Books: Critical Editions and Translations by Tahera Qutbuddin
Brill: Islamic Translation series, 2024
Nahj al-Balāghah, the celebrated compendium of orations, letters, and sayings of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭāl... more Nahj al-Balāghah, the celebrated compendium of orations, letters, and sayings of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661) compiled by al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d. 406/1015), is a masterpiece of Arabic literature and Islamic wisdom studied and memorized avidly and continually for over a thousand years. Showcasing ʿAlī’s life and travails in his own words, it also transcribes his profound reflections on piety and virtue, and on just and compassionate governance. Tahera Qutbuddin’s meticulously researched critical edition based on the earliest 5th/11th-century manuscripts, with a lucid, annotated facing-page translation, brings to the modern reader the power and beauty of this influential text, and confirms the aptness of Raḍī’s title, “The Way of Eloquence.”
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2016
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2013
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2016
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2016
sample of the Prophet Muhammad's ethical hadith (Arabic with English translation) from Light in t... more sample of the Prophet Muhammad's ethical hadith (Arabic with English translation) from Light in the Heavens, al-Qadi al-Quda'i's compilation titled Kitab al-Shihab
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2016
Library of Arabic Literature (NYU Press), 2013
Books: Monographs by Tahera Qutbuddin
Brill: Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East, 2019
In Arabic Oration: Art and Function, a narrative richly infused with illustrative texts and origi... more In Arabic Oration: Art and Function, a narrative richly infused with illustrative texts and original translations, Tahera Qutbuddin presents a comprehensive theory of this preeminent genre in its foundational oral period, 7th-8th centuries AD. With speeches and sermons attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad, ʿAlī, other political and military leaders, and a number of prominent women, she assesses types of orations and themes, preservation and provenance, structure and style, orator-audience authority dynamics, and, with the shift from an oral to a highly literate culture, oration’s influence on the medieval chancery epistle. Probing the genre’s echoes in the contemporary Muslim world, she offers sensitive tools with which to decode speeches by mosque-imams and political leaders today.
Brill: Islamic History and Civilizations, 2005
Al-Muʾayyad al-Shīrāzī was a medieval Arabic-Islamic scholar and poet committed to the Fatimid re... more Al-Muʾayyad al-Shīrāzī was a medieval Arabic-Islamic scholar and poet committed to the Fatimid religio-political ideology. Chief missionary for their Caliph-Imams, he founded the dynamic tradition of "Fatimid daʿwa (religious mission) poetry” that flourished after him for a thousand years through the succeeding Ṭayyibī daʿwa and continues to thrive today.
This study examines the manner in which al-Muʾayyad's mission informed the aesthetic rules, motifs, structures, genres, motives, addressees, and aspirations of his poetry. It analyzes the characteristics of al-Muʾayyad's verse that render it distinctive, above all, its use of a unique form of esoteric tāwīl-based religious symbolism—metaphor, in fact, as manifestation, where what appears to be metaphor is the theological reality of the Imam. This book features a large number of original translations.
Journal Articles and Book Chapters by Tahera Qutbuddin
The Arts of Leading: Perspectives from the Humanities and the Liberal Arts, 2024
According to Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661 ce)—the first imam after the Prophet Muhammad according to... more According to Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661 ce)—the first imam after the Prophet Muhammad according to the Shia, the fourth caliph according to the Sunnis, and one of the most revered leaders in Islam—true leadership is contingent on a leader’s justice. Although political acumen, military strategy, and administrative skills are also crucial to the success of an individual’s leadership, the most important qualification by far is the virtue of justice. Luminaries across human history have deemed justice a cornerstone of leadership, but there are many brands of justice. What is Imam Ali’s understanding of just leadership? As argued in broad strokes in this chapter, a just leader for Ali is one who possesses a composite of several qualities. A just leader is not simply one who is fair and equitable to all his subjects. That is only the beginning. A just leader also possesses wisdom, shows compassion to the weak, shuns corruption, and promotes pluralism. Most importantly, a just leader is at all times conscious of their accountability to God.
