Episodes
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Part of the “Source of Life: Water Management in the Premodern Middle East” project (Radboud Institute for Culture and History).
Ep2. Mesopotamia: Taming the Euphrates
Mesopotamia means “the land between the rivers.” The fertile silt and life-giving waters from the rivers Tigris and Euphrates allowed the region to develop into a key area of human settlement and culture in the late Holocene around 12000 years ago. In this episode we discuss the earliest settlements in Mesopotamia and how humans have managed their rela.tionship to the rivers in Iraq up until today.Speaker: Jaafar Jotheri. Interviewer: Edmund Hayes.
Dr. Jaafar Jotheri is Assistant Professor in Geo-Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Al-Qadisiyah
https://csm-qadiss.academia.edu/JaafarJotheriThis episode was produced by Edmund Hayes and Jouke Heringa.
Further Reading“Tigris-Euphrates River System”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Tigris-Euphrates-river-system
T Wilkinson, L Rayne, J Jotheri, “Hydraulic landscapes in Mesopotamia: the role of human niche construction” Water History 7 (4), 397-418
TJ Wilkinson, J Jotheri “The Origins of Levee and Levee-Based Irrigation in the Nippur Area–Southern Mesopotamia” From Sherds to Landscapes: Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honor of McGuire Gibson, SAOC 71, edited by Mark Altaweel and Carrie Hritz (Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2021).
Edmund Hayes
twitter.com/Hedhayes20
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-hayes-490913211/
https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/EdmundHayes
https://hcommons.org/members/ephayes/
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This episode was produced by Edmund Hayes and Jouke Heringa.
Ep1. Water History and the Pre-Modern Middle EastThe cities of the medieval Middle East were some of the largest in the world, dwarfing the major cities of western Europe, for example. So how did they support large populations in relatively arid conditions? In this episode we provide an overview of the kinds of hydraulic infrastructure and social institutions that allowed pre-modern Middle Eastern cities to function.
Speakers: Maaike van Berkel and Josephine van den Bent. Interviewer: Edmund Hayes.
This episode, and this series on water history and the medieval Middle East was produced by Edmund Hayes and Jouke Heringa as part of the project, “Source of Life: Water Management in the Premodern Middle East” at Radboud University. The “Source of Life” project was funded by the Dutch NWO VICI funding scheme. Additional funding for this podcast series was supplied by the Radboud Fonds of Radboud University.
Maaike van Berkel is Professor of History at Radboud University and director of the project “Source of Life: Urban Water Management in the Premodern Middle East” funded by the Dutch NWO VICI programme.
Josephine van den Bent is a researcher on the Source of Life project at Radboud University and assistant professor of Medieval History at the University of Amsterdam.
Further reading
Maaike van Berkel, “Waqf Documents on the Provision of Water in Mamluk Egypt,” in M. van Berkel, L. Buskens and P.M. Sijpesteijn (eds.), Legal Documents as Sources for the History of Muslim Societies (Brill: Leiden, 2017).
Peter Brown and Maaike van Berkel, “Water Provision in Early Islamic Cities: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Urban Water Governance,” in E Rose, M de Bruin, and R Flierman (eds) City, Citizen & Citizenship 400–1600: A Comparative Approach (Palgrave Macmillan: London, forthcoming).
Josephine van den Bent and Peter Brown, “Constructing Hydraulic Infrastructure in the Abbasid and Tulunid Capitals: Water Conduits in Baghdad, Samarra, and Cairo between the eighth and ninth centuries,” Al-Masāq, forthcoming.
Edmund Hayes, “A Late Umayyad Reform to the Water Distribution System in the Hinterland of Damascus,” Al-Masāq, forthcoming.
