Medieval Islamic Historiography: Remembering Rebellion

208 Pages·2013·3.601 MB·English

by  Heather N. Keaney

Medieval Islamic Historiography
This book is a comparative analysis of the medieval Arab Sunni historiogra-
phy of the caliphate of ʿUthman b. ʿAff an (d. 35/656) and the revolt against
him. By comparing treatments of ʿUthman in sacred biographies and univer-
sal chronicles, the work traces the gradual silencing of more critical accounts
in favor of those that portray ʿUthman as a saintly Companion of the Prophet
Muhammad. Moreover, through a comparative analysis of writers between
genres and time periods, this work shows how authors were able to convey
their personal perspectives on important religio-political issues that emerged
through the revolt against ʿUthman, namely the tension between Sunnis and
Shiʿis, religious and political authority, and preserving unity and pursuing
justice. This last debate, which in many ways began with the revolt against
ʿUthman, has been repeated most recently in the Arab Spring. Furthermore,
the idealization of the Companions of the Prophet, and accompanying puri-
fi cation of history, informs the aspirations of many modern Islamist move-
ments. This work therefore provides readers with historical context for
important contemporary debates.
Heather N. Keaney is an Assistant Professor of History at Westmont Col-
lege, Santa Barbara.
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Routledge Research in Medieval Studies
1 Agrarian Change and Crisis in
Europe, 1200-1500
Edited by Harry Kitsikopoulos
2 Pluralism in the Middle Ages
Ragnhild Johnsrud Zorgati
3 Theorizing Medieval Geopolitics
War and World Order in the Age
of the Crusades
Andrew A. Latham
4 Divorce in Medieval England
From One to Two Persons in Law
Sara M. Butler
5 Medieval Islamic Historiography
Remembering Rebellion
Heather N. Keaney
Previous titles to appear
in Routledge Research in
Medieval Studies include:
The Generation of Identity in
Late Medieval Hagiography
Speaking the Saint
Gail Ashton
Performing Virginity and
Testing Chastity in the Middle
Ages
Kathleen Coyne Kelly
Women Pilgrims in Late
Medieval England
Susan S. Morrison
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Medieval Islamic
Historiography
Remembering Rebellion
Heather N. Keaney
NEW YORK LONDON
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First published 2013
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2013 Taylor & Francis
The right of Heather N. Keaney to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Keaney, Heather N.
Medieval Islamic historiography : remembering rebellion / by
Heather N. Keaney.
p. cm. — (Routledge research in medieval studies ; 5)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, Caliph, d. 656. 2. Islamic Empire—
History—622–661—Historiography. I. Title.
DS38.16.K43 2013
956'.013—dc23
2012048367
ISBN: 978-0-415-82852-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-52054-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by IBT Global.
SFI-01234
SFI label applies to the text stock
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For Jim
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Contents
List of Maps ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Note on Transliteration and Dating xiii
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xix
1 Introduction: Narrating ʿUthman 1
2 Representation: ʿUthman in the
Third/Ninth-Century Syntheses 21
3 Reaction: ʿUthman in the Fourth/Tenth to Sixth/
Twelfth-Century Fadāʾil and Chronicles 47
4 Retrenchment: ʿUthman in the Seventh/
Thirteenth-Century Fadāʾil and Chronicles 75
5 Re-evaluation: ʿUthman in the Eighth/Fourteenth-Century
Universal Chronicles 104
Conclusion 134
Notes 137
Bibliography 169
Index 183
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Maps
1.1 Conquests, Rāshidūn, and Umayyad periods. 9
2.1 Egypt and Southwest Asia, late ninth century. 23
3.1 Egypt and Southwest Asia, late tenth century. 49
3.2 Egypt and Southwest Asia, late eleventh century. 52
4.1 Egypt and Southwest Asia, late twelfth century. 78
5.1 Egypt and Southwest Asia, late fourteenth century. 110
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