The Power of Oratory in the Medieval Muslim World (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

Oratory and sermons had a fixed place in the religious and civic rituals of pre-modern Muslim societies and were indispensible for transmitting religious knowledge, legitimizing or challenging rulers, and inculcating the moral values associated with being part of the Muslim community. While there has been abundant scholarship on medieval Christian and Jewish preaching, Linda G. Jones's book is the first to consider the significance of the tradition of pulpit oratory in the medieval Islamic world. Traversing Iberia and North Africa from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, the book analyzes the power of oratory, the ritual juridical and rhetorical features of pre-modern sermons, and the social profiles of the preachers and orators who delivered them. The biographical and historical sources, which form the basis of this remarkable study, offer abundant proof of cultural exchange between al-Andalus and the eastern regions of the Islamic empires, as preachers traveled back and forth between the great cities of Cordoba, Qayrawan, Baghdad, and Cairo. In this way, the book sheds light on different regional practices and the juridical debates between individual preachers around correct performance. Cover 1 The Power of Oratory in the Medieval Muslim World 3 Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Dedication 9 Contents 11 Acknowledgments 13 Introduction 15 1 Laying the Foundations 27 IDENTIFYING THE GENRES 29 SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC PREACHING 34 Preliminary Remarks 34 Sources for the Ritual-Juridical Conditions of Islamic Preaching 35 Sources for the Rhetorical-Aesthetic Dimension of Oratory 41 Andalusi and Maghrebi Sermon Manuscripts 41 Adab Collections and Rhetorical Treatises 42 Preaching Manuals 44 Agency and Oratory: Sources on the Orator and the Audience 45 CONCLUSIONS: METHOD AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THE SOURCES 47 2 The khu&tdotbelow;ba:The “Central Jewel” of Medieval Arab-Islamic Prose 52 INTRODUCTION 52 DEFINING THE GENRE 57 THE FORMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KHU&TDOTBELOW;BA 62 The Character and Authority of the kha&tdotbelow;ba 65 The Liturgical Time and Place of the khu&tdotbelow;ba 66 Ritualization, Gesture, and Embodied Performances in the Canonical khu&tdotbelow;ba 72 The Gestures and Rites of Other Canonical and Para-Liturgical Sermons 81 The Liturgical Content of the khu&tdotbelow;ba 84 3 Rhetorical and Discursive Strategies of Persuasion in the khu&tdotbelow;ba 101 INTRODUCTION 101 BALAGHA:THE RHETORICAL-AESTHETIC DIMENSION OF KHU&TDOTBELOE;BA 104 The Language of the khu&tdotbelow;ba 104 Style for Style’s Sake? The Debate over Rhetorical Ornamentation 108 THE RHETORIC OF LITURGICAL LANGUAGE 113 Narrative Elements in the khu&tdotbelow;ba 115 Exhortation 118 Du`ā ́ (Prayers on Behalf of the Community) 120 CONCLUSIONS 120 PART I: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Texts, Contexts, and Performances 123 4 Canonical Orations: Friday Sermons and Wedding Orations 125 THE FRIDAY KHU&TDOTBELOW;BA: EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY 127 Ibn Marzūq’s Sermon for Rabī` al-Awwal5 127 NUPTIAL ORATIONS 137 The Nuptial Orations of Ibn al-Jannān41 138 5 Thematic and Occasional Orations: Political Oratory and Sermons on Jihad 145 KHU&TDOTBELOW;AB SIYĀSIYYA: POLITICAL ORATIONS 145 The khu&tdotbelow;ba al-Bay`a: The Articulation of a Model of Sunni Authority 150 An Almoravid Ceremonial khu&tdotbelow;ba 156 KHU&TDOTBELOW;AB JIHĀDIYYA: HOLY WAR SERMONS AND BATTLE HARANGUES 159 A Jihad Oration by Ibn al-Khatīb 162 CONCLUSIONS 169 6 Homiletic Exhortation and Storytelling: Challenging the “Popular” 172 INTRODUCTION 172 HOMILETIC EXHORTATION (WA``.):DEFINING THE GENRE 177 HOMILETIC EXHORTATION IN AL-ANDALUS AND THE MAGHREB 182 Literary and Rhetorical Features of the Maw`iza 182 The Hortatory Assembly (Majlis al-Wa`z): Ritual and Performance 188 HORTATORY PREACHING, ERUDITION, AND OFFICIAL SPONSORSHIP 197 CONCLUSION 205 PART II: THE PREACHER AND THE AUDIENCE 207 7 “The Good Eloquent Speaker”: Profiles of Premodern Muslim Preachers 209 THE MAKING OF A MEDIEVAL KHA&TDOTBELOW;IB 211 The Khatib as Teacher and Mentor 215 The Curriculum of the Khatīb 219 The Appointment of the Khatīb 223 The Preacher in Action 225 Preachers and Political