The 'Alids
The First Family of Islam, 750-1200
Published on 20. August 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
128 pages
978-0-7486-9584-3 (ISBN)
Description
This first in-depth study of the 'Alids focuses on the crucial formative period from the Abbasid Revolution to the end of the Seljuq period. Exploring their rise from both a religious point of view and as a social phenomenon, Bernheimer investigates how they attained and extended the family's status over the centuries. The 'Alids are the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, the elite family of Islam. The respect and veneration they are accorded is unparalleled in Islamic society, regardless of political or religious affiliation. And they have played a major role Islamic history, from famous early rebels to the founders and eponyms of major Islamic sects, and from 9th-century Moroccan and 10th-century Egyptian rulers to the current King of Jordan, the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Aga Khan.
Reviews / Votes
The study is meticulousand well-referenced, with ample support from primary sources in addition to active engagement with contemporary literature... valuable to anyone wishing to study the social phenomenon of the 'Alids or medieval Islamic history in general. -- Amina Inloes, The Islamic College, London, United Kingdom * American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (Volume 31, Number 3) * Bernheimer's book will (and should) be one of the first secondary sources students and researchers reach for when pursuing the history of ?Alids in the medieval Islamic world. -- Ahmad Khan, Universitaet Hamburg * Der Islam * Bernheimer has produced a short, readable, and captivating study of an often overlooked aspect of medieval Islamic societies ... In particular, the book would supplement a class on Shi?ism, elegantly making a point about the extent to which most Muslims held the family of the Prophet in high esteem, regardless of their sectarian affiliation.' -- Adam Gaiser * Journal of the American Oriental Society * This book gives us a fresh and fascinating insight into the formation of Islamic society...and the spread of Arabic lineages through the emerging Muslim World. * Professor Hugh Kennedy, SOAS, University of London *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
214 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7486-9584-3 (9780748695843)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Teresa Bernheimer is Senior Lecturer in the History of the Near and Middle East at SOAS, University of London. She is co-editor of Late Antiquity: Eastern Perspectives (2012) and Early Islamic History. Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies (2014).
Content
Introduction; 1. The 'Alids from the 'Abbasid Revolution to the Seljuqs; 2. To Be or Not to Be: Genealogy, Money, and the Drawing of Boundaries; 3. Kinship and Social Hierarchy: Marriage Patterns; 4. The Headship of the 'Alid Family; 5. The 'Alids as Local Nobility; 6. 'Alid Dynasties; Conclusion.