Narrating Muḥammad's night journey: tracing the development of the Ibn ʻAbbās ascension discourse

Dublin Core

Title

Narrating Muḥammad's night journey: tracing the development of the Ibn ʻAbbās ascension discourse

Subject

Muḥammad, Prophet, -632 -- Isrāʼ and Miʻrāj
ʻAbd Allāh ibn al-ʻAbbās, -688? Isrāʼ wa-al-Miʻrāj

Description

"This book provides an exhaustive examination of the historical development of a key story in the life of Muhammad, the tale told of his journey to the divine realm and back. It shows how in the early centuries of the Islamic community, both Sunni and Shi'i Muslims appropriated this fascinating story and interpreted it to suit their own ends. In particular, the book traces the development of a critical and influential strand of this rich ascension literature ascribed to one of Muhammad's famous companions, the scholar known as Ibn 'Abbas. Frederick S. Colby, demonstrates that this version of the tale originated in the early period and spread throughout the Islamic world, affecting how people from Spain to Afghanistan came to think about Muhammad and his legacy. Colby also includes translations of richly textured ascension narratives that have never before appeared in English."--Jacket.

Creator

Frederick S. Colby

Publisher

Albany : SUNY Press

Table Of Contents

1 Muhammad's Night Journey in the Qur'an 13 -- The Night Journey Verse 13 -- Verses from the Chapter of the Overturning 16 -- The Opening Verses of the Chapter of the Star 17 -- The Appropriation of Terms and Phrases from the Qur'an 21 -- The Heavenly Host Debate 22 -- The Final Verses (Seals) of the Chapter of the Cow 23 -- Passing References to the Ascension in the Qur'an 24 -- 2 Orality and the Primitive Version of the Ibn 'Abbas Ascension Narrative 29 -- Approaching Ibn 'Abbas and the Primitive Version 30 -- Comparatively Analyzing the Primitive Version 35 -- Authenticating and Dating the Circulation of the Primitive Version 42 -- Echoes of Muqatil b. Sulayman's Commentary in the Primitive Version 46 -- Tracing the Beginnings of the Primitive Version 48 -- 3 Early Historical Descriptions of Muhammad's Journey 51 -- From Qur'an and Oral Reports to Early Narrative History: Ibn Ishaq 51 -- Ibn Ishaq's Account of the Prophet's Night Journey as Narrated by Ibn Hisham 53 -- Ibn Ishaq's Account of the Heavenly Journey as Narrated by Ibn Hisham 55 -- The Early Ascension Narrative as Presented in Ibn Sa'd's History 57 -- The Night Journey as Narrated by Ibn Sa'd 59 -- 4 Proto-Shi'i Narratives of Heavenly Ascent 65 -- The Ascension Experiences of Proto-Shi'i "Extremists" 65 -- Ascension-related Sayings in Saffar Qummi's Collection 67 -- The Qur'an Commentary of Furat Kufi 72 -- 5 Canonical Sunni Hadith Reports on Muhammad's Journey 79 -- Night Journey and Ascension Hadith Reports in Bukhari and Muslim 81 -- Hadith Reports from the Collection of Nasa'i 85 -- Hadith Reports from the Collection of Tirmidhi 87 -- 6 The Use and Appropriation of the Ibn 'Abbas Discourse in Commentaries 93 -- Night Journey and Ascension Accounts in Tabari's Tafsir 93 -- The Abu Hurayra Ascension Narrative from Tabari's Tafsir 96 -- The Abu Sa'id Khudri Ascension Narrative from Tabari's Tafsir 101 -- The Appropriation of the Primitive Version in Other Early Commentaries 104 -- The Use of the Primitive Version in 'Ali Qummi's Tafsir 105 -- The Use of the Primitive Version in Tha 'labi's Tafsir 108 -- 7 Contesting the Primitive Version in Nishapur 113 -- Ibn Hibban's Rejection of the Primitive Version 114 -- Sulami and His Compilation of Sufi Sayings on Muhammad's Ascension 115 -- Qushayri and His Kitab al-mi'raj 116 -- The Extended Cosmological Ascension Hadith 118 -- Bayhaqi's Rejection of the Extended Ascension Narratives 123 -- 8 Bakri's Total and Complete Ibn 'Abbas Discourse 127 -- The Events Prior to the Night Journey in Texts That Invoke Bakri 129 -- Muhammad's Night Journey to Jerusalem in Texts That Invoke Bakri 133 -- Bakri Versions of Muhammad's Journey through the Heavens 136 -- Muhammad's Journey beyond the Seven Heavens in Bakri Texts 141 -- Dating the Ascension Narratives Ascribed to Abu al-Hasan Bakri 145 -- 9 The Circulation and Diffusion of Bakri's Versions 149 -- The Base Narrative behind Ibn Sina's Allegorical Treatise 150 -- Evidence from Sixth/Twelfth-century North Africa 154 -- Liber Scale and the Diffusion of the Bakri Versions in the Seventh/Thirteenth Century 156 -- An Anonymous Eastern Persian Mi'rajnama 158 -- Appendix A Translation of the Primitive Version 175 -- Appendix B Bakri's "Total and Complete" Ascesion 195 -- Glossary: Key Themes and Tropes in the Ibn 'Abbas Ascension Narratives 235.

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Book

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Citation

Frederick S. Colby, “Narrating Muḥammad's night journey: tracing the development of the Ibn ʻAbbās ascension discourse,” Humanities Hub, accessed December 23, 2024, https://humanitieshub.sdsu.edu/omeka/items/show/906.