Book of Idols
In today's world, Book of Idols has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide variety of people in different contexts. Its influence and reach range from everyday life to more specialized areas of study, generating a significant impact on society in general. Since its emergence, Book of Idols has sparked curiosity and debate, motivating experts and enthusiasts to deepen its understanding and applications. In this article, we will explore different perspectives and aspects related to Book of Idols, providing a comprehensive and detailed overview that allows readers to expand their understanding of this highly relevant topic.
The Book of Idols (Kitāb al-ʾAṣnām), written by the Arab scholar Hisham ibn al-Kalbi (737–819), describes gods and rites of pre-Islamic Arab religions. The text is critical of pre-Islamic Arabian religion and decries the state of religious corruption which the Arabs had supposedly descended to since the founding of the Kaaba. The book was instrumental in identifying shirk (the sin of polytheism) with "the idolatry of the pre-Islamic Arabs".
Ahmad Zaki Pasha, the Egyptian philologist, discovered the text; he bought the sole extant manuscript at auction in Damascus and the manuscript, one of many in his extensive collection, was donated to the state after his death in 1934. Zaki Pasha announced his discovery at the XIVth International Congress of Orientalists.
References
- ^ Brown, Daniel W. (2004). A New Introduction to Islam. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-0-631-21604-9.
- ^ a b Hawting, Gerald R. (1999). The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam: From Polemic to History. Cambridge UP. pp. 68, 88–95. ISBN 978-0-521-65165-3.
- ^ Simsar, Mehmed A. (1953). "Rev. of Hishām Ibn-Al-Kalbi, The Book of Idols or The Kitāb al-Aṣnām". Speculum. 28 (1): 166–69. doi:10.2307/2847201. JSTOR 2847201.
Translations
- Faris, Nabih Amin (1952). Hishām Ibn-Al-Kalbi, The Book of Idols or The Kitāb al-Aṣnām. Princeton: Princeton UP. English translation.
Additional literature
- H. S. Nyberg. "Bemerkungen zum Buch der Götzenbilder von Ibn al-Kalbi." Lund: Svenska Institut i Rom. Ser. 2, Bd. 1, 1939. pp. 346–66.
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