Sabine Schmidtke

The present volume—the first of its kind—deals with takfīr: accusing one´s opponents of unbelief (kufr). Originating in the first decades of Islam, this practice has been applied intermittently ever since. The nineteen studies included here deal with cases, covering different periods and parts of the Muslim world, of individuals or groups that used the instrument of takfīr to brand their opponents—either persons, groups or even institutions—as unbelievers who should be condemned, anathematized or even persecuted. Each case presented is placed in its sociopolitical and religious context. Together the contributions show the multifariousness that has always characterized Islam and the various ways in which Muslims either sought to suppress or to come to terms with this diversity. With contributions by: Roswitha Badry, Sonja Brentjes, Brian J. Didier, Michael Ebstein, Simeon Evstatiev, Ersilia Francesca, Robert Gleave, Steven Judd, István T. Kristó-Nagy, Göran Larsson, Amalia Levanoni, Orkhan Mir-Kasimov, Hossein Modarressi, Justyna Nedza, Intisar A. Rabb, Sajjad Rizvi, Daniel de Smet, Zoltan Szombathy, Joas Wagemakers.

From the time of its foundation in 284/897, the Zaydī Imamate of Yemen was home to Muʿtazilī ideas. During the first centuries and starting with Imam al-Hādī ila ʼl-Ḥaqq (d. 298/911), Zaydī ideology included elements akin to the opinions of the Baghdad School of the Muʿtazila as founded by Bishr b. al-Muʿtamir (d. 210/825). However, in the 5-6th/11-12th centuries, we see a rise in popularity of Bahshamiyya ideas, a sub-group of the Basran School of the Muʿtazila around Abū Hāshim al-Jubbāʾī (d. 321/933). These ideas were systematized and elaborated upon by the Zaydī theologian al-Raṣṣāṣ (d. 584/1188). Among those who resisted Bahshamī ideas to defend the teachings of the earlier imams was the jurist, theologian and author of more than 100 works, Ḥusām al-Dīn al-ʿAnsī (d. 667/1268). This volume contains a facsimile of the largest copy of al-Maḥajja al-bayḍāʾ fī uṣūl al-dīn, al-ʿAnsī’s major theological handbook, covering the first four parts out of eight.

The volume contains critical editions of the extant parts of two hitherto unknown theological works by the Buyid vizier al-Sahib b. 'Abbad (d. 385/925), who is well known to have vigorously promoted the teaching of Mu'tazili theology throughout Buyid territories and beyond. The manuscripts on which the edition is based come from Cairo Geniza store rooms. They consist of two manuscripts for each of the two texts—testimony to the impact of al-Sahib’s education policy on the contemporaneous Jewish community in Cairo. The longer treatise of al-Sahib of ca. 350/960, possibly his Kitab Nahj al-sabil fi usul al-din, appears to be the earliest Mu'tazili work preserved among the Jewish community. The second, briefer treatise also contains a commentary by Abd al-Jabbar al-Hamadani (d. 415/1025).

This book is a detailed analysis of the reception and transmission of the doctrinal, legal, literary, and exegetical oeuvre of al-Šarīf al-Murtaḍā, arguably one of the most important thinkers of the medieval period, within and beyond Twelver Šīʿism. The study undertakes an archaeological inquiry of sorts into al-Murtaḍā’s monographic works and their transmission through an analysis of their manuscript tradition from al-Murtaḍā’s time until the contemporary period, covering the full range of the disciplines that he addressed. Inspired by similar quests undertaken by scholars of early modern Europe, this study also pays special attention to the various clusters of one-volume libraries of al-Murtaḍā's writings, the earliest witnesses of which can be traced back to the sixth/twelfth and seventh/thirteenth centuries, and it discusses their astoundingly linear transition from manuscript to print. The resulting insights into the transmission of al-Murtaḍā’s oeuvre allow for a careful reconstruction of the relative chronology of al-Murtaḍā’s works in the various disciplines, a necessary foundation for future in-depth analysis of the development of his theological, legal, and exegetical thought.

Rudolf Strothmann (1877-1960) played a pioneering role in the scholarly exploration of Shīʿī Islam in Western, and in particular German, scholarship. Between 1910 and 1923, he published a number of pathbreaking studies on the Zaydiyya, consulting primarily the recently purchased collections of Yemeni Zaydī manuscripts in Berlin. At the same time, and to the extent that this was possible in view of the lack of relevant sources in Germany and the rest of Europe, Strothmann began to delve into Twelver Shīʿī literature, an endeavour which culminated in his 1926 monograph, Die Zwölfer-Schīʿa: Zwei religionsgeschichtliche Charakterbilder aus der Mongolenzeit, a portrait of the two prominent seventh/thirteenth-century Imāmī scholars Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 672/1274) and Raḍī al-Dīn ʿAlī b. Mūsā Ibn Ṭāwūs (d. 664/1266). During the later decades of his life, Strothmann primarily focussed on various strands of Ismāʿīlism. His rich published work testifies to his erudition and versatility and continues to form an important point of departure for scholars working on different aspects of Shīʿism in the early twenty-first century. In addition, Strothmann’s use of the manuscript treasures of Berlin State Library between 1908 and 1926 reflects his evolution as a scholar during those years. This study examines the earlier decades of Strothmann’s life and his formation as a theologian and a scholar of Semitic languages and Islamic culture. Moreover, it sheds light on his scholarly work during the 1910s through his correspondences with Carl Heinrich Becker, Ignaz Goldziher, Eugenio Griffini, and Cornelis van Arendonk, of which an annotated edition is provided.

