Writings as a Form of Opposition: Mathālib Literature in the First Three Centuries AH

Authors : Muhammed Enes Topgül

Pages : 233-274

Doi:10.12730/13091719.2017.82.167

View : 14 | Download : 13

Publication Date : 2018-01-14

Article Type : Research Article

Abstract :The evolution of early Islamic literature cannot be explained merely by scientific reasons. Indeed, each work is a product of the social, political, scientific, and economic frame of its time. During the first century of the ʿAbbāsid rule, Muslim society experienced various social movements, such as Shuʿūbiyyah; meanwhile, Shīʿī communities began to develop their identity. Both movements opted to write relevant works in a similar manner to take aim at their opponents; accordingly, they compiled the points that condemned their opponents or their assumptions in separate works. The general name for this literature is mathālib (defect, fault, slandering). It developed into two subgenres, namely, mathālib al-ʿArab and mathālib al-ṣaḥābah. The objective of this paper is to present the existence of this genre, which has yet to be subject to a self-contained study, to identify the authors of these works in the first three centuries AH, and to interpret the available data about this genre with regard to ḥadīth history.
Keywords : Mathālib al-ʿArab, mathālib al-ṣaḥābah, defects of the Companions, Shuʿūbiyyah