The Rise of the Abbasid Public Sphere: The Case of al-Mutanabbi and Three Middle Ranking Patrons. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Intellectual History of the Islamicate World , 2023
It is sometimes assumed that the poetry of the Crusader period was part of a concerted propaganda effort to rouse Muslims to fight and to legitimate Muslim rulers in the eyes of other Muslims by portraying them as ascetic, Sunni revivalists focused on Jihad. Based on samples from the Ḫarīdat al-qaṣr wa-ǧarīdat ahl alʿaṣr, a massive 6th/12th-century adab anthology by ʿImād al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī, this article argues for a different understanding of both the content and the circulation of this period’s poetry. I show that poetry was not addressed to a “public,” but rather was a form of elite communication in which social identity was performed, negotiated, and consolidated. Furthermore, ʿImād al-Dīn’s anthology does not marginalize Shiʿite voices or insist on portraying rulers as ascetics. I trace the origins of these assumptions and show that levity, licentiousness, and Shiʿites were all celebrated in the poetic discourses of the 6th/12th century.
“May God Bless the Caliph”: The Mentioning of Rulers in Friday Sermons of the Abbasid Era
Practices of Islamic Preaching: Text, Performativity, and Materiality of Islamic Religious Speech, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2024
The present paper examines the significance of mentioning the ruler's name in Friday sermons (dhikr al-ḥākim) of the Abbasid era and the possible repercussions of this ritual's absence. In this discussion, I emphasize how contemporary historiographers (namely al-Ṭabarī and Ibn Khaldūn) dealt with this phenomenon and how they included it into their general worldview. The paper focuses on the early Abbasid era (132/750-447/1055) and exclusively concerns itself with examples from the Sunni tradition. After a brief general discussion of the ritual, the paper deals with the concrete example of Kulthūm b. Thābit b. Abī Saʿd (d. 207/822), whose failure to mention the caliph's name in his sermon was unambiguously interpreted as an attempt at open rebellion. Based on this, the discussion is broadened to address the overall issue of the Friday sermon as a medium of political communication. The main argument is that the sermon in general - and the ritual of mentioning the (legitimate) ruler's name in particular - can be understood as a means through which the alliance between religious and political or between central and regional elites could be communicated to the wider society and thus be constantly reinforced. To emphasize this point, the text draws parallels between this ritual and the formal oath of allegiance (bayʿa) and sheds light on its underlying power dynamics.
The Interface of the Private and Political in Classical and Modern Arabic Poetry
Akiko Sumi and Tetsuo Nishio, eds., The Personal and Public in Literary Works of the Arab Regions
From the perspective of contemporary Western societies, where it has become conventional to draw a line between the private and public spheres, the classical and modern poetics of the Arab world offer a fascinating window onto the interplay of the public and private, the personal and political. In the Classical Arabic tradition of Abbasid court poetry (9th-10th century CE), we find that the poetics of the nasīb—the elegiac prelude of the classical ode (qaṣīdah)—engage the listener through the most intimate and affective personal tones to speak of love and loss, and yet often simultaneously—allegorically, metaphorically, or merely allusively—refer to stark political realities. Even in the courtly praise (madḥ) section of the qaṣīdah, the tone and expressions used to convey political bonds of allegiance—or their rupture—often strike us as highly intimate and emotional. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Arab world has experienced the onslaught of Modern Western imperialism, colonialism, and military aggression, as well as the repression and brutality of home-grown authoritarian regimes. In these circumstances, Arab Free Verse poetry exhibits a variety of complex interplays between the intimate and personal on the one hand and the public and political on another, in ways that challenge the extent to which these two spheres can be distinguished. The present study examines examples from two 10th century Classical Arab poets al-Mutanabbī and Abū Firās al-Ḥāmdānī and three 20th century Modern Arab Free Verse poets, Aḥmad ʿAbd al-Muʿṭī Ḥijāzī, Buland al-Ḥaydarī, and ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Bayātī, to explore the interplay of the personal and public in Arabic poetry at two distinct historical periods.
The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy
The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy: Myth, Gender and Ceremony in the Classical Arabic Ode, 2002
Indiana University Press, 2002. Pp. xvi + 383. Arabic translation, Al-Qaṣīdah wa al-Sulṭah: al-Ustūrah, al-Junūsah, wa al-Marāsim fī al-Shi‛r al-‛Arabī al-Qadīm. Trans. Hasan al-Banna ‛Izz al-Din in collaboration with the author. Egyptian National Center for Translation, 2010. “ . . . transcends the realm of literature and poetic criticism to include virtually every field of Arabic and Islamic studies.” —Roger Allen Throughout the classical Arabic literary tradition, from its roots in pre-Islamic Arabia until the end of the Golden Age in the 10th century, the courtly ode, or qasida, dominated other poetic forms. In The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy, Suzanne Stetkevych explores how this poetry relates to ceremony and political authority and how the classical Arabic ode encoded and promoted a myth and ideology of legitimate Arabo-Islamic rule. Beginning with praise poems to pre-Islamic Arab kings, Stetkevych takes up poetry in praise of the Prophet Mohammed and odes addressed to Arabo-Islamic rulers. She explores the rich tradition of Arabic praise poems in light of ancient Near Eastern rites and ceremonies, gender, and political culture. Stetkevych’s superb English translations capture the immediacy and vitality of classical Arabic poetry while opening up a multifaceted literary tradition for readers everywhere.