Edmund Hayes
https://twitter.com/Hedhayes20
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-hayes-490913211/
https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/EdmundHayes
https://hcommons.org/members/ephayes/
Maaike van Berkel
https://radboud.academia.edu/MaaikevanBerkel
Josephine van den Bent
https://radboud.academia.edu/JosephinevandenBent
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Hayrettin Yücesoy is a historian with a specialization in the premodern Middle East. His scholarly interests revolve around the intricate realm of political thought and practice, covering themes such as political messianism, monarchy, republican practices, visions of social order throughout premodern literature, and the historiography of these subjects.
In his written works and publications, Yücesoy delves into the convergence of discourse and political practice, unraveling the polyphonic and dialogic nature of texts. His research endeavors aim to uncover unconventional and dissenting voices, which act as a counterpoint to both contemporary and premodern "master narratives." Yücesoy is interested in discourse and social position and in the language's capacity not only to articulate but also to shape life-worlds. Throughout his career, Yücesoy has contributed to scholarship through publications in English, Arabic, and Turkish. His recent research revolves around the discourses of "good governance" as a point of entry for tracing the lineage of non-theological and non-ulema-centric political discourses in Middle Eastern history.
His latest monograph, Disenchanting the Caliphate: The Secular Discipline of Power in Abbasid Political Thought from Columbia University Press is a significant contribution to the history of political thought in the Middle East. Closely reading key eighth-century texts, 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 and illuminates the emergence and impact of a vibrant secular political thought tradition that spread across regions and over centuries. Disenchanting the Caliphate provides an insightful and thought-provoking reconsideration of key aspects of political discourse in the intellectual history of Muslim societies.
In his previous monograph, Messianic Beliefs and Imperial Politics in Medieval Islam: The Abbasid Caliphate in the Early Ninth Century, Yücesoy embarks on an analytical journey to understand the interplay between ideology and practice, using the political actions of the early ninth century Abbasid caliph as a specific case study.
In an earlier monograph, The Development of Sunni Political Thought: The Formative Period (published in Arabic), Yücesoy traces the emergence of Sunni political discourse against the backdrop of socio-political and theological developments between the 8th and 10th centuries. Going through a wealth of textual sources, he illuminates how the Sunnis developed a political awareness that treaded a fine line between monarchical rule and “electoral consent” in the context of their dialogic engagement with the caliphate, sectarian formations, and lay bureaucrat-scholars.
Yücesoy's related scholarly work has also been featured in prominent journals and published volumes. The list of publications includes titles such as "Language of Empire: Politics of Arabic and Persian in the Abbasid World," "Translation as Self-Consciousness: The Abbasid Translation Movement, Ancient Sciences, and Antediluvian Wisdom (ca. 750-850)," "Ancient Imperial Heritage and Islamic Universal Historiography: Al-Dinawari’s Secular Perspective," "Political Anarchism, Dissent, and Marginal Groups in the Early Ninth Century: The Ṣufis of the Mu’tazila Revisited," and "Justification of Political Authority in Medieval Sunni Thought."
Yücesoy's current academic responsibilities encompass teaching a range of courses, including premodern political thought and practice, the history of slavery, the life of the prophet Muhammad, the history of Islamic civilization, the history of food, and premodern Islamic history. His teaching methodology, much like his research, is in harmony with a critical decolonial standpoint, intricately weaving a bottom-up, world-historical storyline to confront enduring culturalist interpretations. At the moment, he is in the process of preparing a book that will incorporate an English translation of Ibn al-Muqaffa’s work "The Epistle on the Caliph’s Companions," accompanied by a contextual biography of the author.
From: https://jimes.wustl.edu/people/hayrettin-y%C3%BCcesoy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayrettin-yucesoy-140782216SPONSOR:
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Originally published: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUlGycv5jUQ
November 30, 2023
#Caliphate #Caliph
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Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥarīrī was an Arab poet, scholar and Seljuk government official who died in 1122CE aged 68 years old. His work al-Maqāmāt, a compilation of 50 highly-stylised comic anecdotes about the exploits of trickster Abū Zayd, received widespread renown in his time across the Muslim world and is regarded as a high point of Arabic literature.
