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IMC 2023: Sessions

Session 143: Salvation and the Law in the Medieval Islamic World

Monday 3 July 2023, 11.15-12.45

Moderator/Chair:Fozia Bora, School of Languages, Cultures & Societies - Arabic, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, University of Leeds
Paper 143-aThe Entanglements of Riches: Medieval Muslim Disputes on the Salvation of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf
(Language: English)
Alena Kulinich, Department of Asian Languages & Civilizations, Seoul National University
Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Religious Life, Theology
Paper 143-bThe Legal Framework of Ǧihād in Aghlabid Sicily, 827-909
(Language: English)
Hossameldin Ali, Fach Geschichte, Universität Konstanz
Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Law
Paper 143-cQadi-Amir Relations in the Mamluk State
(Language: English)
Songül Akyurt, Department of History, İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University
Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Law
Abstract

Paper -a:
The idea that possessing material wealth endangers one's prospect of salvation in the Hereafter was prominent in many medieval societies, including those of the Islamic world. This paper examines the debates around this idea among medieval Muslim authors by analysing their disputes on the fate of Muhammad's prominent Companion 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (d. 31/652) in the Hereafter. Renowned for his enormous wealth, yet also considered among the ten Companions who were assured of Paradise, the case of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf became a proof for those advocating the salvation of the wealthy and a challenge to those arguing otherwise.

Paper -b:
Abstract withheld.

Paper -c:
The Mamluk state ruled in Egypt, Syria, Hejaz and Southeastern Anatolia between 1250 and 1517. Sultan Baybars put into effect the system of four Qadis (the chief judges) in the capital of Cairo in 1265, which became a part of the legal system from then on. In the Mamluk State, the chief judges, who formed the religious class, had to get the support of the great amirs who came after the sultan in terms of power in order not to lose their positions. In this study, the relations between the chief judges and the great amirs, which constitute two separate class in the Mamluk State, will be examined.