Journal of Arabic Literature, 2024
Is oration literature? More specifically, can we read the multi-functional Arabic oration (khuṭba... more Is oration literature? More specifically, can we read the multi-functional Arabic oration (khuṭbah) of the 1st/7th and 2nd/8th centuries as part of the classical prose canon? In this article, I argue that if our definition of literature includes beautiful language, admiration expressed by literary theorists, and masterful articulation of themes to evoke audience response, early Arabic oration is most certainly literature. I demonstrate
this claim by analyzing the rhythmic and graphic oral aesthetics of early Arabic oration, the views of medieval theorists regarding its distinguished place and literary nature, and its crucial influence on the development of the chancery epistle (risālah), the first written genre of Arabic literary prose. I contend that khuṭbah is the foundational prose genre of Arabic and it has materially influenced the major genres of risālah and maqāmāt that followed. The history of Arabic literature cannot be written without oration.
Ritual and Social Dynamics in Christian and Islamic Preaching, 2024
Across the mosques, homes, battlefields, and open town spaces of the Middle East in the seventh a... more Across the mosques, homes, battlefields, and open town spaces of the Middle East in the seventh and eighth centuries ad, religion, politics, and aesthetics coalesced in the richly artistic public performance of spontaneous Arabic oration (khuṭba). Exquisite in rhetorical craftsmanship, these interactive speeches and sermons by the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632), Imam Ali (d. 661), and other political and military leaders were also the major vehicle of policymaking and persuasion, and the primary conduit for dissemination of ethical, religious, and legal teachings. The Friday sermon that is an intrinsic part of Muslim ritual across the globe in our present time has a long history rooted in the first Friday sermon delivered by Muhammad in Medina, and more broadly in these multifunctional orations of the early Islamic world. In this chapter, I consider Arabic-Islamic oration across different social domains in its foundational age and situate religious speech within them. Drawing on a decade of research for my book published in 2019, Arabic Oration: Art and Function, I discuss the major features of classical Arabic oration, with a focus on religion, ritual, and the rhetoric of orality; further details for each of the points discussed below may be found in my book. I begin with a section on rhetoric, discussing the oral milieu of early Islamic oration and its aesthetic memory-based techniques. In a second section focusing on religion, I then discuss the pious themes of the early oration, and their diffusion across political and military speechmaking, which shows how boundaries between religion and other spheres of life were fluid in the early Islamic period. In the third section, on ritual, I say a few words about ceremonial aspects of the oration that served, among other things, as a mode of authority assertion. Altogether, I present the religious face of Arabic oration in early Islam, and some of its interconnections with art and society.
MEDIEVAL SERMON STUDIES, 2023
This article discusses classical Islamic oration's power of persuasion through two lenses, one wi... more This article discusses classical Islamic oration's power of persuasion through two lenses, one wide-angled, one focused. First, it introduces topographies of Arabic oration in its foundational oral period in early Islam, addressing notable aspects of its art, function, and provenance. Then, it pivots to speak of major life changes induced by particular orations, or sermoninduced 'conversion'. Two early Islamic orations that induced such transformations are transcribed and briefly discussed: (1) the 'sermon describing the truly pious' by the successor of the Prophet according to the Shia and the fourth caliph according to the Sunnis, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661) in Kufa, Iraq, which is said to have caused his associate Hammam to give up his life spirit, and (2) the battlefield speech addressed to the surrounding Umayyad army by Ali's son, the Shia Imam Husayn (d. 680), in Karbala, also in Iraq, which is reported to have won over the enemy sub-commander Hurr to Husayn's side and prompted him to fight for Husayn unto death. Both are striking examples of the life-altering effects of intense and eloquent sermons, manifest here in the ultimate passagean end to life in this world and entry into the hereafter. KEYWORDS oration's power of persuasion; Husayn ibn Ali; Ali ibn Abi Talib; classical Arabic oration; khutba; taqwā (Islamic piety and virtue); Hammam Sermon; Hurr in Karbala Orations declaimed by the Prophet Muhammad and early Muslim leaders across the mosques, homes, battlefields, and open town spaces of the Middle East in the seventh and eighth centuries CE were exquisite in rhetorical craftsmanship. They were also the major vehicle of policymaking and persuasion, as well as the primary conduit for dissemination of ethical, religious, and legal teachings. Importantly, they prompted life changes in their listeners. Most of these life changes were an ongoing process, but others were more startling and immediate. In this article, I draw on ten years of research for my recently published book, Arabic Oration: Art and Function to discuss the classical Arabic oration's power of persuasion. 1 After introducing the art, function, and provenance of Arabic oration in its foundational oral period in early Islam, I discuss two instances of life-altering oration-induced on-the-spot transformations: a sermon on piety by Imam Ali (d. 661)successor of the Prophet according to the Shia and fourth Sunni caliphthat is reported to have affected his associate Hammam so strongly that it transported him straight into the afterlife; and a speech on the battlefield by Ali's son, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Husayn (d. 680), that won over the enemy commander Hurr in the heat of battle in Karbala and prompted him then and there to lay down his life for Husayn.