We are pleased to be joined by Nasim Hassani in Tehran. Ms. Hasani hold a master's degree in Islamic Studies from Shahid Beheshti University,Tehran, Iran, where her dissertation was an Analysis of Mary and Jesus' Birth and Early Life in Quran and Apocrypha: James and Infancy Gospel of Thomas. She has a number of articles and translations in publication.
This is an unusual episode in that despite attempts at Zoom calls, the internet is currently too unstable in Iran, so instead I have sent audio files of my questions which she has kindly edited together for our presentation.
TIMESTAMPS:
02:29 Al-Ḥarīrī was born in Basra 1054CE. He was descended from a companion of the Prophet Muḥammad. His family was wealthy. Before we look at his work, what do we know about the author's life and socio-political context?14:23 Before we speak about his al-Maqāmāt and this specific illustrated edition, tell us about this genre of Arabic literature.
20:00 Before we dive into this specific illustrated edition, give us an overview of al-Ḥarīrī's al-Maqāmāt.
25:55 Now tell us more about this specific illustrated edition.
31:00 And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?
Edited and produced by Nasim Hassani
For more on our guest:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasimhassaniSPONSOR:
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Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
IslamicHistory #MedievalHistory #AbbasidHistory #Poetry #ArabicPoetry #Literature #WorldLiterature #Seljukhttps://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast
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In 1319 Roger de Stangrave, a Hospitaller knight, and a Jew named Isaac arrived in England. For a ransom of 10,00 gold florins, Isaac had freed Stangrave, a stranger to him, from over 30 years of Mamluk captivity and then accompanied the knight home to be repaid. By 1322, Isaac has converted to Christianity and become Edward of St. John, with King Edward II taking him as godson.
What motivated Isaac to ransom a stranger for such an exorbitant cost and leave his native Egypt and end up baptised in England which at the time had expelled all Jews with the decree of Edward I in 1290 (father of Edward II) until it was formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1656?
With the backdrop of the Crusades and European antisemitism, to share with us today his investigation of this curious tale is Dr. Rory MacLellan. Dr MacLellan completed his PhD in Medieval History 2019 at St. Andrews and is currently a cataloguer and manuscript researcher at the British Library. He specialises in medieval religious history, especially the crusades and the military-religious orders. His first book, ‘Donations to the Knights Hospitaller in Britain and Ireland’, 1291-1400, is published by Routledge.
TIMESTAMPS:
02:20 The first records of Jews in England start with William the Conqueror although one can speculate there may have been Jews prior during the Roman occupation. What many viewers may not know is that Jews were officially expelled from England by Edward I in 1290 until it was formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1657.
15:37 The reign of Edward II (1284-1327) coincides with the titular caliphates of Al-Hakim I (1262 - 1302) and Al-Mustakfi I (1302-1340) and the de facto rule of a number of Mamluk sultans starting with Qalawun (1279-1290) and ending with the second reign Nasir ad-Din Muhammad (1299-1309). What was the socio-political context of Edward's reign domestically and abroad, and what was he like as a person?
20:41 He was also cucked by a Frenchman. His wife Isabella shacked up with a Roger Mortimer and declared war on her husband. What happened there?
24:27 And give us also an overview of the Crusades and how that forms the backdrop to our story.
28:43 Before we look at Isaac and his journey to England, tell us first about Stangrave and how he ended up as a prisoner of war.
30:35 Enter Isaac. What do we do know about him?
39:08 And tell us more about the Domus Conversorum: a London hospital for baptised Jews and their relatives.
44:05 Your essay is a really good example of a critical reading of the sources. Tell us what you think really happened and why.
51:30 Comparison of Jewish life in Mamluk Egypt and Christian England
1:00:08 You have also looked at how the so-called 'alt right' can manipulate medieval history for their political agenda. Tell us your views about that.For more on our guest:
https://twitter.com/RFMacLellan
https://bl.academia.edu/RoryMacLellanSPONSOR:
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Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
IslamicHistory #MedievalHistory #AbbasidHistory #jewishhistory #crusades #baptism #egypt
https://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast
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This is the second part of two presentations.
