The Qur'anic exchange of the self in the poetry of Shurat (Khariji) political identity, 37--132 A.H./657--750 A.D [electronic resource]
說明
174 p
附註
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-12, Section: A, page: 4794
Adviser: Wadad Kadi
Thesis (Ph.D.)--The University of Chicago, 2001
The Shurāt, most frequently called the KhawArij in the historical sources as well as in modern scholarship, are referred to as the first sect in Islam. This study shows that people from various Shurāt, subgroups throughout the early Islamic period (37–132 A.H./657–750 A.D.) identify themselves as “the exchangers/<italic>al-shurāt</italic>.” They use this appellation, along with related words from the verbal root <italic> sharā-yashrī</italic>, in their poetry, which contains the most accurate record of their speech. They derive their name from Qur'anic aya 2:207: {And of mankind is he who would exchange his mortal self, seeking the pleasure of God; and God hath compassion on the servants/<italic>wa-mina n-nāsi man</italic> <bolditalic>yashrī</bolditalic> <italic>nafsahū btighā'a mard&dotbelow;āti llāhi wa-llāhu ra'ūfun bi-l-'ibād </italic>}. This aya is one of the minority of Qur'anic exchange/<italic> sharā</italic> ayas which show the exchanger making the right choice, or exchange. The Shurāt's identification with this aya shows their primary commitment to God, and lends legitimacy to their position as a righteous minority opposing the dominant authority. They use the exchange concept to restore agency to themselves, whereby a slain person is not considered a passive victim of the Umayyad opponent, but rather an active exchanger of his life. The Shurāt are unique in using the Qur'anic sense of this concept to represent their goals as a political community. Their poetry shows the centrality of this exchange to their identity, as evidenced in their identification of themselves collectively as exchangers, Shurāt
