Interpreting Al-Tha'labi's Tales of the Prophets: Temptation, Responsibility and Loss Contributor(s): Klar, Marianna (Author) |
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ISBN: 0415366631 ISBN-13: 9780415366632 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $161.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2009 Annotation: Klar gives a compelling examination of the prophets Job, Saul, David, Noah and Solomon as portrayed in Tha'labi's 'Arais Al-Majalis' and questions its efficacy as a tool for the exploration for the human condition via a close analysis of the tales of the five figures. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Collections | Middle Eastern - Literary Criticism | Middle Eastern - Religion | Islam - General |
Dewey: 297.246 |
LCCN: 2008054169 |
Series: Routledge Studies in the Qur'an |
Physical Information: 0.63" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.20 lbs) 260 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East - Religious Orientation - Islamic |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Al-Tha'labi was a renowned Qur'anic scholar of the fifth/eleventh century, and his 'Ara'is al-majalis is arguably the finest and most widely consulted example of the Islamic qisas al-anbiya' genre. Drawing on primary Arabic sources, Klar applies modern critical methods in order to explore the nature of al-Tha'labi's 'Ara'is al-majalis within its historical and literary context, and thereby produces a compelling examination of the stories of Noah, Job, Saul and David as portrayed in the key historiographical and folkloric texts of the medieval Islamic period. Via a close analysis of the relevant narratives, the book considers a number of universal aspects of the human condition as they are displayed in these tales, from first a religious, then a familial, and finally a social perspective. Touching upon the benefits and limitations of the application of biblical studies and literary motifs to Islamic materials, the book investigates the possibilities of interpretation raised by a primarily psychoanalytical reading of the tales of the four individuals in question. As such, this text will be of great interest to scholars of the biblical prophets, Qur'anic studies, Islamic historiography, folklore and literary criticism. |