More on our guest: https://isabelle-imbert.com
0:50
In your previous presentation, you gave us an overview of the history of Islamic art. Give us an overview of the Islamic arts market scene: who are the main players? Where are the main auctions, and so on?7:05
You advised in your Bayt al-Fann interview that beginners should buy what they like. At what stage can a beginner can consider himself a serious investor?
Link to interview: https://www.baytalfann.com/post/the-a...11:12
Some viewers may be concerned about buying stolen items. How can buyers protect themselves?16:34
Where do you feel the Islamic arts market is heading and your final advice for would-be buyers?21:00
Off-script: on affordable art investment strategies30:55
Call for patrons!31:25
And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at https://shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
Originally posted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_6fRzS5SnE
Oct 22, 2022
https://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast
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Works of Islamic arts mesmerise their viewers, be it calligraphy, vases or mausoleums, but knowledge of their developments continues to be weak for the general enthusiast.
To give an introductory survey on how to delve deeper into the fascinating ocean of Islamic arts is Dr. Isaballe Imbert.
Dr. Imbert completed her PhD in 2015 at Sorbonne in Persian and Indian Flower Paintings in the 16th to 18th century. She is an Islamic Art specialist with over 10 years’ experience working with the best clients and institutions in the industry. She is known as a researcher, teacher, writer, art market expert and speaker, as well as host of the newly formed ‘ART Informant’ podcast. For more on her work, see: https://isabelle-imbert.com
This presentation will be the first of two parts with Dr. Imbert. The second will be a beginner's guide to investing in the Islamic arts market.
1:42
Islamic arts, we can say, starts in the 7th century with the advent of Islam in Arabia. How do we divide up time and geography thereafter, and do tell us about sources we can consult for them?9:42
As this is the Abbasid History Podcast, why don't we focus on the long Abbasid era from 750 to 1517 even if the latter times will be referred to by other dynasties or regions? Tell us about some of the main areas of arts in this period.18:50
You have a particular interest on Islamic art in India. Tell us about the development of that.28:00
Between 2008 to 2010, you were dedicated to the study of a 14th century Qur’an produced in Gwalior, India, and now kept in the Aga Khan Museum. Tell us about that.37:25
And finally, before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and tell us what to anticipate in your second presentation with us: A beginner's Guide to Investing in Islamic Arts.39:50
Audience questions from InstagramWe are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
Originally published: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjV5xiaTECg
Oct 20, 2022
https://linktr.ee/abbasidhistorypodcast
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Dr. Azim Ahmed, Research Associate in British Muslim Studies at Cardiff University, discusses the late Shahab Ahmed's (no relation!) seminal work "What is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic" leading us to identify the Anglophone as the New Persianate for the Cathay-to-California Complex.
Links:
Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Mind the Gap — The Textual, The Social, and Anglophone Islam
https://medium.com/@AbdulAzim/mind-the-gap-the-textual-the-social-and-anglophone-islamin-shahab-ahmeds-2015-book-what-is-1e42b79e10acUmar Faruq Abd-Allah, Islam and the Cultural Imperative
https://www.theoasisinitiative.org/islam-the-cultural-imperative
Originally published Sep 1, 2022 on https://youtu.be/MBUTbuBGtFw
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Despite many a tattoo of his alleged verses decorating limbs of heartbroken US college students, the actual life, works and legacy of the Sunni Hanafi jurist and Māturīdī theologian Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī have been conveniently overlooked. To provide a historical introduction to Rumi, we are joined by Muhammad Ali Mojaradi, a University of Michigan graduate, translator, editor and founder of the persianpoetics.com project and is best known by his Twitter and Instagram handle @sharghzadeh.