Journal of Arabic Literature, 2023
The 177-verse Arabic Poem of the Intellect (Qaṣīdat al-ʿAql) composed by the Indian Fatimid-Ṭayyi... more The 177-verse Arabic Poem of the Intellect (Qaṣīdat al-ʿAql) composed by the Indian Fatimid-Ṭayyibī Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq Sayyidna Taher Saifuddin (d. 1385/1965) breaks new ground in substance and form. In form, the poem creatively amalgamates the genres of qaṣīdah (poem), risālah (treatise), and waṣiyyah (testament) to produce an eloquent and innovative hybrid text. In content, it uniquely combines a philosophical exposition on Islamic theology and ethics with a road map to living a Pure Life. After an opening frame that provides a philosophical foundation, the poem's three large thematic sections draw on the Qurʾan, the Prophet's Hadith, and the sermons of Imam ʿAlī to describe principles of belief and approach, articles of character and deeds, and the grounding of both-abstract philosophy and concrete instructions-in love for and allegiance to the divine guides, the Imams and Dāʿīs, who are "God's rope." It has a gentle tone, preaching harmony between all people on earth, tranquility in one's life, cheerfulness and positivity, and an atmosphere of love and caring. The closing section brings the poet directly into the frame of reference, stating that he, as the incumbent Dāʿī, is himself the manifestation of God's rope in the current time, and those who
Islamic Thought and the Art of Translation Texts and Studies in Honor of William C. Chittick and Sachiko Murata, 2023
Pilgrims stand up to supplicate you in this hour at ʿArafāt. They have congregated to your door f... more Pilgrims stand up to supplicate you in this hour at ʿArafāt. They have congregated to your door from every deep valley, speaking different languages and with different forms and ways, covered in dust and earth as though resurrected on judgment day, wrapped in white sheets as though wearing the shrouds of the people of the grave. They pray to you, O lord of the worlds, in fear and in hope, for earthly desires and religious aspirations. They beseech your mercy, O most merciful lord. God, we too are your servants! Even though we are absent from that holy place in body, yet we are present there in soul and faith. God, shower blessings on Muhammad and his descendants, and regard us with the same merciful gaze with which you regard your chosen ones who are present in that holy place. Excerpt from al-muʾayyad al-shīrāzī's ʿArafa supplication ∵ After a few lines of reverent address to the Almighty, so begins the impassioned supplication of the Fatimid Chief Dāʿī al-Muʾayyad al-Shīrāzī (d. 470/1078) on the day of ʿArafa (also: ʿArafāt). ʿArafa, 9 Dhū l-Ḥijja, is the most important day of the ḥajj pilgrimage just before the Great Eid, a day of repentance and renewal when pilgrims stand from morning to night in supplication on Mount ʿArafāt near Mecca, entreating God's forgiveness and mercy.1 Muʾayyad's ʿArafa supplication comes within a tradition of devotional and literary supplication. Two lines of ʿArafa prayer are attributed to the Prophet Muhammad 1 For more on the ḥajj and the standing at ʿArafāt, see Tagliacozzo, Eric and Shawkat M. Toorawa (eds.
