Power Discourse and Heresy in al-Andalus: The Case of Ibn Masarra By Kirstin Sabrina Dane A Thesis submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research ln partial fulfillment of the requit'ements for The degree ofMasters of AI1s Institute of Islamic Studies Mcgill University Montréal August, 2006 © Kirstin Sabrina Dane 2006 Library and Bibliothèque et 1+1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-32512-4 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-32512-4 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans loan, distribute and sell th es es le monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, électronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. ln compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privée, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont été enlevés de cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. ••• Canada Abstract Author: Kirstin Sabrina Dane Title: Power Discourse and Heresy in al-Andalus: The Case of Ibn Masarra Department: Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University Degree: Master of Arts This thesis is a study of zandaqa, or heresy, in the early medieval period of al­ Andalus. The goal of this work is to uncover subtexts between caliphal power and legal authority through an analysis of the historiography of the Andalusian Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah Ibn Masarra al-Jaball (d. 319/931). This is accompli shed by applying the Foucauldian theories of limit and transgression on the scholarly reconstructions of his life. The formation of the madhiihib in al-Andalus, the construction of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Islam, and the historical-Iegal development of zandaqa col ours how scholars have approached the subject, and leads to questions concerning the relationship that marginal or subversive intellectual developments had with authoritative bodies. The resulting play of divergent and authoritative discourses that emerge from a Post­ Modernist analysis of the Masarrian context have the capacity to illustrate intellectual developments within early Andalusian society and provide an alternate explanatory narrative for historical reconstruction. 11 Résumé Auteur: Kirstin Sabrina Dane Titre: Discours de Puissance et Hérésie en AI-Andalus : Le cas d'Ibn Masarra Département: L'Institute des etudes Islamique, McGill University Niveau: Maîtrise en Arts Cette thèse est une étude de zandaqa, ou hérésie, dans la période médiévale tôt d'AI-Andalus. Le but de ce travail est de découvrir des relations entre la puissance des califes et l'autorité légale par une analyse de l'historiographie de l'andalou Muhammad ibn 'Abd AlHih Ibn Masarra al-JabalI (D. 319/931). Ceci est accompli en appliquant les théories de Foucault de limite et de transgression aux reconstructions savantes (scolaires) de sa vie. La formation du madhëihib dans Al-Andalus, la construction de l'orthodoxie et de la hérésie dans l'Islam, et le développement historique légal de zandaqa influencent comment les disciples ont approché le sujet, et mène aux questions au sujet du rapport que les développements intellectuels marginaux ou subversifs ont eu avec les corps bien fondés. Le jeu résultant des discours divergents et bien fondés qui émergent d'une analyse post-moderniste du contexte d'Ibn Masarra a la capacité d'illustrer des développements intellectuels chez la première société andalouse et de fournir un récit explicatif alternatif pour la reconstruction historique. III Table of Contents Abstract 11 Résumé III Table of Contents IV - V Acknowledgements VI Introduction 1-7 Considerations of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Islam 8 -38 Conditions for Membership 8 -15 The Concept of Orthodoxy 15 - 22 Definition of Heresy 22-26 Zandaqa 26-34 Heresy as Transgression 35 - 38 The Andalusian Context 39-67 Scholastic Representations of al-Andalus 39-44 The Rise of al-Andalus 44-47 The Development Zandaqa in al-Andalus 48 - 53 Cases of Heresy in al-Andalus 54-56 The Case of Ibn Masarra (d. 319/931) Life and Activities 57 - 61 Scholarly Reconstructions 61 - 67 IV Analysis 68 -91 Transgression and Political Legitimacy 71-73 Ibn Masarra and Mu 'tazilism 74-78 Ibn Masarra and Batinism 78 -83 Transgression and the Formation of the MaIikï Madhhab 84 - 91 RoIe of the Qiiç1ï in al-Andalus 87 - 91 Summary