Timestamps
01:28 Rumi was born in 1207CE quite likely in modern-day Afghanistan. He would been alive during the Mongol sack. Let's set some context for his life: socio-political, cultural and religious.
08:06 Rumi lived most of his life under the Persianate Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and is buried in Konya. What do we know about his life and tell us in particular about this pivotal episode of meeting Shams-e Tabrizi?
19:32 Rumi is best known for his Mathnavi but he has prose works too. Tell us about Rumi's written legacy and any genealogies of commentaries or inspired works. And importantly - as will get into more later - your recommended translation.
27:08 The Persianate was once the binding culture for the Bengal-to-Balkans complex but largely missing now from the lives of Anglophone confessional Muslims despite their immigrant backgrounds for the most part. You started a project called #RumiWasMuslim. Tell us about that and how we can improve reenculturation of the Persianate in Islamic societies?
35:32 And finally before we end with a reading and translation, tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are current projects that listeners can anticipate?
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Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d.944CE) was a Persian Sunni Hanafi jurist, theologian, and scriptural exegete based in Samarkand. His eponymous codification of Sunni creed became the dominant theological school for Sunni Muslims in Central Asia and later enjoyed a preeminent status as the school of choice for both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire.
Timestamps
01:40 Al-Māturīdī was born at Māturīd, a village or quarter in the neighbourhood of Samarkand during the reign of the caliph al-Mutawakkil whose main merit appears to be putting an end to the Muʿtazilite so-called Rationalist Mihna inquisition of Traditonalist Sunni voices. Outline for us the socio-political context of Al-Māturīdī 's life and what we know about his biography.
10:20 Al-Māturīdī's conclusions are remarkably similar to his peer in Baghdad Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī although the two never met. How do we go about describing Al-Māturīdī's theology and what was the intellectual context for its composition?
20:29 Al-Māturīdī has a number of works. Tell us about them as well the genealogy of later commentaries, supra-commentaries and summaries of his theology.
20:54 I want to turn before we conclude to your current work. You have taken a recent interest in the works of a figure seemingly very far removed from 9th century Samarkand, and that's the 20th century German philosopher, Edmund Husserl. Tell us more about that.
30:42 And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?
For more on our guest: ramonharvey.com
His latest book: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-transcendent-god-rational-world.html
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Ṣafī al-Dīn al-Ḥillī was a Shʿī poet who was born in Iraq but lived much of his life in Mardin in modern day Turkey. He was an exemplar of versatility in verse for the much neglected Mamluk period of literary history.
Timestamps
01:20 Ṣafī al-Dīn al-Ḥillī was born in 1278 just over a decade after the Mongol sack of Baghdad. What do we know about his socio-political context?
08:27 War and disaster forced al-Ḥillī to leave his family and move to Mardin. What do we know about his life?
13:14 Al-Ḥillī’s poetic style is described as innovative and experimental. How would you characterise his work?
19:33 Al-Ḥillī is perhaps best remembered for verses that inspired the Pan-Arab colors: "White are our deeds, black are our battles, / Green are our tents, red are our swords." How would you characterise his legacy?
25:28 Finally, let's end with a sample and translation.
This is the eleventh part of a twelve part series exploring classical Arabic poetry which can be utilised in college-level teaching programmes.
For more on our guest, see kblankinship.com.
Sponsored by shop.ihrc.orgGet 15% off with discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC Bookshop for details.
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Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher. He is renowned among practitioners of Sufism by the names al-Shaykh al-Akbar ("the Greatest Shaykh"; from here the Akbarian school derives its name).
Timestamps
01:36 Ibn ʿArabī was born in 1165 in Andalusia whose literary history we covered in episode 35. What do we know about his socio-political context?06:12 Ibn ʿArabī lived an iterant life and is buried in Damascus. What do we know about his life?
10:25 Ibn ʿArabī was a prolific writer. His collection of poetry is said tospan five volumes and is mostly unedited it seems. How would you characterise his literary work?
