Shīʿī past in Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī’s Kitāb al-Aghānī: a literary and historical analysis
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24/11/2016Author
Su, I-Wen
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Abstract
The Kitāb al-Aghānī (the Book of Songs) is one of the most important sources for
Arabic literature and history. While its compiler, Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī (died after
356/967), is generally viewed as a “Zaydī Shīʿī”, no study has engaged in depth with
the manifestation of his sectarian perspective in the Aghānī. This thesis addresses the
question of whether al-Iṣfahānī’s sectarian perspective can be discerned in the
Aghānī via literary analysis based primarily upon redaction criticism. By examining
the compiler’s interventions (which took place by means of selecting, repeating, and
juxtaposing source material, as well as by his comments and editorial remarks), this
thesis argues that al-Iṣfahānī indeed presents past people and events central to the
Shīʿī worldview in accordance with his sectarian affiliation. Furthermore, this thesis
questions the label “Zaydī” that has been attached to al-Iṣfahānī. Based on textual
analyses of the Aghānī, as well as evidence from his Maqātil al-Ṭālibīyīn (“The
Ṭālibid Martyrs”) and other evidence for the tenth-century context, this thesis
suggests that al-Iṣfahānī’s religious thought can be construed as a “mild” form of
Shīʿism ― in the sense that it does not entail belief in a specific lineage of imams
and repudiation of most of the Companions including the first three caliphs ― but
cannot necessarily be identified with any sect, as set down in the heresiography. It is
also suggested that this kind of Shīʿism may have been promoted by al-Iṣfahānī’s
patron, the Būyid vizier, Abū Muḥammad al-Muhallabī (291–352/903–963) in the
complex sectarian context of mid-tenth century Iraq.
This thesis comprises seven chapters. Chapters One and Two introduce the life of the
compiler, the wider historical context, the Aghānī, its textual problems, and its
overarching structure. These two chapters lead to three conclusions: first, the Aghānī,
in all likelihood, was dedicated to Abū Muḥammad al-Muhallabī; second, the view
that al-Iṣfahānī was a Zaydī is untenable; third, it is very likely that the Aghānī
retains its original form (as designed by al-Iṣfahānī). Chapter Three investigates the
sources used by al-Iṣfahānī in the Aghānī with regard to their transmission in order to
establish that the published text can indeed be subjected to redaction criticism for the
purpose of better understanding the compiler’s agenda (or agendas). Chapters Four
and Five present the results of the literary analysis of the Aghānī, which demonstrate
the articulation of a Shīʿī past in the Aghānī, as well as highlighting the limits of
redaction criticism and al-Iṣfahānī’s other editorial concerns. Building upon Chapter
Five, which concludes that the Aghānī reflects al-Iṣfahānī’s sectarian vision, Chapter
Six characterizes al-Iṣfahānī’s Shīʿī beliefs by examining his treatment of Ghulāt,
Imāmīs, Sunnīs, ʿAlids, and the Companions, including the first three caliphs.
Chapter Seven puts the results of the analyses into their historical context,
specifically in light of the career of his patron, al-Muhallabī. The Conclusion outlines
the key findings of this thesis, with remarks on potential avenues for future research.