in a form that is fragmented, dispersed across multiple entries, and slanted (where it does appear) towards each individual's experience of events in the fitna. The narrative space thus shifts from the "main action" to what may be termed the backstage scenes--conversations between characters before and after key events, or Ibn al-'Adim's own commentary on those characters, rather than the overviews that are common in more standard narrative forms. This paper will explore how changing the space of the presented action from the fitna’s events to its participants creates a unique picture of the fitna, one in which Ibn al-'Adim deploys characters as parables in the service of arguing his take on political and sectarian issues contemporaneous to him. Drawing upon the pioneering methodology of James Lindsay and others (who examined Ibn 'Asakir's Ta'rikh Madinat Dimashq , a major source for Ibn al-'Adim), as well as the work of Khoury (on Ibn al-‘Adim’s autobiography), Morray (on the Bughya), and Humphries (on the histories of Aleppo and Damascus), this study will scour the Bughya for reference to the fitna, paying special attention to its critical narrative moments, including the election of ‘Uthman; his assassination; the Battle of the Camel; the Battle of Siffin; and the ascension of Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan as the first Umayyad Caliph. This study will demonstrate Ibn al-‘Adim’s narrative strategies; the contemporaneous concerns that motivated his narrative choices; and some of the methodological difficulties that arise when dealing with a source approximately 75% of which is lost.

Der Islam, 2020

Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal, 2018

Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal, 2013

Arabica, 2018

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2015

collegecatalog.uchicago.edu

Mathal, 2018

This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors t... more This paper employs and describes an experimental methodology of viewing medieval Arabic authors through the lens of stage actor performance theory. In particular, it argues that semi-canonical writings, such as al-Ṭabarī’s History of the Prophets and Kings, become the “script” that later authors, such as Ibn al-Athīr and Ibn Kathīr “perform” as actors. This methodology is novel, and argues that by examining the changes authors made to narratives presented in earlier Arabic texts, we can draw important conclusions about the authors’ opinions of the relative importance of narrative elements, the authors’ literary-narrative strategies for endowing memories with meaning, and establish each author's "super-objective" (his primary thematic or narrative concerns).

Arabica, 2018

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2015