17:44 Ibn ʿArabī continues to be a decisive figure in Muslim theology. How would you characterise his literary legacy?
21:57 Finally, let's end with a sample and translation.
For more on our guest, see kblankinship.com.
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Abū al-Walīd Aḥmad Ibn Zaydūn al-Makhzūmī, or simply known as Ibn Zaydūn, was considered the greatest neoclassical poet of al-Andalus. His love affair with the princess and poet Wallada and his exile inspired many of his poems.
Timestamps
01:37 Ibn Zaydūn grew up during the decline of the Caliphate of Córdoba. What do we know about his socio-political context and also tell us about Arabic literature in al-Andalus more generally?
07:10 Ibn Zaydūn was born in 1003 in Cordoba to an aristocratic Andalusian Arab family and was involved in the political life of his age. What do we know about his life?
13:07 The themes of love, lost youth and nostalgia for his city are present in many of Ibn Zaydūn’s poems. How would you characterise his work?
16:49 According to Salma Jayyusi in her book, The Legacy of Muslim Spain, "Ibn Zaydun brought into Andalusi poetry something of balance, the rhetorical command, the passionate power and grandeur of style that marked contemporary poetry in the east...he rescued Andalusi poetry from the self-indulgence of the poets of externalized description." How would you characterise his legacy?
20:00 Finally, let's end with a sample and translation.
This is the ninth part of a twelve part series exploring classical Arabic poetry which can be utilised in college-level teaching programmes.
For more on our guest, see kblankinship.com.
Sponsored by shop.ihrc.orgGet 15% off with discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC Bookshop for details.
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Dr. Kevin Blankinship, BYU Utah, speaks about the life, works and legacy of Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī, prince, prisoner, poet.
Al-Ḥārith b. Abū al-ʿAlā Saʿīd ibn Ḥamdān al-Taghlibī, better known by his nom de plume of Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī, was an Arab prince and poet. He was a cousin of Sayf al-Dawla, the ruler of northern Syria, whom we mentioned in episode 33. He best known for the collection of poems titled al-Rūmiyyāt during his time as a prisoner of war with the Byzantines.Timestamps
01:52 Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī was born at a time when the Abbasid caliphate was beholden to de facto autonomous dynasties and facing a Byzantine foe. What do we know about his socio-political context?
06:26 Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī was born a prince, lived a while as a prisoner, and was killed as a provocateur against a rival ruler, his own nephew in fact. What do we do know about his life?
10:14 Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī is best known for the collection of poems titled al-Rūmiyyāt during his time as a prisoner of war with the Byzantines. Tell us about his works.
16:50 Sir Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, the orientalist, praises Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī’s work for its “sincerity, directness, and natural vigour". How would you characterise Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī’s legacy?
19:45 Finally, let's end with a sample and translation.
This is the eighth part of a twelve part series exploring classical Arabic poetry which can be utilised in college-level teaching programmes.
For more on our guest, see kblankinship.com.
Sponsored by shop.ihrc.orgGet 15% off with discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC Bookshop for details.
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Dr. Kevin Blankinship, BYU Utah, speaks about the life, works and legacy of al-Mutanabbī, whose poetry continues to inspire.
Timestamps
01:44 Al-Mutanabbī was born in 915CE in the city Kufah in modern day Iraq at the height of the Abbasid caliphate but with rising challenges from sectarian foes. What do we know about his socio-political context?05:34 Al-Mutanabbī was educated in Damascus and is said to have participated in Qaramatian revolts which we covered in episode 13 with Dr. Andani. What do we know about al-Mutanabbī’s life and what is the origin of his name?
19:22 Al-Mutanabbī is particularly known as being the court poet of Sayf al-Dawlaḧ, ruler of Aleppo. How would you characterise his works?
22:15 In February 2021, NASA tweeted some lines by al-Mutanabbī to congratulate the UAE satellite reaching Mars. Al-Mutanabbī’s reputation has now reached across the stars. That would have been very appealing to his reputed big head. How do we assess his legacy?
