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" Tradition and Its Boundaries: "
Soufan, Abdallah
Opwis, Felicitas
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1104198
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2202858351
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| Main Entry
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Opwis, Felicitas
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Soufan, Abdallah
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| Title & Author
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Tradition and Its Boundaries:\ Soufan, AbdallahOpwis, Felicitas
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| College
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Georgetown University
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| Date
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2019
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| student score
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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218
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| Abstract
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This dissertation aims at problematizing and deconstructing the sunnah-Bid'ah dichotomy, by reconstructing its early history. Bid'ah (religious innovation) in Islamic thought is conceptualized in opposition to sunnah, which is understood to be the tradition received from the prophet, and which is considered the most authoritative source of Muslim creed and jurisprudence after the Qur'ān. The two terms of the opposition are usually contrasted to each other with respect to the value bestowed on each, their temporal order (as sunnah is thought of as preceding Bid'ah), and their sources (as sunnah is thought of as divinely prescribed, while Bid'ah as following human and satanic whims). The work starts with a philological study of the term Bid'ah, where it is argued that it originally signified the idea of uniqueness and independence and was a value-free concept. A shift in understanding the nature of this "independence" appeared in the Umayyad era, and especially in early Marwānid era. An action or judgment would be called Bid'ah when it was perceived to be taken or conducted independently from practices set either by political authorities, as the Syrian usage would suggest, or by the Muslim community at large, as the Iraqi usage would. In both cases, a contrast with sunnah was established, reflecting the emergence of two conceptions of sunnah. Nevertheless, the element of temporality, and hence the sense of innovation, was only introduced later during Umar II era. By introducing this new understanding of Bid'ah, the conception of sunnah started gradually to be defined as the tradition received from earlier generations. A critique of this conception of sunnah emerged first among the Ši'ites but was soon modified and adopted by aš-Šāfi'i. With this, the sunnah -Bid'ah dichotomy took its final shape. Earlier texts were reread to reflect this new understanding. The dissertation shows that this reflects not only an ahistorical tendency in early 'Abbāsid period to synthesize incommensurable conceptualizations, but also a crucial shift from an early polity centered around charismatic figures to a late Umayyad polity based on tradition to a new 'Abbāsid polity based on the centrality of law.
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Islamic Studies
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Middle Eastern literature
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