LEGS Seminar
Jacob Olidort, Ph.D. candidate, Near Eastern Studies
Between Rite and Responsibility
November 16, 2009, 4:30 - 6 PM, Kerstetter Room, Marx Hall
In the LEGS seminar on 16 November, Jacob Olidort will present "Between Rite and Responsibility: Jihād in al-Māwardī’s al-Ḥāwī al-Kabīr and al-Aḥkām al-Sulṭānīyya"
The paper, including a glossary of key terms, can be dowloaded here (password required).
As always, the LEGS seminar will run from 4:30-6 pm in the Kerstetter Room, 301 Marx Hall. The session will begin with a short presentation by Jacob of his paper and then we will have a general discussion.
Here is Jacob's abstract:
The following work examines the concept of jihād ("struggling- whether physical or otherwise- in the path of God") as expounded upon by Abū 'l-Ḥasan'Alī b. Muḥammad b. Ḥabīb al-Māwardī (364-450/974-1058). His contribution is an enlightening one, not least because of his diverse careers as a judge, jurist, diplomat, poet and adviser to the 'Abbāsid caliphate. In the context of his achievements in these fields, the present study focuses on two divergent interpretations that he offers of jihād in two important works: al-Aḥkām al- Sulṭāniyya, a manual for governance written for the ruler and a volume on governance from al-Ḥāwī al-Kabīr, a compendium of Shāfi'ī law- the legal school to which he subscribed. One observation that emerges from this comparison is that in al-Aḥkām, jihād is given more dimensions- including as a religious ritual- rather than merely as a state policy of self defense. The infusion of religious meaning into this exposition is important, not least because the Sunnī 'Abbāsid caliphate at that time was seeking a definition of purpose, particularly in religious matters. By examining the variations- and the context for such variations- in the definition of this concept by one author, we might not only appreciate the political climate of his time but also the decisions and influences that affect the interpretation and elaboration of Divine Law.
