The Caliph and the Companions
The Politics of Sectarian Integration in al-Ḥākim’s Egypt
In: Journal of Religious Minorities under Muslim RuleSearch for other papers by Timothy Garrett in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
While studies of minorities under the Fāṭimid caliph al-Ḥākim (r. 996–1021) have typically emphasized his treatment of Jews and Christians, this article explores the relatively neglected topic of his Sunnī Muslim subjects. During al-Ḥākim’s reign, Sunnīs found themselves in the unusual position of facing political marginalization, and tensions between Sunnīs and Ismāʿīlīs frequently escalated into violence. Al-Ḥākim’s evolving policies toward Sunnīs can be understood as attempts to resolve these recurrent sectarian clashes. Drawing on contemporary chronicles and the largely overlooked Maʿāṣim al-hudā of Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī, this paper identifies four distinct phases in al-Ḥākim’s policy: repression, toleration, syncretic integration, and a return to oppression. Special attention is given to the syncretic phase (1010–1016), during which al-Ḥākim pursued an ambitious program to reconcile sectarian divides through the public rehabilitation of Sunnī figures—most notably Abū Bakr—within Ismāʿīlī doctrine. Al-Kirmānī’s text offers valuable insight into this theological experiment, demonstrating the critical role of scholars in disseminating and defending challenges to extant sectarian frameworks. This case study thus complicates the category of minorityhood by challenging prevailing narratives of rigid sectarian binaries in medieval Islam and documenting a heretofore overlooked attempt to address sectarian violence in a premodern Islamic society.
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The Caliph and the Companions
The Politics of Sectarian Integration in al-Ḥākim’s Egypt
In: Journal of Religious Minorities under Muslim RuleSearch for other papers by Timothy Garrett in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
While studies of minorities under the Fāṭimid caliph al-Ḥākim (r. 996–1021) have typically emphasized his treatment of Jews and Christians, this article explores the relatively neglected topic of his Sunnī Muslim subjects. During al-Ḥākim’s reign, Sunnīs found themselves in the unusual position of facing political marginalization, and tensions between Sunnīs and Ismāʿīlīs frequently escalated into violence. Al-Ḥākim’s evolving policies toward Sunnīs can be understood as attempts to resolve these recurrent sectarian clashes. Drawing on contemporary chronicles and the largely overlooked Maʿāṣim al-hudā of Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī, this paper identifies four distinct phases in al-Ḥākim’s policy: repression, toleration, syncretic integration, and a return to oppression. Special attention is given to the syncretic phase (1010–1016), during which al-Ḥākim pursued an ambitious program to reconcile sectarian divides through the public rehabilitation of Sunnī figures—most notably Abū Bakr—within Ismāʿīlī doctrine. Al-Kirmānī’s text offers valuable insight into this theological experiment, demonstrating the critical role of scholars in disseminating and defending challenges to extant sectarian frameworks. This case study thus complicates the category of minorityhood by challenging prevailing narratives of rigid sectarian binaries in medieval Islam and documenting a heretofore overlooked attempt to address sectarian violence in a premodern Islamic society.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 306 | 306 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 20 | 20 | 0 |
