Open AccessNorth African and Omani Ibâḍî Accounts of the Munâẓâra: A Preliminary Comparison
Author(s) -
Adam Gaiser
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
revue du monde musulman et de la méditerranée/revue des mondes musulmans et de la méditerranée
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.132
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2105-2271
pISSN - 0997-1327
DOI - 10.4000/remmm.7778
Subject(s) - narrative , currency , battle , history , key (lock) , commission , islam , ancient history , genealogy , geography , political science , philosophy , literature , law , art , archaeology , linguistics , computer science , computer security
This chapter compares Western/North African and Eastern/Omani Ibâḍî accounts of the munâẓara (debate) that took place at Ḥarûrâ’ before the Battle of Nahrawân to reveal two similar yet distinct traditions. A further comparison with non-Ibâḍî (i.e. al-Ṭabarî, al-Balâdhurî, al-Baghdâdî, etc.) versions of the debate shows that it is the Western/North African tradition that shares certain features and narrative structures with non-Ibâḍî accounts. The key to understanding these particular textual configurations is the figure of the last Basran Imâm, Abû Sufyân Maḥbûb Ibn al-Raḥîl. Abû Sufyân wrote his Kitâb Abî Sufyân on the commission of the Rustumid Imâm Aflaḥ Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhâb, and likely incorporated Basran and Kûfan Ibâḍî traditions that did not gain wide currency among Ibâḍîs in Oman. For this reason, non-Ibâḍî and Western munâẓara accounts share certain characteristics that are not present in Eastern accounts, even though Oman is geographically closer to the places where non-Ibâḍî accounts likely originated