The History of Islam by Terence Lovat & Amir Moghadam

Author:Terence Lovat & Amir Moghadam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Conclusion

In a word, The History is not well understood as an exemplar of narrative literalism; it is, rather, a sacred narrative (Wansbrough 1978). As such, it delivers a collection of narrative scenes comprised of crucial elements of Evil, Good, Blessing, Destiny and Providence in an array of manifestations. In this sense, The History can be described as a form of constructed hyperreal (Thwaiteset al. 2002), in which often overwhelmed groups of true believers are seen to be persistently fighting against larger numbers of infidels who, nonetheless are consistently defeated (Shoshan 2004). The narrative is designed not simply to convey so many historical details (what Habermas would refer to as empirical/analytic) but to draw the reader into a particular interpretation of the events (historical/hermeneutic) and to gain a level of ownership and belief in the enjoined interpretation (critical/self-reflective). The narrative serves to provide the Muslim believer with the beliefs, values and identity essential to Muslim adherence. The drama that is inherent in the inevitable ups and downs, high points and low points, moments of victory and vanquish embedded in the narrative, is designed to tantalize and engage, in the way of any effective media, and to illustrate that God’s plan will triumph regardless of fallible human circumstances. The narrative of Islam’s battles, internal and external, only serve to affirm this message. The narrative, in other words, is not merely factual so much as ideological, from beginning to end. It is a blend of history and histoire throughout, with the latter especially instrumental in the earlier volumes where reliable historical record is largely if not entirely absent, and then the historical becoming a matter of greater reliability in the later volumes as the times being conveyed draw closer to those of al-Tabari himself. In a sense, the work of al-Tabari moves from a promising and highly idealized sacred era to a gradually more factual but not so promising mundane era. Even about these latter volumes, however, one tends to relegate the volumes to the status of unreliable history, partly on the basis that the earlier volumes are so clearly ideological and religious but also because the ideological genre is seen to dominate even when stronger elements of history are present.

Throughout, al-Tabari, while apparently not particularly optimistic about the future, is attempting to defend the Abbasid Dynasty as the one that conforms to God’s plan and the Prophet’s promise. In serving this end, the Umayyad Dynasty is put down and the claims of Shi’ite, Kharjite and other oppositional groups characterized as a threat. In that sense, The History is histoire in the classical sense, designed to serve an end quite beyond the factual historical record.

Importantly, the vision of Islam portrayed by The History is still very much alive and retains its power despite the fact that centuries have passed since the death of its author and personages who are the subject of its narration. It functions as religious literature that is able to communicate independently of its creators (Barthes 1973, 1979, 1981). Overwhelmingly,

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