Early Medieval Europe, 2013
Scholarship on early Near Eastern/Islamic political culture is now the richer with the appearance of two studies: Andrew Marsham's new volume and the more recent publication by Ella Landau-Tasseron. 1 The two authors adopt rather different approaches. Landau-Tasseron's monograph, shorter than Marsham's full-length study, is organized topically and covers a broader sweep of Near Eastern history. One understands that it is directed, at least in part, at policy makers. The aim, it appears, is to further understanding of ideological trends in the contemporary Islamic world, no doubt with an eye to identifying moderate, non-extremist elements "with whom the West can talk" (my phrase). Landau-Tasseron is a seasoned historian, with a subtle writer's way with evidence. One hopes that the nuances of her discussion will not be lost on the intended audience. It seems naïve to also hope that the same readers will turn to Marsham's fine new book. Marsham proceeds through the successive periods of Late Antique/pre-Islamic Arabia to the end of the Middle ʿAbbasid Caliphate (809-865 CE). He carefully considers the many facets of early Islamic political ritual and the stages of its history, with a sharp eye to the character and details of the evidence (material and written). He demonstrates admirable skills as a historian, bringing together considerable evidence to support his ideas, writing these up effectively, and thus guiding the reader with seeming ease through often unwieldy terrain. Marsham is in spots overly generous with his evidence; the discussion can grow crowded. It is also a rather conventional work; Marsham adheres closely to the rules, format and tone of the academic monograph. He keeps, however, to the highest standards of the genre. He is particularly good at situating his topic against the wider backdrop, in this case of early Arab/Islamic imperial history. This is, after all, the sine qua non of successful history writing. The politics of the early caliphate is, to be sure, well-travelled ground; the work of Hinds, Sourdel, Crone, Kennedy and ʿUmar (Omar) come readily to mind. But Marsham has found much to say that is new. It is in sum a deftly executed, intelligent and very useful work of scholarship. His topic is ritual, the system of ideas and ceremony underlying "accession and succession" to Arab/Islamic imperial office. The system turned, of course, on the bayʿa, a term that Marsham has as "the pledge of allegiance" (American readers may be put off by the phrase, one normally associated with mumbled declarations of loyalty to flag and nation). The pledge, sealed with a hand clasp, expressed from its very origins reciprocity of loyalty and service, "an exchange of obligations" (p. 75). Political and military service was, in turn, imbued with higher purpose: the achievement of divine/Qurʾanic prescription, with His representatives (the caliphs, in their capacity as "deputies of God") at the helm. Underlying these notions was a long-standing commercial ethos; the verbal form bā yaʿa, occurring six times in the Qurʾan, connotes 'bargain,' in this case of a religio-moral sort. Marsham opens briskly with the period of Late Antiquity and the Arab/Islamic conquests. The relative confidence with which he treats the period will not sit well with some readers; skepticism regarding any effort at reconstructing the pre-Marwanid period is well-founded. There seems little reason, however, to question Marsham's general point about these notionsthe idea of a "religio-political covenant contracted before God" (p. 54) and the idea of a reciprocal exchange colored deeply by longstanding commercial attitudesas springing from a heady mix of ancient Arabian custom and Late Antique monotheism (especially in its Christian forms).
