Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T06:23:30.013Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Patterns of prognostication, narrative and expiation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

David Cook
Affiliation:
Rice University, Houston
Get access

Summary

ʿAbdallah b. Ghalib al-Harrani … broke the sheath of his sword, advanced and fought until he was killed and was carried from the battlefield while there was still a breath of life in him, but died short of the army camp. When he was buried there was a smell of musk emanating from his grave, and his brethren saw him in a dream, and he said: O Abu Firas, what has happened? He said: The best!

Martyrdom, since it is a theme within Islam, has been given a set form by tradition (both the Islamic tradition as well as the martyrdom tradition of religions that preceded it). This form often demands that the martyr be given knowledge of his or her death just prior to its occurrence, either in a dream/vision by means of an earthly figure who is privy to divine or supernatural knowledge, or occasionally by the drama that leads up to his or her death. Sometimes there are dreams or visions that occur after the martyr's death as well, so that the audience knows he or she has been suitably rewarded. Usually the martyr must die in a dignified manner, to the extent that such a death is possible under the circumstances, with his or her faith untainted, and have the ability or opportunity to speak to the audience before death supervenes.

Type
Chapter
Information
Martyrdom in Islam , pp. 116 - 134
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×