Idols and Idolatry in the Legendary MaÄ¡ÄzÄ« Literature
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Abstract
This article aims at analyzing idolatry inasmuch it appears as a literary motif in legendary maÄ¡ÄzÄ« literature, a large and varied corpus of narratives, spread mostly in the post-Classical period (15thâ19th centuries), which recount in fictional way the early Muslim military expeditions that took place during Muḥammadâs lifetime (Ar. Ä¡azawÄt, sing. Ä¡azwa). Within this genre, it considers primarily those Ä¡azawÄt in which direct references to idolatry appear, either as references to the general concept or as references to individual idols. Regarding the latter, it provides an overview, accompanied by textual examples, of all the idols mentioned by name in the Ä¡azawÄt, divided into those that are also attested in the historical sources, and the fictitious ones invented by the narrators for narrative purposes.
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Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein I 132 (WE. 132). Ä azwat al-KabbÄs: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9628, WE. 132, ff. 1aâ18a. Ä azwat Ḥunayn: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9628, WE. 132, ff. 18bâ60a. Ä azwat al-MaymÅ«n: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9628, WE. 132, ff. 60bâ92b.
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Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein II 702 (We. 702) Ä azÄt BanÄ« NaáºÄ«r: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 8989, 2, We. 702, ff. 139bâ148a. SÄ«rat al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« b. AbÄ« ṬÄlib ilÄ al-Ḥiá¹£n al-Azraq: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9021, We. 702, ff. 148bâ154b. SÄ«rat al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« b. AbÄ« ṬÄlib wa-ḪÄlid b. al-WalÄ«d wa-qitÄluhumÄ li-á¹£anÄdÄ«d BanÄ« ḪawlÄn: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9005, 2, We. 702, ff. 154bâ159b. Ä azwat Biʼr MaÊ¿Å«na: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9020, 2, We. 702, ff. 160aâ163b. SÄ«rat al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« ilÄ al-MuqaffaÊ¿ b. al-MarsÄ«Ê¿: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9020, 1, We. 702, ff. 163bâ167a. Ä azwat al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« maÊ¿a Ê¿Abd HabbÄr b. Ê¿Abd Zinǧīr: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9019, We. 702, ff. 168bâ176a.
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Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein II 740 (We. 740) Ä azwat RisÄlat ManÄyÄ maÊ¿a al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ«: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9014, We. 740, 100 ff.
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Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein II 741 (We. 741) Ä azwat Faraǧmahal: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 8986, We. 741, 88 ff.
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Berlin, SBPK, Wetzstein II 744 (We. 744) Ä azwat Waḥš al-HindÄ«: Ms Berlin, SBPK 9017, We. 744, ff. 1aâ30a.
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Berlin, SBPK, Petermann I 460 (Pm. 460) Ä azwat al-Ä iá¹rÄ«f maÊ¿a al-AÄ¡yad wa-maÊ¿a bintihi al-Ä aydÄʾ: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9008, Pm. 460, ff. 31bâ44a. Qiṣṣat al-imÄm maÊ¿a al-Aḫá¸ar wa-l-AÅ¡nab: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 8990, Pm. 460, ff. 111aâ 131a.
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Berlin, SBPK, Petermann II 259 (Pet. 259) Ä azÄt BanÄ« Huá¸ayl: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9105, Pet. 259, ff. 37aâ41b. Ä azwat Ä aÅ¡Å¡Äm wa-Quá¹ruba: Ms Berlin, SBPK, 9105, Pet. 259, ff. 112bâ129b.
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Damascus, DMáºÄ azwat al-Faraḥǧal (?) b. ṬarkhÄn al-MasÊ¿Å«dÄ«: Ms Damascus, DMáº, 10166 59 ff.
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Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1035 Qiṣṣat al-QaÅ¡qÄÅ¡ b. al-Hayṯam al-Tanūḫī: Ms Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1035, ff. 25aâ29b. Ä azwat al-SarawÄt: Ms Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1035, ff. 38bâ45b.
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Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1747 Qiṣṣat al-Malik al-Ä aá¸bÄn maÊ¿a amÄ«r al-muʾminÄ«n Ê¿AlÄ«: Ms Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1747, ff. 52aâ58b. Qiṣṣat al-Malik SallÄm wa-Ê¿Ämir b. Qahqara maÊ¿a Ê¿AlÄ«: Ms Vaticano, BAV, Ar. 1747, ff. 58bâ65a.
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Ä azawÄt al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ«. s.d. al-QÄhira. [It contains: 1. Ä azwat Biâr DÄt al-Ê¿alam; 2. Ä azwat AbÄ« SufyÄn; 3. MuḥÄribat al- imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« maÊ¿a al-ǧinn; 4. Waá¹£iyat al-Muá¹£á¹afÄ li-l-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ«; 5. al-imÄm Ê¿AlÄ« wa-Ä aá¹rafa.
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MaǧmÅ«Ê¿ laá¹Ä«f, Tunis [1950?]. [It contains: 1. Qiṣṣat Fatḥ madÄ«nat Ḫaybar; 2. Qiṣṣat TamÄ«m al-DÄrÄ«; 3. Qiṣṣat al-sayyid Muḥammad b. al-Ḥanafiyya wa-mÄ Ç§arÄ lahu maÊ¿a al-ḤaǧǧÄǧ b. YÅ«suf; 4. Ä azwat al-SaysabÄn; 5. Ä azwat Biâr á¸Ät al-Ê¿alam].
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Idols and Idolatry in the Legendary MaÄ¡ÄzÄ« Literature
In: Annali Sezione OrientaleSearch for other papers by Francesca Bellino in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This article aims at analyzing idolatry inasmuch it appears as a literary motif in legendary maÄ¡ÄzÄ« literature, a large and varied corpus of narratives, spread mostly in the post-Classical period (15thâ19th centuries), which recount in fictional way the early Muslim military expeditions that took place during Muḥammadâs lifetime (Ar. Ä¡azawÄt, sing. Ä¡azwa). Within this genre, it considers primarily those Ä¡azawÄt in which direct references to idolatry appear, either as references to the general concept or as references to individual idols. Regarding the latter, it provides an overview, accompanied by textual examples, of all the idols mentioned by name in the Ä¡azawÄt, divided into those that are also attested in the historical sources, and the fictitious ones invented by the narrators for narrative purposes.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 660 | 66 | 2 |
| Full Text Views | 167 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 75 | 3 | 0 |
