Neither Belief nor Unbelief

Intentional Ambivalence in al-Ma'arri’s Luzum
1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-3-11-077253-1
Verlag: De Gruyter

Buch, Englisch, Band 45, 204 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 230 mm, Gewicht: 444 g

Reihe: Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East

The book re-examines the religious thought and receptions of the Syrian poet Abu l-?Ala? al-Ma?arri (d.1057) and one of his best known works - , a collection of poems, which, although widely studied, needs a thorough re-evaluation regarding matters of (un)belief. Given the contradictory nature of al-Ma?arri’s and in particular, there have been two major trends in assessing al-Ma?arri’s religious thought in modern scholarship. One presented al-Ma?arri as an unbeliever and a freethinker arguing that through contradictions, he practiced , i.e., dissimulation in order to avoid persecution. The other, often apologetically, presented al-Ma?arri as a sincere Muslim. This study proposes that the notion of ambivalence is a more appropriate analytical tool to apply to the reading of , specifically in matters of belief. This ambivalence is directly conditioned by the historical and intellectual circumstances al-Ma?arri lived in and he intentionally left it unsolved and intense as a robust stance against claims of certainty. Going beyond reductive interpretations, the notion of ambivalence allows for an integrative paradigm in dealing with contradictions and dissonance.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Grigoryan, Sona

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam & Islamische Studien
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Geschichte des Islam

Über Autor(innen)

Sona Grigoryan , Central European University, Budapest, Ungarn/Wien, Österreich.

Sona Grigoryan , Central European University, Budapest, Hungary/Wien, Austria.