Open AccessMona Hassan, Longing for the Lost Caliphate: A Transregional History
Author(s) -
Owais Manzoor Dar
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
islam and civilisational renewal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2041-8728
pISSN - 2041-871X
DOI - 10.52282/icr.v11i1.36
Subject(s) - caliphate , sorrow , jihadism , islam , grief , tribe , pilgrimage , anguish , history , ancient history , sociology , political science , law , philosophy , psychology , archaeology , politics , social psychology , epistemology , ideology , psychotherapist
The institution of the Islamic caliphate, the temporal succession to the Prophet Muhammad, emerged upon the latter’s death in 632, when his close companions assumed leadership of the entire Muslim community’s affairs, not merely those of a faction, tribe, or region. The unexpected disappearance of the Abbasid and Ottoman caliphates in 1258 and 1924 respectively, intensified Muslim anguish, cultural trauma, grief and sorrow. The book under review explores the reactions of Muslims to the loss of the caliphate and tries to answer two essential questions: What did Muslims imagine was lost with the disappearance of the caliphate in the 13th and 20th centuries? And how did they attempt to recapture the loss and redefine the caliphate under changing circumstances?