The hand of God is over their hands (Q. 48

(10): On the Notion of Covenant in al-Ṭabarī's Account of Karbala

Bibliographic Data

ID22318868
AuthorsTorsten Hylén (0000-0001-9963-8124, Dalarna University, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume18
Issue2
Pages58-88
Publication date2016-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Qur'anic Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1465-3591 • E-ISSN: 1755-1730
PublisherEdinburgh University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3366/jqs.2016.0239
OpenAlexW612355334
LanguageEN
References cited19

This article is an analysis of the story of the killing of Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī at Karbala in 61/680, as it is presented by al-Ṭabarī. The main argument is that the notion of the divine covenant, which permeates the Qur'an, constitutes a framework through which al-Ṭabarī views this event. The Qur'anic idea of the covenant is read in structural/thematic continuity with the Hebrew Bible account of the covenant between Yahweh and the Hebrew people, which has, in turn, been traced back in its basic form to Late Bronze Era treaties between rulers and their vassals. The present study focuses on four speeches ascribed to Ḥusayn during the encounter he and his group had with the vanguard of the Kufan army led by al-Ḥurr. These are analysed in accordance with their use of Qur'anic covenant vocabulary. They are also categorised within the broader framework of the eight standard characteristics of Ancient West Asian and Biblical covenants, as presented by Mendenhall and Herion, which have recently been developed in a Qur'anic context by Rosalind Ward Gwynne. This article argues that al-Ṭabarī’s Karbala narrative presents the pact of loyalty to Ḥusayn as a clear extension of the divine covenant

Art · Biblical studies · Covenant · Hebrew Bible · Linguistics · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Families in Therapy and Culture · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Law · Medicine · Philosophy

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