Reason, Esotericism, and Authority in Shiʿi Islam, 2021
Qutbuddin this article I draw on the collected lectures of the preeminent Fatimid scholar al-Muʾa... more Qutbuddin this article I draw on the collected lectures of the preeminent Fatimid scholar al-Muʾayyad fī-l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī (d. 470/1078)-al-Majālis al-Muʾayyadiyya-to distill and analyze the principles of Fatimid symbolic interpretation, "ta ʾwīl." No Fatimid text enumerates the principles of their hermeneutic system; these have to be inferred. Within the genre of Fatimid ta ʾwīl, al-Muʾayyad's Majālis is the culmination of their ta ʾwīl schematics. A deep mine of Fatimid philosophy, the Majālis systematically conceptualize knowledge in the early lectures, and then reference it and build upon it throughout. A few lectures also explicate the necessity for ta ʾwīl. The combination of these theoretical remarks on interpretive principles with rich and varied applications makes al-Majālis al-Muʾayyadiyya the ideal source for analyzing the principles of Fatimid symbolic interpretation. Basing my analysis on al-Muʾayyad's Majālis,-and drawing also on the works of two major Fatimid scholars before him, al-Qāḍī al-Nuʾman (d. 363/ 974) and Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī (d. ca. 411/1021)-I delineate in this article ten interdependent principles of Fatimid ta ʾwīl. They are: (1) the rationality of faith; (2) the inversion of the literary perception of real and figurative; (3) the harmonization of the physical and spiritual worlds; (4) the mutual validation of the exoteric and esoteric aspects of the Shariʿa; (5) the substance of ta ʾwīl manifest in God's unity, God's call, and the system and hierarchy of spiritual ascension; (6) the concept of living history, with the stories of the Prophets reflected in Muḥammad's mission; (7) the methodology of ta ʾwīl, presented through scriptural evidence and rational proofs; (8) ta ʾwīl as the true knowledge integral to salvation; (9) the sole authority of the divinely-guided Prophet, Legatee and Imam to interpret the Qurʾan and Shariʿa; and (10) the rationale for ta ʾwīl. My analysis demonstrates that al-Muʾayyad did not randomly assign esoteric meanings on a case-by-case basis. His explication of these materials is governed by a systematic hermeneutic that, as I mentioned at the outset, harmonizes reason and revelation through the divinely guided ta ʾwīl interpretation of the living Imam. Together, these ten principles articulate a comprehensive, coherent, and logical system of symbolic scriptural interpretation.
Shii Studies Review, 2021
The Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ lament-a poignant fifty-one-stanza Arabic marthiya composed by the Ṭayyibī... more The Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ lament-a poignant fifty-one-stanza Arabic marthiya composed by the Ṭayyibī Dāʿī l-Muṭlaq Sayyidnā Ṭāhir Sayf al-Dīn (d. 1385/1965)-holds an iconic status in the Karbala tradition of the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī Shīʿa of India. This article transcribes, translates, and analyses the lament to showcase a distinct religious tradition within a hybrid cultural milieu. The lament's forms intersect with Arabic poetic conventions set in pre-Islamic times; its themes overlap with Twelver-Shīʿī Karbala laments in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu from the Middle East and South Asia; and its performance stems from melodic Persianate-Urdu recital. Simultaneously, it reflects the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī heritage, particularly the teachings of al-Muʾayyad al-Shīrāzī (d. 470/1078), including the fundamentals of their Imāmate doctrine and the salvific importance of weeping for Ḥusayn.
Taqreeb: Propagation of Harmonious Relations in Mughal, British and Independent India, proceedings volume of conference hosted by the Qutbi Jubilee Scholarship Program (QJSP) and the University of Calcutta, 2020
ayyidna Taher Saifuddin-51st spiritual leader of the Da'udi Bohra Muslim community 3-promoted a b... more ayyidna Taher Saifuddin-51st spiritual leader of the Da'udi Bohra Muslim community 3-promoted a broad vision of communal harmony in pre-and post-Independence India composed of two vital components: On the one hand, he emphasized mutual regard by preaching to his followers that all humans are children of God, and by fostering affectionate and supportive relations in his interactions with leaders of other communities. On the other hand, he was a devoted adherent of Fatimid-Tayyibi Shia Islam, living his life in accordance with its doctrines and laws. Bringing the two together, he showed by his shining example how to be respectful of others' beliefs, while being true to your own convictions, how to build a pluralist society emphasizing a shared national identity and a common human heritage, while practicing one's own faith with dedication.
