Overview

In recent years, Islam – whether via the derivatives of 'Political Islam' or 'Islamism' – has come to be seen as an 'activist' force in social and political spheres worldwide. What such representations have neglected is the strong countervailing tradition of political quietism. Political quietism in Islam holds that it is not for Muslims to question or oppose their leaders. Rather, the faithful should concentrate on their piety, prayer, religious rituals and personal quest for virtue. This book is the first to analyze the history and meaning of political quietism in Islamic societies. It takes an innovative cross-sectarian approach, investigating the phenomenon and practice across both Sunni and Shi’i communities. Contributors deconstruct and introduce the various forms of political quietisms from the time of the prophetic revelations through to the contemporary era. Chapters cover issues ranging from the politics of public piety among the women preachers in Saudi Arabia, through to the legal discourses in the Caucasus, the different Shi’i communities in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Pakistan, and the Gülen movement in Azerbaijan. The authors describe a wide range of political quietisms and assess the continuing significance of the tradition, both to the study of Islam and to the modern world today.

Full Product Details

Author:   Saud al-Sarhan (King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   I.B. Tauris
Weight:   0.399kg
ISBN:  

9780755645046

ISBN 10:   0755645049
Pages:   280
Publication Date:   29 July 2021
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Saud al-Sarhan, The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia; and Faisal Abullhassan, Johns Hopkins University, USA Part I – The Concept of Political Quietism: Its Problematics and the Islamic Context 1 – Making Sense of ‘Political Quietism’—An Analytical Intervention Jan-Peter Hartung, University of Göttingen, Germany 2 – Expressions of Political Quietism in Islamic History Ebrahim Moosa, University of Notre Dame, USA; and Nicholas Roberts, Sewanee: The University of the South, USA Part II – Political Quietism in Classical Islam 3 – The Rightly-Guided Caliphs: The Range of Views Preserved in Hadith Robert Gleave, University of Exeter, UK; and Christopher Melchert, University of Oxford, UK 4 – “Patience in Our Situation Is Better than Sedition”: The Shift to Political Quietism in the Sunni Tradition Saud al-Sarhan, The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia 5 – Quietism and Political Legitimacy in Imami Shi'i Jurisprudence: al-Sharif al-Murtada’s Treatise on the Legality of Working for the Government Reconsidered Robert Gleave, University of Exeter, UK Part III – Political Quietism in Modern and Contemporary Islamic Thought 6 – “I’m Only a Village Farmer and a Dervish’: Between Political Quietism and Spiritual Leadership: Early Modern Shi'i Sufism and the Challenge of Modernity Alessandro Cancian, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK 7 – Legal Discourses on Hijra in the Caucasus after the Fall of the Caucasus Imamate: Risalat al-sharifa by the Dagestani Scholar 'Abd al-Rahman al-Thughuri Mogamed Gizbulaev, Princeton University, USA 8 – Constitutionalism as Quietist Strategy: The Case of Tunisia Jeremy Kleidosty, University of Helsinki, Finland 9 – “Dropping a Thick Curtain of Forgetting and Disregard”: Modern Shi'i Quietism Beyond Politics Rainer Brunner, The French National Center for Scientific Research, France 10 – Public Piety and the Politics of Preaching Among Female Preachers in Riyadh Laila Makboul, University of Oslo, Norway 11 – The Gülen Movement in Azerbaijan: Political Quietism or Taqiyya? Fuad Aliyve, ADA University, Azerbaijan 12 – The Neo-Traditionalist Critique of Modernity and the Production of Political Quietism Walaa Quisay, University of Oxford, UK

Reviews

Saud al-Sarhan has brought together an impressive array of contributors as editor of this book, which is the first to analyse the history and meaning of political quietism in Islamic societies around the globe. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the work is, indeed, its willingness to admit and impartially examine variations in the practice and thought of Muslim societies [...] This book feels like the start of a new debate which recognizes quietism in Islam, not as a form of subservience but as political power. -- International Affairs This book is a welcome addition in the field, providing an extremely useful nuanced discussion; I suspect that it will be required reading for anyone with a genuine interest in the politics of Islam. * Middle East Monitor *

Saud al-Sarhan has brought together an impressive array of contributors as editor of this book, which is the first to analyse the history and meaning of political quietism in Islamic societies around the globe. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the work is, indeed, its willingness to admit and impartially examine variations in the practice and thought of Muslim societies [...] This book feels like the start of a new debate which recognizes quietism in Islam, not as a form of subservience but as political power. -- International Affairs This book is a welcome addition in the field, providing an extremely useful nuanced discussion; I suspect that it will be required reading for anyone with a genuine interest in the politics of Islam. * Middle East Monitor * ""An excellent introduction to key concepts and developments in quietist political theology in Islam ... a book well worth reading especially for anyone interested in politics, Islam, Islamism, Islamic theology, and sociology of religion"" -- Asif Mohiuddin, Sakarya University, Turkey The [book] enables the reader [to have] a wealth of insights into the historical and contemporary developments in Muslim countries ... It belongs in every library with humanities, social sciences and literature, and can be used by all readers. * Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes (Bloomsbury Translation) *

Author Information

Saud al-Sarhan (PhD, University of Exeter) is Secretary General at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was previously the Director of Research at KFCRIS. He is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at Exeter University, UK, an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College London, and a Distinguished International Affairs Fellow of the National Council on US-Arab Relations, USA.

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