Full Description
In the wake of controversies over printing or displaying images of the Prophet Muhammad, Christiane Gruber's aim is to bring back into scholarly and public discussion the 'lost' history of imagining the Prophet in Islamic cultures. By studying the various verbal and visual constructions of the Prophet's character and persona over the course of more than one thousand years, Gruber seeks to correct public misconceptions and restore to Islam its rich artistic heritage, illuminating the critical role Muhammad has played in Muslim constructions of self and community at different times and in various cultural contexts.
The Praiseworthy One is an exploration of the Prophet Muhammad's significance in Muslim life and thought from the beginning of Islam to today. It pays particular attention to procedures of narration, veneration, and sacralization. Gruber stresses that a fruitful approach to extant textual and visual materials is one that emphasizes the harnessing of Muhammad's persona as a larger metaphor to explain both past and present historical events, to build and delineate a sense of community, and to help individuals conceive of and communicate with the realm of the sacred. The Praiseworthy One shows that Muhammad has served as a polyvalent symbol rather than a historical figure with fixed significance.
Contents
Introduction
a. The Scholarly Search for a 'Historical' Muhammad
b. A New Paradigm: A 'Metaphorical' Muhammad
c. Surveying the Sources: Islamic Texts and Images
Chapter One: Textual Picturations
a. Prophetic Traces: Qur'an and Hadith
b. In the Eye of His Beholders: Biographies of the Prophet
c. Chronicling the Prophet: Universal Histories
d. Descriptions and Proofs: Shama'il and Dala'il Texts
e. In Praise of the Prophet: Persian Eulogistic Poems
f. Prophetic Devotions: Rituals and Festivals
Chapter Two: Imaged Narrations
a. First Appearances: Varqa va Gulshah and Marzubannama
b. Historical Cycles: Bal'ami, Rashid al-Din, and Hafiz-i Abru
c. Sectarian Twists?: Biruni, Ibn Husam, and Varamini
d. Pictured Biography: The Ottoman Siyeri Nebi
e. Biography to Hagiography: Other Illustrated Chronicles
Chapter Three: Books of Ascension
a. Illustrated Bio-Apocaylpses: Why Books of Ascension?
b. A Sunni Devotional Tale: The Ilkhanid Mi'rajnama
c. Muhammad's Missions: The Timurid Mi'rajnama
d. The Rising Monarch: SinglePage Mi'raj Paintings
e. A Shi'i Vademecum: The Qajar Illustrated Mi'rajnama
f. A Prophet for Children: Qajar Lithographed Books on the Mi'raj
Chapter Four: Prophetic Vestiges
a. Transmitting Baraka: Muhammad's Relics
b. A Special Case: The Prophet's Footprints
c. Pilgrimages to the Prophet: Muhammad's Tomb
d. A Long Line to Adam: The Prophet's Genealogies
e. Verbal Paintings: Hilyes of the Prophet
f. Pictured Relics: Illustrated Prayer Books and Treatises
Chapter Five: Prophetic Metaphors
a. Divine Transmission: The Word
b. Primordial Being: The Light
c. An Unseen Secret: The Veil
d. A Sacred Pivot: The Pole of Existence
e. Blossoming Revelation: The Flower
f. From Scent to Color: The Rose
Chapter Six: Muhammad in Modernity
a. The Die is Cast: The Danish Cartoon Controversy
b. Back to the Drawing Board: Islamic Popular Prints and Posters
c. A Curious Photograph: The Young Muhammad
d. "We Love Muhammad": Children's Books and Animated Movies
e. Tradition Revised: The 2008 Ascension Mural in Tehran
f. What Now?
Conclusion
Glossary of Terms
Master Bibliography
Index
