Abstract
Sermons attributed to ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (c. 600-661, first Shi‘a imam and fourth Sunni caliph) promoted core Qur’anic doctrine and ethics through an aesthetic steeped in the oral, nature-based, poetic culture of seventh-century Arabia. Using traditional Arabian metaphors of camels, watering holes, and pithy, rhythmic, orality-grounded cadences, ‘Ali urged his audience to worship the One God, follow the guidance of His prophet Muhammad, shun worldliness, perform good deeds, and prepare for the imminent hereafter. Through a close reading of his most celebrated discourses, this paper explores these teachings and their religious and cultural underpinnings.
Highlights
Sermons attributed to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (c. 600-661, first Shi‘a imam and fourth Sunni caliph) promoted core Qur’anic doctrine and ethics through an aesthetic steeped in the oral, nature-based, poetic culture of seventh-century Arabia
Features of orality are observable in Biblical psalms and sermons, Greek and Balkan epics, and Zulu panegyrics[13], and they are clearly discernible in the Arabic orations attributed to ‘Ali[14]
With a distinct beginning comprised of formulaic praise of God and invocations for the Prophet Muhammad, a body with ‘Ali’s typical sermonizing themes, and a distinct ending comprised of prayer, the text exemplifies the standard structure of the early Islamic sermon
Summary
Cultural and topographical background of pre-Islamic Arabia.– 2.2. ‘Ali’s life and career in early Islamic Arabia and Iraq.– 2.3. Transmission and authenticity of ‘Ali’s sermons.– 3. Content and style of ‘Ali’s sermons.– 3.1. Sermon 2: A camel caravan journeying to the hereafter.– 4.3. Sermon 3: Death as a predator.– 4.4. Sermon 4: Censure of the world and terrors of the grave.– 4.5. Sermon 5: Be you children of the hereafter! Sermon 6: Metaphors of horse-racing and trade.– 4.7.
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