ProQuest, 2017
Al-Wazīr Maghribī’s Kitāb fī al-Siyāsa is an ethico-political treatise that propounds some ideas and ideals of statecraft and sheds considerable light on the political milieu of the ‘Abbāsid caliphate two centuries before it completely collapsed at the hands of the Mongols in 1258AD. This little-known Arabic mirror for princes conjures up images of a hectic time very similar to that of the post-Arab Spring Middle East. Writing in a different time yet under similar contexts, Abū al-Qāsim al-Husayn ibn ‘Alī al-Maghribī (370-418/981-1027), better known as al-Wazīr al-Maghribī, divided statecraft into three distinct, yet interdependent, categories in a bid to help the ruler to comport himself and to tailor his policies toward his courtiers and subjects, especially in volatile times. Unlike the works of medieval jurists that focused on maintaining the caliphate or at the very least the application of Shari‘a and unlike the contributions of philosophers that mostly aimed at establishing far-fetched utopias, the medieval mirror for princes genre focused on the more pragmatic regulation of the affairs of the people and the polity. Yet, al-Maghribī’s treatise has drawn little to no interest in academic circles. I hope this study of al-Maghribī’s political thought can help fill this lacuna. This thesis offers a textual and contextual study of this didactic oeuvre, expounding on its language, themes and setting. It first sets the scene for understanding the background of al-Maghribī and his sundry contributions. Next, a detailed summary of the overarching themes, and a thorough analysis of the language and style of the text ensue. It also proffers a close textual reading of the Islamic overtones and Greek and Persian underpinnings articulated masterfully throughout this treatise. I then go on to pinpoint the mechanisms of statesmanship as put forth by al-Maghribī. Next, I situate this treatise into its temporal context by revisiting the eventful era in which al-Maghribī lived. Lastly, I offer a much-needed English translation of the Arabic text. This thesis draws heavily on primary and secondary sources in Arabic and English. Penned in a time very similar to that of the post-Arab Spring Middle East, this treatise could in fact serve as a guidebook for contemporary Muslims rulers as its practical advice and wisdom are just as applicable today as they were in the 4th/10th and early 5th/11 th centuries.
Historiography on the patricide/regicide of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil (d. 861) developed from a stage of simple description to a burgeoning of mytho-historical narrative. It would appear that what began as a palace scandal—profaning to a putatively sacral community already torn by civil war—developed into a redemptive tragedy with perennial appeal. In a patronage society governed by loyalty to one’s patron or father, this transformation should count as nothing less than conspicuous. This article examines the role of a major Abbasid poet, al-Buḥturī (d. 897), in shaping public perception by cultivating genuine sympathy for the Abbasids and planting the seeds of questions that would be addressed in historical narratives. In particular, I discuss the importance of literary salons or gatherings as a social institution where poetry and historical narratives were recited orally as a means of transmitting knowledge to future generations. These gatherings provide a likely forum where mythic questions of poetry could inspire narrative.
The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy: Myth, Gender and Ceremony in the Classical Arabic Ode. Part 3
Indiana University Press, 2002
Indiana University Press, 2002. Pp. xvi + 383. Arabic translation, Al-Qaṣīdah wa al-Sulṭah: al-Ustūrah, al-Junūsah, wa al-Marāsim fī al-Shi‛r al-‛Arabī al-Qadīm. Trans. Hasan al-Banna ‛Izz al-Din in collaboration with the author. Egyptian National Center for Translation, 2010. “ . . . transcends the realm of literature and poetic criticism to include virtually every field of Arabic and Islamic studies.” —Roger Allen Throughout the classical Arabic literary tradition, from its roots in pre-Islamic Arabia until the end of the Golden Age in the 10th century, the courtly ode, or qasida, dominated other poetic forms. In The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy, Suzanne Stetkevych explores how this poetry relates to ceremony and political authority and how the classical Arabic ode encoded and promoted a myth and ideology of legitimate Arabo-Islamic rule. Beginning with praise poems to pre-Islamic Arab kings, Stetkevych takes up poetry in praise of the Prophet Mohammed and odes addressed to Arabo-Islamic rulers. She explores the rich tradition of Arabic praise poems in light of ancient Near Eastern rites and ceremonies, gender, and political culture. Stetkevych’s superb English translations capture the immediacy and vitality of classical Arabic poetry while opening up a multifaceted literary tradition for readers everywhere.
The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy: Myth, Gender and Ceremony in the Classical Arabic Ode. Part 1
Indiana University Press, 2002. Pp. xvi + 383. Arabic translation, Al-Qaṣīdah wa al-Sulṭah: al-Ustūrah, al-Junūsah, wa al-Marāsim fī al-Shi‛r al-‛Arabī al-Qadīm. Trans. Hasan al-Banna ‛Izz al-Din in collaboration with the author. Egyptian National Center for Translation, 2010. “ . . . transcends the realm of literature and poetic criticism to include virtually every field of Arabic and Islamic studies.” —Roger Allen Throughout the classical Arabic literary tradition, from its roots in pre-Islamic Arabia until the end of the Golden Age in the 10th century, the courtly ode, or qasida, dominated other poetic forms. In The Poetics of Islamic Legitimacy, Suzanne Stetkevych explores how this poetry relates to ceremony and political authority and how the classical Arabic ode encoded and promoted a myth and ideology of legitimate Arabo-Islamic rule. Beginning with praise poems to pre-Islamic Arab kings, Stetkevych takes up poetry in praise of the Prophet Mohammed and odes addressed to Arabo-Islamic rulers. She explores the rich tradition of Arabic praise poems in light of ancient Near Eastern rites and ceremonies, gender, and political culture. Stetkevych’s superb English translations capture the immediacy and vitality of classical Arabic poetry while opening up a multifaceted literary tradition for readers everywhere.