Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the Narrative of the Abbasid Caliphate

Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Abbreviations......Page 11
The line of the early Abbasid caliphs......Page 12
CHAPTER I Historical background and introduction......Page 13
Historical overview......Page 14
CHAPTER 2 Harun al-Rashid: where it all started or ended......Page 29
The elements of idealization of al-Rashid......Page 33
The ascetic caliph......Page 37
Star-crossed families: the Abbasid and the Barmakid......Page 43
The misjudged Barmakids......Page 57
Harun al-Rashid’s death scene......Page 65
CHAPTER 3 Al-Amin: the challenge of regicide in Islamic memory......Page 71
The cornerstone of the Mamunid apologetics: the anti-Amin current......Page 73
The oppositional current: the historiographic voice of sympathy for al-Amin......Page 78
The controversial letter of apology......Page 82
The place of al-Amin's regicide in the historical perception of the community......Page 84
The multi-layered narrative and the undercurrent of hagiographic sympathy for al-Amin......Page 89
Stylistic crossovers among three murders......Page 96
CHAPTER 4 Al-Mamun: the heretic caliph......Page 107
The first layer of orthodox antagonism toward the caliph: the mihna......Page 108
The second layer of orthodox hostility: the civil war......Page 111
The portrayals of al-Mamun: the caliph’s self-representation......Page 113
The conflicting portrayals of al-Mamun......Page 120
Further orthodox responses to al-Mamun: the redemption of the Abbasid caliphs......Page 133
The reality of al-Mamun’s abilities......Page 138
The personality of al-Mamun......Page 144
The final years......Page 150
CHAPTER 5 The structure of civil war narratives......Page 155
The civil war as a problem of vizirs......Page 161
The diplomatic narratives......Page 164
The military narratives......Page 169
The thematic significance of discord in the Abbasid house......Page 174
The succession transition......Page 190
The narratives of al-Mutawakkil’s reign:......Page 191
The problem of succession......Page 195
The murder of al-Mutawakkil......Page 201
Al-Muntasir’s predicament......Page 212
The adjustment of covenants......Page 214
The detrimental role of the Turkish commanders......Page 220
Conclusion......Page 228
Primary sources......Page 233
Secondary works......Page 236
Index......Page 242