Political Legitimacy in Early Islam

This volume looks at the notion of legitimacy in
early Islam , specifically as it was held by an
important early scholar in Islam , namely Al-
Awz . the importance of al-Awz lies not only
in his scholarship and his ruling vis-à-vis
authority but more importantly his historical
context . al-Awz lived during the latter days of
the Umayyad dynasty and saw their removal by the
Abbasids . His interaction with the new regime and
his understanding of its (il) legitimacy did not
just have political ramifications but rather
affected some fundamental ideas of belief and
disbelief . This , in turn , was a consequence of
his theological beliefs . So it is essential for
researchers to understand that the relationship
between the scholars and caliphs needs to be
interpreted in terms of the scholar s theology .
The book begins by looking at the life and
scholarship of al-Awz before undertaking the
authentication of letters between al-Awz and the
Abbasid authorities . once authenticated , we
analyze the implications of the above correspondence
for the notions of legitimacy , authority , belief
and disbelief .

Autorentext

Abdulhadi Alajmi is currently professor of history at Kuwait Universityand the secretary of the Historical Society of Kuwait. He received hisM.A. from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University ofDurham, U.K. He is the author of several articles on Islamic history,society, women, and historiography

Klappentext

This volume looks at the notion of legitimacy in early Islam , specifically as it was held by an important early scholar in Islam , namely Al-Awza'i . the importance of al-Awza'i lies not only in his scholarship and his ruling vis-à-vis authority but more importantly his historical context . al-Awza'i lived during the latter days of the Umayyad dynasty and saw their removal by the Abbasids . His interaction with the new regime and his understanding of its (il) legitimacy did not just have political ramifications but rather affected some fundamental ideas of belief and disbelief . This , in turn , was a consequence of his theological beliefs . So it is essential for researchers to understand that the relationship between the scholars and caliphs needs to be interpreted in terms of the scholar's theology .The book begins by looking at the life and scholarship of al-Awza'i before undertaking the authentication of letters between al-Awza'i and the Abbasid authorities . once authenticated , we analyze the implications of the above correspondence for the notions of legitimacy , authority , belief and disbelief .