The Kharijites in Early Islamic Historical Tradition by Hagemann, Hannah-Lena;

Short description:

Analyses the narrative function of Khārijism in 9th- and 10th-century Islamic historiography

Long description:

Why are stories told about the Khārijites? The Islamic tradition portrays Khārijism as a heretical movement of militantly pious zealots, a notion largely reiterated by what little there is of modern scholarship on the Khārijites. Hannah-Lena Hagemann moves away from the usual studies of Khārijite history ‘as it really was’ and instead examines its narrative function in early Islamic historiography. From the Khārijites’ origins at the Battle of Ṣiffīn in 657 CE until the death of the caliph ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān in 705 CE, Hagemann's literary analysis provides a fresh perspective on Khārijite history and highlights the need for a serious reassessment of the historical phenomenon of Khārijism as it is currently understood in scholarship.

Table of Contents:

Part I: Preliminaries

Part II: Early Islamic Historiography and Literary Khārijism

1. Literary Approaches to Islamic Historiography and Khārijite History

2. Portraying Khārijism

3. Composing Khārijism

Part III: The Portrayal of Khārijite History from Ṣiffīn to the Death of ʿAbd al-Malik

4. Narratives of Khārijite Origins

5. Khārijism During the Reign of Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān

6. Khārijism from the Second Fitna until the Death of ʿAbd al-Malik

Part IV: Observations and Conclusions

7. Observations Regarding the Historiographical Tradition on Khārijism

Conclusion

Bibliography