Treasures of Knowledge: An Inventory of the Ottoman Palace Library (1502/3-1503/4) (2 vols), 2019
books on arabic Philology and liTeraTure: a Teaching collecTion Focused on religious learning and... more books on arabic Philology and liTeraTure: a Teaching collecTion Focused on religious learning and The sTaTe chancery in the inventory of sultan bayezid ii's palace library in istanbul compiled by his librarian ʿatufi in 908 (1502-3), the list of texts pertaining to arabic philology and literature includes collections of poetry, orations, proverbs, epistolary writings, works of belletrist and popular prose, and books on rhetoric, lexicography, grammar, and prosody. These texts comprise fifty-three of the inventory's 365 folios-nearly fifteen percent-indicating the importance of arabic philology and literature to the ottoman educational program. The question, then, is why this particular category of texts is so abundant. We can begin to approach the answer by evaluating to what purpose these copious materials were harnessed. and we can understand that purpose to some degree by assessing the strengths and character of the collection. The contents of the arabic philology and literature materials signal a two-pronged focus on religion and the chancery. a major portion of the poetry and prose corpus consists of islamic, particularly sufi, works-notably the lengthy mystical poems of ibn al-Farid (d. 1235) and al-busiri's (d. ca. 1294) poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632, madīḥ nabawī). Prominent too are collections of sayings, orations, and verse attributed to the first shiʿi imam and fourth sunni caliph ʿali ibn abi Talib (d. 661). certain other famous poets and rhymed prose writers without a particularly pietistic focus-chief among them al-Mutanabbi (d. 965) and alhariri (d. 1122)-are profusely represented, perhaps because they were important models for chancery officials and for teaching advanced arabic to pages in the palace school. also predominant are books on sciences auxiliary to both religious studies and statecraft, including grammar, lexicons, and prosody, and dictionaries of rare words (gharīb) that occur in the Qurʾan and pro-phetic hadith, as well as books that are more specifically related to chancery work, such as those on ciphers and accounting.
The ‘Other Martyrs’: Women and the Poetics of Sexuality, Sacrifice, and Death in World Literatures, 2019
Within early Islam’s historical records, numerous orations
by male leaders challenge political p... more Within early Islam’s historical records, numerous orations
by male leaders challenge political power from a rhetorical
position of strength and lucidity. But a handful of orations
set against the grain of society’s mores, attributed in
circumstances of war and violence to a few women, such
as Zaynab (d. ca. 62 AH/682 AD) and Umm Kulthūm (fl.
mid-first/seventh century), showcase equal claim to eloquence
and courage.² Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm are
well-known figures in the history of Islam. Their grandfather
was the Prophet Muhammad; their mother, his
daughter, Fatima al-Zahra’; and their father the first Shi’a
Imam and fourth Sunni caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their
brothers were the next two Shi’a Imams Hasan and Husayn.
Against the backdrop of this pedigree, these women
are celebrated by Muslims for their role supporting Husayn
at the time of his martyrdom, and for protecting his
family in the ensuing months in Umayyad captivity; they
are also widely lauded for their passionate speeches narrating
the injustices and suffering sustained in Karbala.
Set against the narrative of events outlined in the historical
sources (on which more shortly), the speeches emphasize
the sisters’ bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
Their situation is shown as fraught and fragile: they are
portrayed as captive and shack-led, having undergone
physical and emotional trauma, and the loss of their
brother and all their male family members in horrific conditions.
Yet, they are also shown professing complete certainty
in the right to speak and be heard, making ample
use of persuasive language and reasoning in proclaiming
their rectitude.
In this article, I translate and annotate Zaynab and
Umm Kulthūm’s orations delivered in the aftermath of
Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala in the courts of Kufa
and Damascus from texts presented in the earliest extant
written source of the third/ninth century. Since all speeches
from the time were initially orally transmitted, their
historicity remains an open question, and this reservation
should be kept in mind while reading the texts at hand.
But, as I discuss in brief later in this article and argue in
detail in Arabic Oration, it is conceivable in view of their
early and wide provenance that they contain an authentic
core of themes, citations, and even some original language
from an actual past event. My analysis of the speeches attributed
to Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm their oral aesthetics,
their historical and literary contexts, and their setting
of trauma-highlights unique features of female Arabic
oratory in early Islam. While scholars have shown that
trauma often silences the female voice, we find that in this
case, in contrast, the Prophetic-lineage-based authority of
our female orators, asserted in the martyrdom context of
their orations, produces a resounding breaking of the silence.
