A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ
This article examines the first chapter of al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ fī ḫilāfat al-Mustaḍīʾ (“The Radiant Lamp: The Caliphate of al-Mustaḍīʾ”), a homiletic mirror for princes written by the Ḥanbalī scholar and preacher Ibn al-Ǧawzī (d. 597/1201). As a work dedicated to the Abbasid caliph al-Mustaḍīʾ (r. 5...
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Al-Qantara : Revista de Estudios Arabes |
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| Online Access: | https://al-qantara.revistas.csic.es/index.php/al-qantara/article/view/704 |
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| author | Han Hsien Liew |
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| author_sort | Han Hsien Liew |
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This article examines the first chapter of al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ fī ḫilāfat al-Mustaḍīʾ (“The Radiant Lamp: The Caliphate of al-Mustaḍīʾ”), a homiletic mirror for princes written by the Ḥanbalī scholar and preacher Ibn al-Ǧawzī (d. 597/1201). As a work dedicated to the Abbasid caliph al-Mustaḍīʾ (r. 566-575/1170-1180), the Miṣbāḥ can also be read as an extended sermon to the caliph. Its first chapter, aimed at glorifying al-Mustaḍīʾ’s caliphate and the Abbasid dynasty, displays an eclectic mix of material drawn from the Qurʾān, ḥadīṯs, laudatory biographies (manāqib), and the Sunni discourse on the caliphate. At the same time, Ibn al-Ǧawzī subtly embeds advice in his panegyric to al-Mustaḍīʾ, most perceptibly in a section devoted to a genealogical legitimation of the Abbasid dynasty where he grafts the Abbasids onto a sacred line of prophets running through the Prophet Muḥammad. While Ibn al-Ǧawzī musters a mix of anecdotes and ḥadīṯs to depict the Abbasid ancestors Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh as learned and pious Muslim sages, he also frames them as models of religious knowledge and ritualistic piety for al-Mustaḍīʾ to emulate. Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s careful blending of advice and panegyric is in line with his proposed strategies for admonishing rulers, as outlined in his preaching manuals. At a broader level, this article highlights the intersection between hortatory preaching (waʿẓ) and political thought in classical Islamic civilization.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d9eeb7fe3f5a46d0abfefa34b60502cf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0211-3589 1988-2955 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Al-Qantara : Revista de Estudios Arabes |
| spelling | doaj-art-d9eeb7fe3f5a46d0abfefa34b60502cf2025-08-20T03:26:43ZengConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasAl-Qantara : Revista de Estudios Arabes0211-35891988-29552024-12-0145210.3989/alqantara.2024.704A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾHan Hsien Liew0Arizona State University This article examines the first chapter of al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ fī ḫilāfat al-Mustaḍīʾ (“The Radiant Lamp: The Caliphate of al-Mustaḍīʾ”), a homiletic mirror for princes written by the Ḥanbalī scholar and preacher Ibn al-Ǧawzī (d. 597/1201). As a work dedicated to the Abbasid caliph al-Mustaḍīʾ (r. 566-575/1170-1180), the Miṣbāḥ can also be read as an extended sermon to the caliph. Its first chapter, aimed at glorifying al-Mustaḍīʾ’s caliphate and the Abbasid dynasty, displays an eclectic mix of material drawn from the Qurʾān, ḥadīṯs, laudatory biographies (manāqib), and the Sunni discourse on the caliphate. At the same time, Ibn al-Ǧawzī subtly embeds advice in his panegyric to al-Mustaḍīʾ, most perceptibly in a section devoted to a genealogical legitimation of the Abbasid dynasty where he grafts the Abbasids onto a sacred line of prophets running through the Prophet Muḥammad. While Ibn al-Ǧawzī musters a mix of anecdotes and ḥadīṯs to depict the Abbasid ancestors Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh as learned and pious Muslim sages, he also frames them as models of religious knowledge and ritualistic piety for al-Mustaḍīʾ to emulate. Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s careful blending of advice and panegyric is in line with his proposed strategies for admonishing rulers, as outlined in his preaching manuals. At a broader level, this article highlights the intersection between hortatory preaching (waʿẓ) and political thought in classical Islamic civilization. https://al-qantara.revistas.csic.es/index.php/al-qantara/article/view/704Ibn al-ǦawzīAbbasidsCaliphateIslamic political thoughtMirrors for princesMuslim preaching |
| spellingShingle | Han Hsien Liew A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ Al-Qantara : Revista de Estudios Arabes Ibn al-Ǧawzī Abbasids Caliphate Islamic political thought Mirrors for princes Muslim preaching |
| title | A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ |
| title_full | A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ |
| title_fullStr | A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ |
| title_short | A Preacher’s Mirror: Mixing Advice and Panegyric in Ibn al-Ǧawzī’s al-Miṣbāḥ al-muḍīʾ |
| title_sort | preacher s mirror mixing advice and panegyric in ibn al gawzi s al misbah al mudiʾ |
| topic | Ibn al-Ǧawzī Abbasids Caliphate Islamic political thought Mirrors for princes Muslim preaching |
| url | https://al-qantara.revistas.csic.es/index.php/al-qantara/article/view/704 |
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