A Scholar in the Shadow

Nella prima parte il saggio introduttivo illustra la figura di Ibn al-Qayyim (m. 1351) e la sua importanza; discute le sue fonti biografiche suggerendo nuove traiettorie di ricerca e propone delle strategie di analisi che permettano di uscire dal paradigma dominante della dipendenza (quindi mancaza di originalità) di Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya dal suo maestro Ibn Taymiyya (m. 1328) . Nella seconda parte il capitolo descrive i contributi del volume inserendoli però nell'ambito di una discussione critica sullo stato degli studi relativi a ciascun capitolo

A Scholar in the Shadow: Essays in the Legal and Theological Thought of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (1292-1350), the author of several key-works in Islamic law, theology, and mysticism, is chiefly known in Western scholarship as the most devoted disciple of the great Hanbali theologian and jurisconsult, Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328). While substantial innovative research was recently published by Western scholars about Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah\u2019s broad literary corpus remains almost unexplored. Although some of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah's works were recognized as unique and, in some cases, were used as the almost exclusive source for research, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah was rarely credited for them as an independent and substantial thinker. This book examines Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah\u2019s contributions to several fields of Islamic knowledge. The articles here offer new insights on his legal and theological thought, while revealing his views on a wide range of subjects, thematically divided into Society and Law, God and Man, and Body and Soul. The book also offers a fresh reading in the biographical sources on Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. This literary work exposes so far overlooked details on his biography and suggests some new trajectories for future research. The articles featured in this volume, written by leading scholars in their respective fields, portray Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah as a systematic theologian and scholar, who strives to integrate highly theoretical discussions with practical aspects of everyday life. A Scholar in the Shadow is the first comprehensive academic treatment of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah\u2019s legal and theological thought. The book attempts to decipher the appeal of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah to modern Muslims and others interested in early medieval Islam, while highlighting Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah\u2019s contributions to Islamic thought

Theology, Politics and Society: the Missing Link. Studying Religion in the Mamluk Period

The chapter focuses on a few problematic topics which have so far received little attention in contemporary scholarship on religion in the Mamluk period. In particular it tries to shed light on what the author describes as a missing link between theological production and its social and political significance, between theologians and society at large, between ideas about God and their relevance to people\u2019s lives. The article argues that exploring the link between society and theology may be a rewarding research enterprise. An attention to this link is generally missing in scholarship both on the intellectual and the socio-religious history of the Mamluk period. The paper identifies the reasons for this state of affairs and provides a sample of materials that proves that we do not lack the resources for pursuing research in this direction. The paper advocates an interdisciplinary approach where the efforts of experts in Islamic theology and historians interested in religion and society ought to merge