Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T04:11:30.155Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

HAMID DABASHI, Truth and Narrative: The Untimely Thoughts of עAyn al-Qudat al-Hamadhani (Richmond, U.K.: Curzon Press, 1999). Pp. 693. $100.00.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2002

Extract

Not much has hitherto been written about עAyn al-Quzat al-Hamadani (1098–1131)—about his life, writings, social and political environment, incarceration in Baghdad, and tragic execution. Hamid Dabashi's book is, therefore, at first sight a desired contribution in the field of medieval studies. The author presents a portrait of עAyn al-Quzat as a “Persian individual” who belongs neither specifically to Sufi tradition nor to any other categorical appellations; rather, he is a free thinker who challenges Islamic sacred tenets about prophethood, sainthood, the nature of God, and so on. This gives a new picture of עAyn al-Quzat. The book is divided into eleven chapters, excluding the Introduction and Conclusion. Chapters 1–4 describe עAyn al-Quzat's life (his social, political, literary, and educational background); in Chapters 5–9, Dabashi gives a close reading of עAyn al-Quzat's oeuvre; and Chapters 10–11 are devoted to עAyn al-Quzat's death and his portrayal in hagiographies. Although Dabashi's approach is interesting, I have mixed feelings about the book, which I shall address shortly.

Type
Book Review
Copyright
© 2002Cambridge University Press

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.)