1st Edition

Religious and Ethnic Movements in Medieval Islam

By Wilferd Madelung Copyright 1992

    This volume complements the selection of Wilferd Madelung’s articles previously published by Variorum (Religious Schools and Sects in Medieval Islam), the earlier volume dealing principally with dogmatic issues, the present one concentrating on the political and social aspects. The first articles here examine the origins of the belief in the coming of the Mahdi and apocalyptic prophecies connected with this, such as arose among the Yemenite emigrants in Syria and Egypt. The following studies relate to Shi’ite and Alid movements under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and to the political ideology of the Buyids. The final group focuses on the Yemen, its social structures and its historiography, in particular Zaydi sources. A section of additional notes and a detailed index complete the volume. Ce volume vient s’ajouter en complément de la collection d’articles de Wilferd Madelung préalablement publiée par Variorum (Religious Schools and Sects in Medieval Islam); le volume précédent traitant de questions de dogme et celui-ci se concentrant sur les aspects sociaux et politiques. Les premiers articles font l’examen des origines de la croyance en l’avènement du Mahdi et des prophécies apocalyptiques lui étant rattachées - telles celles qui ont vu le jour parmi les émigrés yéménites en Syrie et en Egypte. Les études suivantes se rapportent aux mouvements chi’ite et alide sous les caliphats umayyade et abbaside, ainsi qu’à l’idéologie politique des Buyides. Un dernier groupe s’attache au Yémen, à ses structures sociales et son historiographie, en particulier aux sources Zaydi. Une section de notes supplémentaires et index détaillé viennent s’ajouter au recueil.

    Contents: ’Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr and the Mahdi; Apocalyptic prophecies in Hims in the Umayyad age; The Sufyani between tradition and history; ’Has the Hijra come to an end?’; The Hashimiyyat of al-Kumayt and Hashimi Shi’ism; New documents concerning al-Ma’mun, al-Fadl b. Sahl and ’Ali al-Rida; Abu Ishaq al-Sabi on the Alids of Tabaristan and Gilan; The assumption of the title Shahanshah by the Buyids and ’the Reign of the Daylam (Dawlat al-Daylam)’; The identity of two Yemenite historical manuscripts; Al-Hamdani’s description of Northern Yemen in the light of chronicles of the 4th/10th and 5th/11th centuries; Land ownership and land tax in Northern Yemen and Najran: 3rd-4th/9th-10th centuries; The Sirat al-Amirayn al-Ajallayn al-Sharifayn al-Fadilayn al-Qasim wa-Muhammad ibnay Ja’far ibn al-Imam al-Qasim b. ’Ali al-’Iyani as a historical source; The origins of the Yemenite Hijra; Addenda and corrigenda; Index.

    Biography

    Wilfred Madelung

    ’This volume, like its companion volume Religious Schools and Sects in Medieval Islam (Variorum 1985), bears witness to the author’s impeccable scholarship and his mastery of the sources.’ Journal of Semitic Studies ’Professor Madelung’s researches are made all the more valuable for re-appearing in this collection.’ Bulletin of the Middle East Studies Association