Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-246).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-174). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-64).

In the tenth century, a confluence of two unrelated events shaped the Twelver Shia community in Baghdad: the Occultation of the Twelfth Imam in 939/329 and the takeover of Baghdad in 945 by the Buyid princes, who were largely tolerant towards their Shia subjects. Twelver intellectual life flourished during this era, led by the exegetes who are the subject of this dissertation. Chief among them were al-Shaykh al-Tusi and al-Sharif al-Murtada, who - along with many of their contemporaries - comprised a "Baghdad school" of Twelver intellectuals. This dissertation analyzes the Qur'anic commentaries (tafsir) written by this core group of medieval Twelver exegetes, most of whom lived and wrote in Baghdad, although others - such as al-Ayyashi - remained on the margins.

The main hypothesis of this study is that in the period from the 1860s to the 1960s the politics and decision-making of the Omani state were influenced by four forces, namely the British, the merchants, the tribal leaders and the ulama. The arguments relate only to the Sultanate of Oman, since no reliable data are available for the Imamate of Oman. During the second half of the seventeenth century the Omani state entered its imperial age, which lasted until the middle of the nineteenth century. The Ya'ariba dynasty, which was the first ruling family in that age, was similar to the states described by Ibn Khaldun. This was followed by the rise of the Al Bu Said dynasty. The imperial age lasted until the collapse of the Omani empire in 1861. The main finding of this study are first that the British role was the most prominent in the formation of the post-imperial Omani state, while these of the merchants, the tribal leaders and the ulama were mostly indirect or minimal. Secondly, the study found that, in addition to the tribal conflict, the period between 1861 and the 1950s was dominated by two other forms of social struggle, namely conflict between the merchants and the peasants, and tensions in the fragile alliance between the tribal and religious leaders. Thirdly, the several types of external subsidy, which Oman started to receive after] 861, laid the foundation of the rentier state in Oman, much earlier than the oil era. Fourthly, the political division of Oman, which resulted from the Treaty of Sib of 1920, never led to the emergence of two independent states. The situation, which prevailed between 1920 and 1955, was to a large extent one of one state with two systems. It is hoped that, in addition to its contribution to the study of the history and international relations of Oman, this study will provide students of political economy with a better understanding of the nature of the Omani state as one of the oldest states in the Arab World.

No description available.

The present dissertation examines the legacy and contribution of Yaḥyā b. Sharaf Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Nawawī (d. 631-76/1233-77), who attained a reputation in Muslim jurisprudence as the mainstay of the doctrines of the Shāfiʿī school of law. This status was constructed during a time in which the Muslim community needed to anchor legal authority in an eponymous figure given that the ruling powers did not produce or promulgate law. Eschewing intellectual idealism, pragmatic considerations demanded certain measures that were in keeping with day-to-day legal reality, i.e., structured authority and a sense of determinacy in law. Al-Nawawī's juristic legacy suited these requirements and in fact served well those Muslims who had chosen to settle ultimate legal authority on al-Shāfiʿī, the supposed founder of the school of law named after him. As demonstrated in his major, substantive legal works, al-Nawawī effectively reduced the inherent plurality of methods of reasoning (ṭarīqa) and legal opinions among jurists, a situation that had often prevented jurists from discovering the authoritative solution to a given case. Al-Nawawī's achievement was to investigate the existing doctrine of the school and extract from them a set of canonical doctrines as followed by the Shāfiʿī school of law. This selection of canonical doctrine in turn became the primary set of rules by which jurists were enabled to discover authoritative legal solutions to cases, and at the same time provided a road map for further development of legal doctrine under the skilful guidance of later jurists. Furthermore, in addition to providing later jurists with a greater sense of certainty, al-Nawawī's juristic project also sought to vindicate the Shāfiʿī school of law as the most faithful to the legal tradition of the Prophet. By virtue of these practical innovations, al-Nawawī became an extended axis of authority, who managed to reconnect later Shāfiʿite jurists with the authority of al-Shāfiʿī and the legal tradition of his school of law. / La présente thèse porte sur l'héritage et la contribution de Yaḥyā b. Sharaf Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Nawawī (d. 631-76/1233-77), qui a acquis une réputation dans la jurisprudence musulmane en tant que pilier des doctrines de l'école de droit de Chāfiʿī. Ce statut a été établi à l'époque où il était nécessaire pour la communauté musulmane d'ancrer l'autorité judiciaire dans un personnage éponyme étant donné que le pouvoir en place n'avait pas établi ou promulgué de loi. Évitant l'idéalisme intellectuel, les considérations pragmatiques exigeaient des mesures cohérentes avec la réalité juridique quotidienne, à savoir, une autorité structurée et un sentiment de détermination dans la loi. L'héritage juridique d'al-Nawawī répondait à ces exigences et servait aussi bien les musulmans qui avaient choisi d'établir l'ultime autorité judiciaire sur al-Chāfiʿī, le supposé fondateur de l'école de droit qui porte son nom. Comme il l'a prouvé dans ses principaux ouvrages juridiques de fond, al-Nawawī a effectivement réduit la multiplicité des avis juridiques parmi les juristes, une situation qui les a souvent empêchés de découvrir la solution faisant autorité dans certaines affaires. La réussite d'al-Nawawī a été d'enquêter sur la doctrine actuelle de l'école et d'en extraire un ensemble de doctrines canoniques suivies par l'école de droit de Chāfiʿī. Cette sélection d'une doctrine canonique est devenue à son tour le premier ensemble de règles grâce auxquelles les juristes ont permis de découvrir des solutions juridiques faisant autorité pour certaines affaires et de fournir en même temps une feuille de route pour le développement ultérieur d'une doctrine juridique, sous la direction sage et éclairée de juristes plus contemporains. Par ailleurs, en plus de fournir un plus grand sentiment de certitude aux juristes plus contemporains, le projet juridique d'al-Nawawī a également cherché à montrer que l'école de droit de Chāfiʿī était la plus fidèle à la tradition juridique du Prophète. En vertu de ces innovations pratiques, al-Nawawī est devenu un pilier prolongé de l'autorité, qui est parvenu à rassembler plus tard les juristes Chāfiʿī avec l'autorité de al-Chāfiʿī et la tradition juridique de son école de droit.

No description available.