30:18 Finally, let's end with a sample and translation.
This is the seventh part of a twelve part series exploring classical Arabic poetry which can be utilised in college-level teaching programmes.
For more on our guest, see kblankinship.com.
Sponsored by shop.ihrc.orgGet 15% off with discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC Bookshop for details.
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Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyāʾ al-Rāzī (865–925 CE), also known by his Latinized name Rhazes, was one of the greatest figures in the history of medicine in the Islamic tradition, and one of its most controversial philosophers. While we have ample surviving evidence for his medical thought, his philosophical ideas mostly have to be pieced together on the basis of reports found in other authors, who are often hostile to him.
To discuss with us the life, work and legacy of al-Rāzī is Prof. Peter Adamson. Prof. Adamson is professor of philosophy in late antiquity and in the Islamic world at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as well as professor of ancient and medieval philosophy at King's College London. Aside from articles, monographs, and edited books, he is known for hosting the weekly podcast "History of Philosophy without any gaps".
Timestamps02.10: Al-Rāzī was born in the city of Rayy near modern-day Tehran before moving to Baghdad to practise medicine. What do we know about his life?
06:13: The metaphysical doctrine of Razi derives from the theory of the "five eternals", according to which the world is produced out of an interaction between God and four other eternal principles. Tell us more about this.
11.40: He has been accused of heresy by Muslims for denying prophecy, or perhaps he was misunderstood?
20.10: There is a statue of al-Rāzī donated by the Islamic Republic of Iran outside the United Nations Office at Vienna. How can his philosophical heritage still be relevant to us today?
24.15: And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?
Sponsors
We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
We are also sponsored by Turath Publishing. Buy now An Introduction to Sahih al-Bukhari by Mustafa al-Azami. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit Turath Publishing at Turath.co.uk and use discount code POD15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact Turath Publishing for details. -
The laws of Dhimma, or governance of non-Muslim minorities in a Muslim polity, can arouse difficult feelings amongst both Muslims and non-Muslims especially at sites of tension and conflict between them around the globe.
To discuss with us today a medieval legal work on these rulings is Dr. Antonia Bosanquet, author of Minding their Place: Space and Religious Hierarchy in Ibn al-Qayyim’s Aḥkām ahl al-dhimma published by Brill in 2021. She is currently a researcher at the University of Hamburg and a part-time farmer.
Timestamps
02.25: Before we look at Ibn al-Qayyim on Dhimma governance. Let's first ask ourselves what is Dhimma governance? Our modern sensibilities as residents of secular nation states find discrimination based on religious backgrounds offensive, although arguably that's precisely what some European countries do today...
07.23: Before we look at Ibn al-Qayyim's work, tell us about the life and career of the author. He was born in Damascus 1292CE...13.05: You argue that Ibn al-Qayyim's book should be seen as more of a personal interpretation of what ought to be done rather than reflective of actual practice on the ground...
19.00: Turning to the present, the most recent attempt after almost a century and half to apply Dhimma rulings was by ISIS in their failed state. Ibn al-Qayyim today is best regarded for his works on personal spiritual reform. The call for Shariah in the modern Muslim world is often seen synonymous as a call for justice against corruption, but can make non-Muslim minorities feel uncomfortable. Can medieval Dhimma rulings still find a place to critique today's world of imagined communities and fictions of nationalism?
24.30: And finally before we end, tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic, and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?
Sponsors
We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
We are also sponsored by Turath Publishing. Buy now An Introduction to Sahih al-Bukhari by Mustafa al-Azami. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit Turath Publishing at Turath.co.uk and use discount code POD15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact Turath Publishing for details. -
"This blessed cenotaph was made for the Imam (al-Shāfʿī)…by ʿUbayd the carpenter, known as Ibn Maʿālai, in the months of the year five hundred seventy-four. May God have mercy on him; may he [also] have mercy on
those who are merciful toward him, those who call for mercy upon him, and upon all who worked with him—the woodworkers and carvers—and all the believers."Thus reads the inscription on the teak cenotaph at the grave of Imām al-Shafiʿī. For at least ten centuries, in a city replete with holy sites, the mausoleum of Imam al-Shafiʿī (d. AD 820) has been perhaps the most beloved and popular of Cairene shrines.
