Models of Leadership in the Adab Narratives of Joseph, David, and Solomon (eBook)

Lament for the Sacred

Sami Helewa (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017
234 Seiten
Lexington Books (Verlag)
9781498552677 (ISBN)

Infos

The author links the religious Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ to adab with the intent of showing that these tales reflect an inward look of the two cities of Baghdād and Nīshāpūr as well as the expectations of leadership for the rulers at the time of al-Ṭabarī and al-Thaʿlabī.

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Sami Helewa's book opens anew the Qi?a? al-anbiya? (Tales of the Prophets) in terms of the leadership of ancient prophets in a Muslim context of friendship and enmity in the narrative detail of the prophets Joseph, David, and Solomon. Although the Qi?a? genre is not court-based, advice literature, these tales could function as advisory literature through the legendary-prophetic figures. It is hardly surprising that the prophets of ancient times have been moral prototypes for the Judo-Islamic search for religio-political leaders. However, the themes of leadership, friendship, and enmity are embedded in these tales in the writing of great Medieval-Muslims like al-?abari of Baghdad and al-Tha?labi of Nishapur, who were great scholars () and men of literature (). Like the religious side of these tales, Helewa maintains that the adab side of the Qi?a? has equal importance of meaning to the struggle of ancient prophets in their friendships and hostilities. These tales, as astutely compiled from Baghdad and Nishapur, mirror interesting cultural nuances of expected leadership inherent in these great cities of learning. This book will be a great value for those interested in the Sira genre, the overall Qi?a? genre, the inheritance of prophets, the adab of religious writing, the advice literature, and the history of Baghdad and Nishapur.

Autor

Sami Helewa is assistant professor of religious studies and director of Catholic studies at Campion College, University of Regina.

Inhalt

IntroductionChapter One: The Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ: Between Religious and Cultivated LiteratureChapter Two: Historical ContextChapter Three: Just LeadershipChapter Four: FriendshipChapter Five: EnmityChapter Six: Final Thoughts

Rezensionen

S. Helewa's book is a brilliant and innovative exposition of the role and significance of the tales of the ancient prophets in medieval Islam. The way that Helewa analyses the tales of the prophets as myths and hagiographical legends is impressive, and equally impressive is the way that the author analyzes the relationship between such myths or legends and other genres of Arabic literature, including Muslim biographies. Helewa is tremendously successful in interrogating the categories that scholars have used to understand the tales of the prophets and in challenging assumptions that scholars have brought to the study of this genre.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.11.2017
• Verlagsort: Lanham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Religion / Theologie ► Christentum ► Bibelausgaben / Bibelkommentare
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Judentum
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Islam
• Schlagworte: ?adith • Advisory literature • al-?abari • al-Tha?labi • Baghdad • Judo-Islamic Prophets • Leadership • Nishapur • Qi?a? • Qi?a? al-anbiya'
• ISBN-13: 9781498552677 / 9781498552677