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Books: Critical Editions and Translations by Tahera Qutbuddin
Books: Monographs by Tahera Qutbuddin
This study examines the manner in which al-Muʾayyad's mission informed the aesthetic rules, motifs, structures, genres, motives, addressees, and aspirations of his poetry. It analyzes the characteristics of al-Muʾayyad's verse that render it distinctive, above all, its use of a unique form of esoteric tāwīl-based religious symbolism—metaphor, in fact, as manifestation, where what appears to be metaphor is the theological reality of the Imam. This book features a large number of original translations.
Journal Articles and Book Chapters by Tahera Qutbuddin
this claim by analyzing the rhythmic and graphic oral aesthetics of early Arabic oration, the views of medieval theorists regarding its distinguished place and literary nature, and its crucial influence on the development of the chancery epistle (risālah), the first written genre of Arabic literary prose. I contend that khuṭbah is the foundational prose genre of Arabic and it has materially influenced the major genres of risālah and maqāmāt that followed. The history of Arabic literature cannot be written without oration.
by male leaders challenge political power from a rhetorical
position of strength and lucidity. But a handful of orations
set against the grain of society’s mores, attributed in
circumstances of war and violence to a few women, such
as Zaynab (d. ca. 62 AH/682 AD) and Umm Kulthūm (fl.
mid-first/seventh century), showcase equal claim to eloquence
and courage.² Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm are
well-known figures in the history of Islam. Their grandfather
was the Prophet Muhammad; their mother, his
daughter, Fatima al-Zahra’; and their father the first Shi’a
Imam and fourth Sunni caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their
brothers were the next two Shi’a Imams Hasan and Husayn.
Against the backdrop of this pedigree, these women
are celebrated by Muslims for their role supporting Husayn
at the time of his martyrdom, and for protecting his
family in the ensuing months in Umayyad captivity; they
are also widely lauded for their passionate speeches narrating
the injustices and suffering sustained in Karbala.
Set against the narrative of events outlined in the historical
sources (on which more shortly), the speeches emphasize
the sisters’ bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
Their situation is shown as fraught and fragile: they are
portrayed as captive and shack-led, having undergone
physical and emotional trauma, and the loss of their
brother and all their male family members in horrific conditions.
Yet, they are also shown professing complete certainty
in the right to speak and be heard, making ample
use of persuasive language and reasoning in proclaiming
their rectitude.
In this article, I translate and annotate Zaynab and
Umm Kulthūm’s orations delivered in the aftermath of
Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala in the courts of Kufa
and Damascus from texts presented in the earliest extant
written source of the third/ninth century. Since all speeches
from the time were initially orally transmitted, their
historicity remains an open question, and this reservation
should be kept in mind while reading the texts at hand.
But, as I discuss in brief later in this article and argue in
detail in Arabic Oration, it is conceivable in view of their
early and wide provenance that they contain an authentic
core of themes, citations, and even some original language
from an actual past event. My analysis of the speeches attributed
to Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm their oral aesthetics,
their historical and literary contexts, and their setting
of trauma-highlights unique features of female Arabic
oratory in early Islam. While scholars have shown that
trauma often silences the female voice, we find that in this
case, in contrast, the Prophetic-lineage-based authority of
our female orators, asserted in the martyrdom context of
their orations, produces a resounding breaking of the silence.
This study examines the manner in which al-Muʾayyad's mission informed the aesthetic rules, motifs, structures, genres, motives, addressees, and aspirations of his poetry. It analyzes the characteristics of al-Muʾayyad's verse that render it distinctive, above all, its use of a unique form of esoteric tāwīl-based religious symbolism—metaphor, in fact, as manifestation, where what appears to be metaphor is the theological reality of the Imam. This book features a large number of original translations.
this claim by analyzing the rhythmic and graphic oral aesthetics of early Arabic oration, the views of medieval theorists regarding its distinguished place and literary nature, and its crucial influence on the development of the chancery epistle (risālah), the first written genre of Arabic literary prose. I contend that khuṭbah is the foundational prose genre of Arabic and it has materially influenced the major genres of risālah and maqāmāt that followed. The history of Arabic literature cannot be written without oration.
by male leaders challenge political power from a rhetorical
position of strength and lucidity. But a handful of orations
set against the grain of society’s mores, attributed in
circumstances of war and violence to a few women, such
as Zaynab (d. ca. 62 AH/682 AD) and Umm Kulthūm (fl.
mid-first/seventh century), showcase equal claim to eloquence
and courage.² Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm are
well-known figures in the history of Islam. Their grandfather
was the Prophet Muhammad; their mother, his
daughter, Fatima al-Zahra’; and their father the first Shi’a
Imam and fourth Sunni caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their
brothers were the next two Shi’a Imams Hasan and Husayn.
