Narrative, Gender and Authority in ‘Abbāsid Literature on Women ORIENTALIA ET AFRICANA GOTHOBURGENSIA 22 Narrative, Gender and Authority in ‘Abbāsid Literature on Women PERNILLA MYRNE © PERNILLA MYRNE, 2010 ISSN 1404-3556 ISBN 978-91-7346-673-8 ORIENTALIA ET AFRICANA GOTHOBURGENSIA Founded by Bernhard Lewin Editors: Karsten Legère, Jan Retsö, Noriko Thunman ISSN 1404-3556 Vols. 1-12 published as ORIENTALIA GOTHOBURGENSIA ISSN 0078-656X Subscriptions to the series and orders for single volumes should be addressed to Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, Box 222, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden or [email protected]. Printed in Sweden by Edita Västra Aros AB, Västerås Abstract Title: Narrative, Gender and Authority in „Abbāsid Literature on Women Author: Pernilla Myrne University: University of Gothenburg, Department of Oriental and African Languages The „Abbāsid dynasty came to power after a revolution in 750, and ruled the vast Muslim empire until the 930s and 940s. This period has often been dubbed the golden era of Islam, due to its prospering and often innovative cultural and scientific production. During this period, some of the fundamental texts in Islam were produced, collections of traditions from the Prophet Mu ammad and his followers, Qur‟ān exegesis, jurisprudence and the legal discussions which led to the Islamic laws (sharī‘a). These texts are often referred to when women‟s situation in Islam is discussed. However, curiously, women‟s status in „Abbāsid literature is frequently examined without taking in account the breadth of this literature with its seemingly paradoxical images of issues such as gender, sex and women. This study attempts to contribute to a more comprehensive picture of women and gender in „Abbāsid literature, analyzing texts about women from completely different contexts with the help of narratology, in particular the methods elaborated by Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal. The texts analysed in this thesis are the biographies of pious women in Kitāb al-tabaqāt al-kabīr by Ibn Sa„d (d. 845), in particular Mu ammad‟s wife „Ā‟isha bint Abī Bakr, the biography of the „Abbāsid court singer „Arīb, by Abū al-Faraj al-I fahānī (d. 967) and the volume on women, Kitāb al-nisā’, in the adab anthology ‘Uyūn al-akhbār, by Ibn Qutayba (d. 889). The analyses explore how narrative technique is used to create authority, or authenticity, in the distinctive khabar-literature, to which all the analyzed texts belong. Moreover, the construction of gender is discussed, along with gender- based hierarchies and different approaches towards authority. The women‟s biographies in Ibn Sa„d‟s work are arranged around two poles: women‟s object-positions in marriage and subject-positions in piety, linguistically as well as thematically. Here, it is argued, we may discern a normative tendency, which acknowledges women‟s capacity to act as individuals, as long as it is within certain spheres of society. These texts provide a static model for gender relationships, where the husband is always the absolute authority, reflecting a view of hierarchy as being constant. Conversely, the anecdotes in the more profane texts often have as their main point the overturning of hierarchies, and women have mostly the last word. Hierarchies and authorities are challenged on a thematic as well as a linguistic level. Possibly, the disagreement in women‟s possibilities and positions between the religious and the profane texts are due to the interpretation of the first Muslim community in Medina as being stable, whereas positions and hierarchies in „Abbāsid Iraq are uncertain and fluctuating. Although these positions are literary motifs, the analyses give an idea about the limits of thinkable behaviours and roles of women, limits that are far more flexible and permitting than generally maintained. Acknowledgements First of all, I want to thank my teachers in Arabic, as well as literature and cultural studies in Gothenburg, Damascus and Ramallah. They filled me with enthusiasm for the arts and for the beautiful Arabic language and the fascinating Arabic civilization. The friendliness and generosity I met with during my travels and studies in the Arab world encouraged me to learn more and filled me with respect and emotions for this part of the world. When I began studying Arabic at the University of Gothenburg in 1991, the lectures of Professor Jan Retsö were outstanding so when I finally decided to commence my doctoral studies I was happy to have him as my supervisor. It was he who directed my attention to the classical Arabic literature on women, which he deemed as a suitable subject for me. I owe him my deepest gratefulness for this recommendation, as I have found a subject that will keep my attention for a long time. I am thankful for his support and comments during the years I worked on this thesis. I also wish to thank the University of Gothenburg and the Faculty of Arts, who gave me the opportunity to embark on this research, and Kungliga och Hvitfeldtska stiftelsen for helping me financially to accomplish it. Among other scholars who have supported me, I thank especially Professor Mats Jansson, University of Gothenburg, for encouraging help with the literary methodology and analyses, Dr. Judith Josephson for reading and commenting upon the manuscript, Professor Geert Jan van Gelder, University of Oxford, for essential corrections, Professor Bo Holmberg, Lund University, for valuable comments in the final stage, and Associative Professor Lena Ambjörn, Lund University, as well as Associate Professor Tetz Rooke, University of Gothenburg, for their friendly encouragement and support. I wish to express my thanks to Lena Voigt and Ferenc Tafferner, whose assistance I could not have been without, and to the other colleagues at the former Department of Oriental and African Languages for the cheerful and warm atmosphere. In addition, I thank my colleagues at the Middle Eastern seminar, especially Ann-Kristin, and among the doctoral students at the faculty of Art, as well as my friends, with whom I have discussed parts of the thesis during the years. Houda and Houda made the dissertation party unforgettable, with aid from Monica, Pia, Susanne, Yusra, Tove, Nora and others. Finally, I am deeply thankful to my wonderful family. My parents Monica and Leif supported me all the time and especially with baby- sitting the last months, together with my sisters Anna and Sara, who have all been involved in my dissertation project. Kenneth gave me love, strength and courage. My beloved children, Julia and Alfred, I dedicate this work to you. I hope it will encourage you to find your own ways of discovering the delights and mysteries of this world. Note on transliteration and translation I follow the system for transliteration adopted by the Encyclopaedia of as j. Titles of works and technical terms ج Islam, except that I render have been provided with English translations. In the case of technical terms that are used extensively in the text, the English translation is only given the first time of mention, after that the Arabic word is used. Table of contents Chapter 1: Introduction, theory and method ................................. 1 Aim ............................................................................................ 3 Earlier research .......................................................................... 4 Gender, history and narratives on women: a theoretical framework ............................................................................... 13 Method .................................................................................... 20 Narrative rhythm, situation and focalization ....................... 24 Subject-positions ................................................................. 29 Chapter 2: Background ............................................................... 33 „Abbāsid literature: genres and forms ..................................... 35 Khabar and history .................................................................. 38 History-writing and biography ............................................ 42 Adab .................................................................................... 43 The works and their authors .................................................... 45 Ibn Sa„d and Kitāb al- -kabīr ............................... 46 and women ........................................................ 48 Abū al-Faraj and Kitāb al-aghānī ....................................... 52 Women in Aghānī ........................................................... 54 Women and the power of music .......................................... 56 Music and slavery ............................................................... 60 Ibn Qutayba and ‘Uyūn al-akhbār ...................................... 62 The Book on Women in ‘Uyūn al-akhbār ...................... 64 Adab, anecdotes and gender ................................................ 66 Chapter 3: Narrative and authority .............................................. 69 Narratives on pious women: „Ā‟isha bint Abī Bakr ................ 70 Structure and themes ........................................................... 74 Statements and narrative levels ........................................... 77 Narrative situation ............................................................... 80 Direct speech and witnesses ................................................ 83 Narratives of female singers: The biography of „Arīb ............ 87 Narrative devices for extraordinary claims ........................