The Islamic Alexander: A Religious and Political Theme in Arabic and Persian Literature

This study seeks to explore textual representations of Alexander the Great in Arabic and Persian literature of the first six Islamic centuries. It is particularly concerned with the symbolic connection Muslim writers in this time drew between Alexander and the religious and political institution of Islam itself, and furthermore, how this symbolic connection evolved over time and in tandem with changes in Islamic society. Preface - vi Introduction - 1 1. Islam, Hellenism, and Empire: Alexander in Early Arabic Historiography - 17 2. “The Two-Horned One”: Alexander in Arabic Tafsir Literature - 70 3. “Greed is the King of Our Souls”: Alexander in Firdawsi’s Shahnamah - 106 4. “To Seek Contentment”: Alexander in Nizami’s Iskandarnamah - 151 Conclusion - 195 Works Cited - 204