
Orations of the Fatimid Caliphs
Festival Sermons of the Ismaili Imams
Paul E. Walker(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 28. February 2009
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-84511-991-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Fatimid empire was a highly sophisticated and cosmopolitan regime that flourished from the beginning of the 10th to the end of the 12th century. Under the enlightened rule of the Fatimid Caliphs, Cairo was founded as the nucleus of an imperium that extended from Arabia in the east to present-day Morocco in the west. Dynamic rulers like the the fourth caliph al-Mu'izz (who conquered Egypt and founded his new capital there) were remarkable not only for their extensive conquests but also for combining secular with religious legitimacy. As living imams of the Ismaili branch of Shi'ism, they exercised authority over both spiritual and secular domains. The sacred dimension of their mandate was manifested most powerfully twice a year, when the imam-Caliphs personally delivered sermons, or khutbas, to their subjects, to co-incide with the great feasts and festivals of fast-breaking and sacrifice.While few of these sermons have survived, those that have endured vividly evoke both of the atmosphere of the occasion and the words uttered on it.
Paul E Walker here provides unique access to these orations by presenting the Arabic original and a complete English translation of all the khutbas now extant. He also offers a history of the festival sermons and explores their key themes and rhetorical strategies.
Paul E Walker here provides unique access to these orations by presenting the Arabic original and a complete English translation of all the khutbas now extant. He also offers a history of the festival sermons and explores their key themes and rhetorical strategies.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
429 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84511-991-1 (9781845119911)
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.
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Other editions
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E-Book
02/2009
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€50.99
Available for download
Person
Paul E Walker is a Research Associate in Near Eastern Languages at the University of Chicago and an historian of ideas specialising in medieval Islamic history. He has written and edited many books on Fatimid history and the formative period of Ismaili thought including Early Philosophical Shi'ism (1993), Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: Ismaili Thought in the Age of al-Hakim (I.B.Tauris, 1999) and The Advent of the Fatimids: A Contemporary Shi'i Witness (I.B.Tauris, 2000). In 2001 he was the recipient of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.
Content
Preface and Acknowledgements
PART ONE
A History of the Fatimid khutba
Rhetoric and Themes in the Surviving khutbas
PART TWO
Translations
The khutbas of al-Qa'im
The khutbas of al-Mansur
The khutbas of al-Mu'izz
The khutbas of Qirwash
The khutbas of al-Amir
PART THREE
Arabic Texts
Glossary
Bibliography
Arabic and English indexes
PART ONE
A History of the Fatimid khutba
Rhetoric and Themes in the Surviving khutbas
PART TWO
Translations
The khutbas of al-Qa'im
The khutbas of al-Mansur
The khutbas of al-Mu'izz
The khutbas of Qirwash
The khutbas of al-Amir
PART THREE
Arabic Texts
Glossary
Bibliography
Arabic and English indexes