Against the backdrop of this pedigree, these women
are celebrated by Muslims for their role supporting Husayn
at the time of his martyrdom, and for protecting his
family in the ensuing months in Umayyad captivity; they
are also widely lauded for their passionate speeches narrating
the injustices and suffering sustained in Karbala.
Set against the narrative of events outlined in the historical
sources (on which more shortly), the speeches emphasize
the sisters’ bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
Their situation is shown as fraught and fragile: they are
portrayed as captive and shack-led, having undergone
physical and emotional trauma, and the loss of their
brother and all their male family members in horrific conditions.
Yet, they are also shown professing complete certainty
in the right to speak and be heard, making ample
use of persuasive language and reasoning in proclaiming
their rectitude.
In this article, I translate and annotate Zaynab and
Umm Kulthūm’s orations delivered in the aftermath of
Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala in the courts of Kufa
and Damascus from texts presented in the earliest extant
written source of the third/ninth century. Since all speeches
from the time were initially orally transmitted, their
historicity remains an open question, and this reservation
should be kept in mind while reading the texts at hand.
But, as I discuss in brief later in this article and argue in
detail in Arabic Oration, it is conceivable in view of their
early and wide provenance that they contain an authentic
core of themes, citations, and even some original language
from an actual past event. My analysis of the speeches attributed
to Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm their oral aesthetics,
their historical and literary contexts, and their setting
of trauma-highlights unique features of female Arabic
oratory in early Islam. While scholars have shown that
trauma often silences the female voice, we find that in this
case, in contrast, the Prophetic-lineage-based authority of
our female orators, asserted in the martyrdom context of
their orations, produces a resounding breaking of the silence.
by male leaders challenge political power from a rhetorical
position of strength and lucidity. But a handful of orations
set against the grain of society’s mores, attributed in
circumstances of war and violence to a few women, such
as Zaynab (d. ca. 62 AH/682 AD) and Umm Kulthūm (fl.
mid-first/seventh century), showcase equal claim to eloquence
and courage.² Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm are
well-known figures in the history of Islam. Their grandfather
was the Prophet Muhammad; their mother, his
daughter, Fatima al-Zahra’; and their father the first Shi’a
Imam and fourth Sunni caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their
brothers were the next two Shi’a Imams Hasan and Husayn.
Against the backdrop of this pedigree, these women
are celebrated by Muslims for their role supporting Husayn
at the time of his martyrdom, and for protecting his
family in the ensuing months in Umayyad captivity; they
are also widely lauded for their passionate speeches narrating
the injustices and suffering sustained in Karbala.
Set against the narrative of events outlined in the historical
sources (on which more shortly), the speeches emphasize
the sisters’ bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
Their situation is shown as fraught and fragile: they are
portrayed as captive and shack-led, having undergone
physical and emotional trauma, and the loss of their
brother and all their male family members in horrific conditions.
Yet, they are also shown professing complete certainty
in the right to speak and be heard, making ample
use of persuasive language and reasoning in proclaiming
their rectitude.
In this article, I translate and annotate Zaynab and
Umm Kulthūm’s orations delivered in the aftermath of
Husayn’s martyrdom at Karbala in the courts of Kufa
and Damascus from texts presented in the earliest extant
written source of the third/ninth century. Since all speeches
from the time were initially orally transmitted, their
historicity remains an open question, and this reservation
should be kept in mind while reading the texts at hand.
But, as I discuss in brief later in this article and argue in
detail in Arabic Oration, it is conceivable in view of their
early and wide provenance that they contain an authentic
core of themes, citations, and even some original language
from an actual past event. My analysis of the speeches attributed
to Zaynab and Umm Kulthūm their oral aesthetics,
their historical and literary contexts, and their setting
of trauma-highlights unique features of female Arabic
oratory in early Islam. While scholars have shown that
trauma often silences the female voice, we find that in this
case, in contrast, the Prophetic-lineage-based authority of
our female orators, asserted in the martyrdom context of
their orations, produces a resounding breaking of the silence.
Review published at this link: https://marginalia.lareviewofbooks.org/like-a-bride-the-quran/