Power 229 PROFILES OF THE WA ́I&ZDOTBELOW; 232 Sufi and Ascetic Hortatory Preachers 233 “A Good Learned Faqīh” 236 Itinerant and Women Hortatory Preachers 240 CONCLUSION 244 8 The Audience Responds: Participation, Reception, Contestation 246 THE CHALLENGES OF GAUGING AUDIENCE RESPONSE 247 THE AUDIENCE AND THE JURISTS 249 The Liturgical khu&tdotbelow;ba 249 Participation and Somatic Response in Hortatory Assemblies 255 LITERARY ACCOUNTS OF AUDIENCE RESPONSE 258 The Preacher and His Audience: Dialogical Interaction 261 THE LONGUE DURÉE: TRACES OF THE DIFFUSION AND LONG-TERM IMPACT OF PREACHING 266 Conclusion 271 Glossary of Key Arabic Terms 277 Bibliography 281 Index 299 "A remarkable book analyzing the importance of oratory for transmitting religious knowledge, legitimizing rulers, and inculcating moral values in the medieval Islamic world"-- ""And my brother Aaron - He is more eloquent in speech than I: so send him with me as a helper, to confirm (and strengthen) me: for I fear that they may accuse me of falsehood." (Q 28:34)"The Prophet said, 'I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with awe (cast into the hearts of the enemy) ...'" The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam portray eloquent speech as one of the attributes or instruments of the charismatic authority of the prophets. Though Moses was one of God's elect, a "friend of God" (Q 4: 125; Ex. 33:11), the Qur'an and the Bible coincide in reflecting his fears that his mission before Pharaoh would fail if not buttressed by the oratorical eloquence of his brother Aaron. Similarly, the ?adith show Mu?ammad acknowledging the power of eloquent speech and associating this charismatic gift with the victory of his own prophetic mission"-- Oratory and sermons had a fixed place in the religious and civic rituals of pre-modern Muslim societies and were indispensable for transmitting religious knowledge, legitimising or challenging rulers and inculcating the moral values associated with being part of the Muslim community. While there has been abundant scholarship on medieval Christian and Jewish preaching, Linda G. Jones's book is the first to consider the significance of the tradition of pulpit oratory in the medieval Islamic world. Traversing Iberia and North Africa from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, the book analyses the power of oratory, the ritual juridical and rhetorical features of pre-modern sermons and the social profiles of the preachers and orators who delivered them. The biographical and historical sources, which form the basis of this remarkable study, shed light on different regional practices and the juridical debates between individual preachers around correct performance. ""And my brother Aaron - He is more eloquent in speech than I: so send him with me as a helper, to confirm (and strengthen) me: for I fear that they may accuse me of falsehood." (Q 28:34)"The Prophet said, 'I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with awe (cast into the hearts of the enemy) ... '" The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam portray eloquent speech as one of the attributes or instruments of the charismatic authority of the prophets. Though Moses was one of God's elect, a "friend of God" (Q 4: 125; Ex. 33:11), the Qur'an and the Bible coincide in reflecting his fears that his mission before Pharaoh would fail if not buttressed by the oratorical eloquence of his brother Aaron. Similarly, the?adith show Mu?ammad acknowledging the power of eloquent speech and associating this charismatic gift with the victory of his own prophetic mission"-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: Introduction; 1. Laying the foundations; 2. The khutba: the 'central jewel' of medieval Arab-Islamic prose; 3. The khutba: rhetorical and discursive strategies of persuasion; 4. Putting it all together: the khutba, texts, and contexts; Part I. Canonical Questions: 5. Putting it all together: the khutba, texts, and contexts; Part II. Thematic and Occasional Orations: 6. Homiletic exhortation and storytelling: challenging the 'popular'; 7. 'The good eloquent speaker': profiles of pre-modern Muslim preachers; 8. The audience responds: participation, reception, contestation; Conclusion. A remarkable book analysing the importance of oratory for transmitting religious knowledge, legitimising rulers and inculcating moral values in the medieval Islamic world