To discuss the mausoleum of Imām al-Shāfiʿī and the role of arts and crafts as a source in Islamic(ate) historiography is Dr. Stephennie Mulder.
Dr. Mulder is Associate Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of the Hamilton Book Award Grand Prize, the Syrian Studies Association Award, and Iran’s World Prize for Book of the Year for her book The Shrines of the ‘Alids in Medieval Syria: Sunnis, Shi’s and the Architecture of Coexistence (Edinburgh, 2014). The book was also selected as an ALA Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title.Timestamps
02.32
The mausoleum was originally built by Saladin in 1180CE before a renovation by his successor, al-Malik al-Kāmil only 30 years later in 1211. Not much of Saladin's original building survives. Why don't you first give a physical description of the site?
04.30
At first blush, one would assume Saladin's intentions in building this mausoleum was an assertion of Sunni triumph over two centuries of Fatimid Shia-Ismaili rule but you argue that the construction of the mausoleum was actually part of a bitter intra-Sunni factional infighting between the Shāfiʿī-Ashʿarites and the Ḥanbalis.
10.12
Typically students of Islamic history rely on written chronicles for a narrative of events. How can a study of buildings and crafts contribute to a critical reading of these sources?
16.51
Turning to the present, you work on the conservation of antiquities and cultural heritage sites endangered by war and illegal trafficking. Tell us more about your work in this field and a call to action for our listeners.
22.41
And finally before we end tell us where listeners can turn next to learn more about today's topic and what are other current projects that listeners can anticipate?
Sponsors
We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
We are also sponsored by Turath Publishing. Buy now An Introduction to Sahih al-Bukhari by Mustafa al-Azami. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit Turath Publishing at Turath.co.uk and use discount code POD15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact Turath Publishing for details. -
Literally meaning "speech, word, utterance" among other things, Kalām or philosophy of religion within the Islamic ecumene has divided Muslim believers about it scope, methods and even its validity in itself.
To give us a brief history of Kalām is the presenter of a new podcast devoted to explaining Kalām to the uninitiated, Dr. Hannah Erlwein.
Dr. Erlwein completed her PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies on Arguments for the Existence of God in Classical Islamic Thought which is now published and she is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Das Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte or Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.
Timestamps
01.45
The term Kalām appears in the formative Abbasid period of early Islamic doctrine. What is the socio-political and intellectual-cultural context of its birth and development?
07.13
The practitioner of Kalām is known as a mutakallim. Tell us about some notable figures in the tradition.
11.43
The Islamic scholastic tradition across different school has a culture of texts, commentaries, supra-commentaries and summaries. This is helpful to trace genealogies of thought. Tell us about the contents of the earliest extant Kalām works and subsequent texts.
15.30
What do you feel is the enduring legacy of medieval Kalām for our world today and where should listeners turn to next for more information?
19.27
You currently host Kalamopod, a new podcast dedicated to the history of Kalām. Before you tell us more about that and other current projects that listeners can anticipate, tell us about your book Arguments for the Existence of God in Classical Islamic Thought.
Sponsors
We are sponsored by IHRC bookshop. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit IHRC bookshop at shop.ihrc.org and use discount code AHP15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact IHRC bookshop for details.
We are also sponsored by Turath Publishing. Buy now An Introduction to Sahih al-Bukhari by Mustafa al-Azami. Listeners get a 15% discount on all purchases. Visit Turath Publishing at Turath.co.uk and use discount code POD15 at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Contact Turath Publishing for details. - Show more