Eugen Mittwoch (1876–1942) was one of the most prominent representatives of German Orientalism during the first decades of the twentieth century that are credited with having initiated a new direction in Islamic studies within Orientalism. Trained as an Arabist and a Semitist, Mittwoch was at the same time a specialist in Ethiopian and Amharic studies, and was particularly interested in the study of Islamic medicine. Mittwoch was also engaged in the study of the Geniza, epigraphy, and Southern Arabian studies, and in addition worked on topics relevant to the Science of Judaism (“Wissenschaft des Judentums”). Mittwoch’s academic career ended abruptly when he was dismissed from his professorial position at the end of 1935 and eventually forced into exile in 1938. As a result, only portions of his professional and personal Nachlass have come to us. Insights into his personality and development as a scholar can be gained from his correspondence. The book presents a critical annotated edition of Eugen Mittwoch’s correspondence with Moritz Steinschneider (1816–1907), Theodor Nöldeke (1836–1930), Justus Brinckmann (1843–1915), Wilhelm von Bode (1845–1929), Friedrich Carl Andreas (1846–1930), Leopold Landau (1848–1920), Markus Brann (1849-1920), Ignaz Goldziher (1850–1921), Wilhelm Bacher (1850–1913), David Simonsen (1853–1932), Immanuel Löw (1854–1944), Adolf Erman (1854–1937), Hans von Cranach (1855–1929), Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje (1857–1936), Hermann Burchardt (1857–1909), Carl Bezold (1959–1922), Elkan Nathan Adler (1861–1946), Georg Jacob (1862–1937), Richard Gottheil (1862–1936), Ludwig Borchardt (1863–1938), Cyrus Adler (1863–1940), Moritz Stern (1864–1939), Hubert Grimme (1864–1942), Aby Warburg (1866–1929), Adolf Büchler (1867–1939), Israel Davidson (1870–1939), Davis Trietsch (1870–1935), Victor Aptowitzer (1871–1942), Joseph Hertz (1872–1946), Arthur Lehman (1873–1936), Abraham Kahana (1874–1946), Max Meyerhof (1874–1945), Paul E. Kahle (1875–1964), Enno Littmann (1875–1958), Carl Heinrich Becker (1876–1933), Emil Gratzl (1877–1957), Rudolf Strothmann (1877–1960), Abraham Shalom Yahuda (1877–1951), Judah L. Magnes (1877–1948), Martin Buber (1878–1965), Jacob Nahum Epstein (1878–1952), Eugenio Griffini (1878–1925), Eugen Täubler (1879–1953), Carl Prüfer (1881–1959), Gotthold Weil (1882–1960), Arthur Schaade (1883–1952), Rudolf Tschudi (1884–1960), Carl Rathjens (1887–1966), Adolf Fraenkel (1891–1965), Hellmut Ritter (1892–1971), Shelomo Dov Goitein (1900–1985), Joseph Schacht (1902–1969), Nahum Norbert Glatzer (1903–1990), Paul Kraus (1904–1944), Ernst Mainz (1905–1984), Hans Jakob Polotsky (1905-1991), Walter B. Henning (1908–1967), Hedwig Klein (1911-1942), Isidore S. Meyer, and Ruth Maschke. Arranged in chronological order, the letters (German for the most part, some in Arabic, Hebrew, and English) present to the reader an impression of Mittwoch’s life as a scholar, a proponent of Zionism, a father and a husband.

This study offers an annotated edition of the correspondence between Paul Ernst Kahle (1875–1964) and Rudolf Strothmann (1877–1960), two of the leading representatives of Oriental studies in Germany during the first half of the twentieth century. Kahle’s and Strothmann’s early epistolary exchange (1933–1938) falls into the period of Nazi rule in Germany, shedding some light on the ways in which each of them negotiated the political intricacies, temptations and dangers of the period. The situation completely changed for the two scholars during the second period of their correspondence, 1945 through 1950. Although Kahle thrived in his scholarly work during his time in England where he emigrated in 1938, he had lost his position of power within German academia. His letters show that he did not realize that his voice was no longer wanted or needed and that he was out of touch with the reality of post-war Germany. Strothmann in turn had gone through difficult years. Moreover, during 1946 and 1947 he fell seriously ill and was repeatedly hospitalized for several months, in addition to other common hardships during the immediate post-war period. Strothmann’s letters illustrate those dire circumstances while at the same time reflecting his determination to pursue his scholarship at all costs, and with success.

