Carole Hillenbrand
Hardback, 480 pages
9781474485982

 

Collects 21 papers on Classical Islam by one of the world’s leading experts on medieval Islamic history

 

Classical Islam presents studies of the career of the Prophet Muhammad and the environment from which he sprang; the evolution of Islamic mysticism; political thought; and philosophical themes. It also includes investigations into the development of the late ‘Abbasid caliphate; analyses of the Mirror for Princes literature; and studies of the minor dynasties of Iraq and Anatolia, and of the major cities in the region.

 

Contents
1. Islamic orthodoxy or Realpolitik?: al-Ghazali’s views on government
2. Al-Mustandjid
3. Al-Mustansir
4. Al-Mustarshid
5. Al-Mustazhir
6. Some Aspects of al-Ghazali’s Views on Beauty
7. New Introduction to Nasir al-Din Shah, The Diary of H.M. the Shah of Persia during his tour through Europe in A.D. 1873
8. A little-known Mirror for Princes of al-Ghazali
9. Muhammad and the rise of Islam
10. Sources in Arabic
11. Some medieval Muslim views of Constantinople
12. Water in classical Islamic culture
13. Sayf al-Dawla, al-Mutanabbi and Byzantium: The Evidence of a Textile
14. The Kimiya-yi sa‘adat (The Alchemy of Happiness) of al-Ghazali: a misunderstood work?
15. A Neglected Source on the Life of Hasan-i Sabbah, the Founder of the Nizari ‘Assassin’ Sect
16. The Impact of a Sixteenth-Century Jihad Treatise on Colonial and Modern India
17. Ancient Iranian Kings in the World History of Rashid al-Din
18. Al-Ghazali: In Praise of Sufism
19. Life in pre-Mongol Marw according to the medieval Muslim geographers
20. Bernard Lewis: 31 May 1916 – 19 May 2018
21. ‘Seek ye knowledge, even unto China’: the literature of travel in the lands of Islam