Table Of ContentApocalypse in Islam
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Apocalypse in Islam
Jean-Pierre Filiu
Translated by M. B. DeBevoise
university of california press
Berkeley • Los Angeles • London
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© 2011 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Filiu, Jean-Pierre.
[Apocalypse dans l’islam. English]
Apocalypse in Islam / Jean-Pierre Filiu ; translated by
M. B. DeBevoise.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-520-26431–1 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Eschatology, Islamic. 2. Political messianism—
Islamic countries. 3. Islamic fundamentalism.
4. Islam and politics. 5. Jihad. I. DeBevoise, M. B.
II. Title.
bp166.8.4513 2011
297.2’309—dc22
2009049780
Originally published as L’Apocalypse dans l’Islam by
Jean-Pierre Filiu, © librairie arthème fayard, 2008.
Manufactured in the United States of America
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This book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100%
post consumer waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC
recycled certified and processed chlorine free. It is acid
free, Ecologo certified, and manufactured by BioGas
energy.
Let’s begin with that piece [by Celaml Bey] so many people
call a classic: “When the Bosphorus Dries Up.” The signs of
the apocalypse—aren’t they all lifted from the Koran’s verses
on the Day of Judgment and from Ibn Khaldun and Ebu
Horasani? All describe days of destruction that will pre-
cede the arrival of the Messiah; Celaml Bey does the same by
plundering their words. To this he adds a vulgar tale about a
gangster.
—Orhan Pamuk, The Black Book
“Good evening. Your question?”
“Good evening, sir. I would like to know: if, at six o’clock,
French time, this war [in Iraq] begins, might it be a world
war, . . . and, if so, could it possibly be the end of the
world?”
—Sampled radio call-in from Mano Negra, “Machine Gun”
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Contents
Preface to the English-Language Edition ix
Acknowledgments xvii
Prologue: The End of the World Draws Near xix
Part One. True and False Messiahs of Islam
1. Archeology of the End of the World 3
2. Grand Masters of the Medieval Apocalypse 30
3. Avatars of the Mahdi 49
Part Two. Apocalypse Now
4. Dawn of the Fifteenth Century of Islam 69
5. Pioneers of the Contemporary Apocalypse 80
6. The Horsemen of Apocalyptic Jihad 104
7. The Beginning of the End in Iraq 121
8. The Grand Return of the Shi‘i Mahdi 141
9. Diasporas of the Apocalypse 165
10. The Armageddon of Jihad 184
Epilogue: Through the Looking Glass—and Beyond 195
Notes 201
A Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Bibliography 241
Index 251
Plates follow page 120
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Preface to the
English-Language Edition
For more than thirty years now I have traveled the lands of Islam,
worked in them, and been fascinated by them. They are the sources of
some of my most precious memories, particularly the years in Damas-
cus, where my two sons spent their early childhood. One of our greatest
pleasures was to wander about the suqs, delighting in their colors and
smells, and stocking up on spices and candies before making our way to
the Great (or Ummayad) Mosque. My little boys delighted above all in
the mosque’s vast courtyard, where they shouted themselves hoarse run-
ning after the indefatigable pigeons. They took rather less interest than
I did in the brilliance of the mosaics and the majesty of the columns—
mute witnesses to the innumerable ceremonies of worship that had been
performed in this place over so many centuries.
The hours slipped by between two calls to prayer. Inside, the shrine’s
thick carpets invited visitors to pause for a moment, perhaps for a brief
nap, or to exchange whispered confidences amid the muffled chatter
that filled the air. Outside, the sun played on the shimmering facets of
the façade. In the courtyard, friends and strangers happily passed the
time in conversation. Someone came along and pointed out one of the
corner minarets, the famous white Minaret of Jesus, where Muslim
tradition locates the son of Mary’s return to earth. I was then regaled
once again with the tale of this supernatural descent, and of the battle
that would rage with the Antichrist, perched on the opposite minaret.
My companions sought to outdo one another in evoking memorable
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