Carole HillenbrandHardback, 480 pages9781474485982 Collects 21 papers on Classical Islam by one of the world’s leading experts on medieval Islamic history Classical Islam presents studies of the career of the Prophet Muhammad and the environment from which he sprang; the evolution of Islamic mysticism; political thought; and philosophical themes. It also includes investigations into the development of the late ‘Abbasid caliphate; analyses of the Mirror for Princes literature; and studies of the minor dynasties of Iraq and Anatolia, and of the major cities in the region. Contents1. Islamic orthodoxy or Realpolitik?: al-Ghazali’s views on government2. Al-Mustandjid3. Al-Mustansir4. Al-Mustarshid5. Al-Mustazhir6. Some Aspects of al-Ghazali’s Views on Beauty7. New Introduction to Nasir al-Din Shah, The Diary of H.M. the Shah of Persia during his tour through Europe in A.D. 18738. A little-known Mirror for Princes of al-Ghazali9. Muhammad and the rise of Islam10. Sources in Arabic11. Some medieval Muslim views of Constantinople12. Water in classical Islamic culture13. Sayf al-Dawla, al-Mutanabbi and Byzantium: The Evidence of a Textile14. The Kimiya-yi sa‘adat (The Alchemy of Happiness) of al-Ghazali: a misunderstood work?15. A Neglected Source on the Life of Hasan-i Sabbah, the Founder of the Nizari ‘Assassin’ Sect16. The Impact of a Sixteenth-Century Jihad Treatise on Colonial and Modern India17. Ancient Iranian Kings in the World History of Rashid al-Din18. Al-Ghazali: In Praise of Sufism19. Life in pre-Mongol Marw according to the medieval Muslim geographers20. Bernard Lewis: 31 May 1916 – 19 May 201821. ‘Seek ye knowledge, even unto China’: the literature of travel in the lands of Islam
