Religion and Politics under the Early 'Abbāsids : : The Emergence of the Proto-Sunnī Elite / / Muhammad Qasim Zaman.

• Superior document: Islamic History and Civilization ; 16
• VerfasserIn: Zaman, Muhammad Qasim,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden;, Boston : : BRILL,, 1997.
• Year of Publication: 1997
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Islamic History and Civilization ; 16.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.
• Other title: The Emergence of the Proto-Sunnī Elite
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 9004493190
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Muhammad Qasim Zaman.

The main concern of this book is the religious policies of the early 'Abbāsid caliphs. It focuses on the religious trends which went into the making of Sunnī Islam, and traces the emergence of the nascent Sunnī elite in relation to the 'Abbāsids. Various aspects of the caliphs' evolving relationship with the religious scholars are studied and the nature of caliphal patronage and its impact on the scholars, and ultimately on the evolution of early Sunnism, is explored. What emerges is a picture of close collaboration between the caliphs and the 'ulama', with the caliphs playing an active and multifaceted role in religious life. This book challenges the prevailing interpretations of the separation of religion and politics in early Islam, and offers new insights into the social and religious history of Islam's formative centuries.