and Conclusions 92-99 Bibliography 100 -108 v Acknowledgements In the Name ofGod, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent AIl Praise and Thanks is to God, the Omniscient, the Most Wise, the One who grants knowledge and true understanding. l am pleased to thank and recognize the many people who have contributed to the completion of this thesis. First on this list is my thesis supervisor and Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, Dr. Robert Wisnovsky. l am very grateful for his patience, guidance and invaluable help throughout the entire thesis writing process. l would like to ex tend thanks to Dr. Üner Turgay, who was an amazing resource and support in aIl of my academic ventures and Dr. Todd Lawson for offering advice during my initial interest in Ibn Masarra. Furthermore, l would also like to acknowledge Dr. A. Cooper for teaching me the importance of subversion. Kirsty McKinnon and Ann Yaxley have helped me many times with the administrative side to academia, as weIl as offering innumerable discussions on fashion. A special thank-you goes to my friends and co-workers at the Islamic Studies Library, Heather Empey, Salwa Ferahian, and Wayne St-Thomas, who provided me with advice and debate, research resources, financial opportunities, emotional support, and comic relief that was often needed, and much appreciated. Special recognition goes to Sajida Jalalzai, Bridget McGregor and Andréa SchneIl, for being my sounding boards and long-distance library wh en l needed sources from Montréal. Furthermore, l am much esteemed for having received the translation resources from Vahid Brown, also currently completing work on Ibn Masarra at Reed CoIlege. FinaIly, l would like to thank my entire family, specifically my parents, for their emotional, financial and editorial support. l thank them for having patience, but above aIl, for believing in me. A special thank-you is reserved for my husband - l would have been lost without his strength and love. VI Introduction Background In medieval and present-day sources, al-Andalus is exemplified as a tolerant and "modern" region - a cultural utopia that promoted the growth and development of language, science, religion, mysticism, and philosophical thought within diverse communities. Historiographies of intellectual trends that developed during the formative period of al-Andalus have yet to be fully investigated. However, meaningful analysis into key personalities and marginal figures aids in the understanding of trends that gained popularity and survived to become authoritative bodies. These movements illustrate the vanance within Islamic thought, culture and religious practice during the medieval period. The Andalusian Maliki scholar, Mu~ammad ibn' Abd Allah Ibn Masarra al-Jabali (d. 319/931), exists within historical sources as a controversial figure. He has been characterized as a Maliki jurist, an ascetic, and is among the first figures in al-Andalus to expound esoteric mysticism and Empedoc1ean philosophical ideas. What is known about Ibn Masarra's life and activities has been reconstructed from bibliographie and secondary sources. l After 300/912 an accusation of heresy, zandaqa, coincided with reports of his ri~la ta the maghrib and mashriq regions and upon his return to al-Andalus, he withdrew Ilbn al-Faraqï, Tiirïkh 'ulamii' al-Andalus (Cairo: Maktabat al-Khânjï, 1954); Ibn ijayyân, al-Muqtabas (Madrid: Institute of Spanish-Arab Culture, 1979); Ibn Sâ'id al-Andalusï, Kitiib Tabaqiit al-Umam (Frankfurt: Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science, 1999). to a hermitage on the Sierra of C6rdoba.2 In his Tabaqat al-Umam, Ibn $a'id al-AndalusI (685/1286) refers to Ibn Masarra by both his epithet the Mountaineer, al-Jabalï, and the descriptive the Esotericist, al-Bafinï. Modern historians such as Brockelmann and 'Umar Riçla Kal)l)alah, actively describe Ibn Masarra as a $ufi and an Isma'm.3 When a closer study of the sources is conducted, the list of possible factors contributing to the charge of zandaqa includes the Mu 'tazilI ideas he inherited from his father, or from his encounters with mashriqï thinkers during his travels and esoteric interpretation of the Qur' an. Further possible factors that contribute to the charge of zandaqa include accusations of Isma'Ilism or the harbouring of BatinI philosophical views and spiritual doctrines.