This volume represents the state of the art in research on the controversial Muslim legal scholar, theologian and man of letters Ibn Ḥazm of Cordoba (d. 456/1064), who is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant minds of Islamic Spain. Remembered mostly for his charming treatise on love, he was first and foremost a fierce polemicist who was much criticized for his idiosyncratic views and his abrasive language. Insisting that the sacred sources of Islam are to be understood in their outward sense and that it is only the Prophet Muḥammad whose example may be followed, Ibn Ḥazm alienated himself from his peers. As a result, his books were burned and he was forced to withdraw from public life. Contributors are: Camilla Adang, Hassan Ansari, Samuel-Martin Behloul, Alfonso Carmona, Leigh Chipman, Maribel Fierro, Alejandro García Sanjuán, Livnat Holtzman, Samir Kaddouri, Joep Lameer, Christian Lange, Gabriel Martinez Gros, Luis Molina, Salvador Peña, Jose Miguel Puerta Vilchez, Rafael Ramón Guerrero, Adam Sabra, Sabine Schmidtke, Delfina Serrano, Bruna Soravia, Dominique Urvoy, Kees Versteegh and David Wasserstein.

The book consists of a critical edition of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Ḥusaynī's Commentary on the Muqaddama by al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, a text that is preserved in a unique manuscript (MS Atıf Efendi 1338/1), with introduction.

Scholars studying the development of Imāmī doctrinal thought are confronted with a lack of sources. Many pertinent works by Imāmī thinkers who lived in the various centers of Shīʿī learning in Iraq, Iran, and the historical region of Syria between the lifetimes of al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (d. 436/1044) and Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 672/1274) have not come down to us. Whereas al-Ṭūsī’s doctrinal works introduced Avicennan terminology and selected Avicennan concepts into Imāmī kalām, Imāmī theologians of the late fifth [eleventh] and sixth [twelfth] centuries were torn between the doctrines of the Bahshamites, their doctrinal alternatives (especially the notions of Abū l-Ḥusayn al-Baṣrī and his followers), and what were perceived as the more authentic theological views of the imams. Muʿtazilite thought, Avicennan notions, and the quest to return to the early doctrines of the imams continued to constitute the principal parameters of Imāmī theological thought over the following centuries. One way to overcome the gaps in our knowledge of Imāmī intellectual history is to consult documentary material that is primarily preserved in the manuscript tradition. Ownership statements, authorial and scribal colophons, collation notes, taʿlīqāt, and ḥawāshī, as well as the rich ijāza literature, provide extensive information about the circles of Imāmī scholarship during those centuries. The present study, focussing on the Ḥimṣī Rāzī family, which flourished in Iran during the seventh [thirteenth] and eighth [fourteenth] centuries, aims to showcase what can be achieved by gathering and piecing together relevant paratextual material from manuscript collections in German, Iranian and Turkish libraries. This evidence, together with information gleaned from the relevant biobibliographical and historiographical literature, provides deeper insights into the history of the family and the scholarly and doctrinal profiles of its members. The study is complemented by editiones principes of selected works by members of the Ḥimṣī Rāzī family—namely, the Mishkāt al-yaqīn, a note on istiḥālat ittiḥād al-bāriʾ maʿa l-makhlūqāt, and the introductions to Kashf al-maʿāqid, al-Amālī al-ʿirāqiyya, and al-Maṭālib al-qudsiyya, and a facsimile edition of the Talkhīṣ al-maqāṣid.

Ch. 1 Introduction 1 Survey of previous scholarship 1 2 Notes on Ibn Kammuna's biography 8 3 Ibn Kammuna's philosophical thought 23 4 The reception of Ibn Kammuna in later Muslim thought 28 5 The reception of Ibn Kammuna in Judaism 54 Ch. 2 Inventory of the writings of Ibn Kammuna 1 Authentic writings 59 2 Works of uncertain authenticity 128 Ch. 3 Editions of selected writings of Ibn Kammuna Text 1 Kalimat wajiza mushtamila 'ala nukat latifa fi l-'ilm wa-l-'amal 139 Text 2 Ithbat al-mabda' wa-sifatihi wa-l-'amal al-muqarrib ila llah 186 Text 3 Taqrib al-mahajja wa-tahdhib al-hujja 196 Text 4 Min ta'aliq al-Hakim 'Izz al-Dawla Abi 1-Rida Ibn Kammuna 207 Text 5 Correspondence with Nasir al-Din al-Tusi 209 Text 6 Correspondence with Najm al-Din al-Katibi 211 Text 7 Correspondence with Kamal al-Din al-Bahrani 221 Text 8 Correspondence with Fakhr al-Din al-Kashi 222 Text 9 Ibn Kammuna's poetry 224 App. A The Firkovitch/Shapira Codex of Ibn Kammuna's Sharh al-Talwihat 225 App. B Kitab fi ithbat al-nubuwwa li-Muhammad 'alayhi al-salam