Classical Islamic Oration's Art, Function, and Life-Altering Power of Persuasion: The Ultimate Response by Hammam to Ali's Sermon on Piety, and by Hurr to Husayn's Battle Oration in Karbala

This article discusses classical Islamic oration's power of persuasion through two lenses, one wide-angled, one focused. First, it introduces topographies of Arabic oration in its foundational oral period in early Islam, addressing notable aspects of its art, function, and provenance. Then, it...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:"Special Section: Medieval Sermons and Conversion: A Comparative Perspective"
Main Author: Qutbuddin, Tahera 1964- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group 2023
In: Medieval sermon studies
Year: 2023, Volume: 67, Issue: 1, Pages: 74-87
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BJ Islam
KBL Near East and North Africa
RE Homiletics
TF Early Middle Ages
Further subjects:B Hurr in Karbala
B Husayn ibn Ali
B khuṭba
B classical Arabic oration
B taqwā (Islamic piety and virtue)
B oration's power of persuasion
B Hammam Sermon
B Ali ibn Abi Talib
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This article discusses classical Islamic oration's power of persuasion through two lenses, one wide-angled, one focused. First, it introduces topographies of Arabic oration in its foundational oral period in early Islam, addressing notable aspects of its art, function, and provenance. Then, it pivots to speak of major life changes induced by particular orations, or sermon-induced "conversion". Two early Islamic orations that induced such transformations are transcribed and briefly discussed: (1) the "sermon describing the truly pious" by the successor of the Prophet according to the Shia and the fourth caliph according to the Sunnis, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661) in Kufa, Iraq, which is said to have caused his associate Hammam to give up his life spirit, and (2) the battlefield speech addressed to the surrounding Umayyad army by Ali's son, the Shia Imam Husayn (d. 680), in Karbala, also in Iraq, which is reported to have won over the enemy sub-commander Hurr to Husayn's side and prompted him to fight for Husayn unto death. Both are striking examples of the life-altering effects of intense and eloquent sermons, manifest here in the ultimate passage - an end to life in this world and entry into the hereafter.
ISSN:1749-6276
Contains:Enthalten in: Medieval sermon studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13660691.2023.2269065