So the the source mentioning pact between the Christians of #Najran and the emergent Zaydī polity is ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh al-ʿAbbāsī al-ʿAlawī, Sīrat al-Hādī ilā l-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā b. al-Ḥusayn (ed. Suhayl Zakkār). 1/7
The Sīra (biography) is of the founder of the Zaydī imamate in Yemen, Abū l-Ḥusayn b. Yaḥyā b. al-Ḥusayn (d. 911), caliphal name al-Hādī ilā l-Ḥaqq, grandson of the famous theologian, al-Qāsim ibn Ibrahīm al-Rassī (d. 860). 2/7
Its author, al-ʿAlawī, was a follower of al-Hādī & served at his court. His Sīra charts the imam's deeds during his rise to power in modern-day Yemen. He reports a pact signed in 897 between al-Hādī & the Jews & Christians of the fertile region of Najran. 3/7
Following the preamble, it stipulates that the Protected Peoples of Najran were to keep all lands purchased since the conquest of the region during the prophet Muḥammad's lifetime providing they pay a 9th on all crop yields... 4/7
... & 1/2 a 9th on what was irrigated by reservoirs. Christians & Jews of the region are said to have been satisfied with the agreement, as it permitted them to retain lands bought from Muslims & to acquire further lands from them, so long as they paid the tithe. 5/7
There is of course the tradition of the delegations sent between prophet Muḥammad & Christians of Najran, which eventually culminated in a pact. This was reportedly foremost in al-Hādī's mind and provides an important narratological frame for his pact. 6/7
As al-Hādī says in al-ʿAlawī's account: 'I hope that this accord will be a tradition after me as it was with Muḥammad' (ed. Zakkār, p. 73). My thanks to @bdaiwi_historia and the works of Wilferd Madelung for nudging me in the right direction! 7/7
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Re: the date of the newly found Syriac inscription from the region of Najran, Saudia Arabia. Here's a small suggestion of a late terminus ad quem of late 8th/early 9th ce. based on a Syriac literary source I worked with once. 1/6
A letter sent by Timothy I (r. 780 to 823), patriarch-catholicos of 'Nestorian' Church of the East in Baghdad, to the monks of Mar Maron in Syria. Here, Timothy attempts to convince the monks to switch allegiance to his church. 2/6
He makes a number of claims re: his Church's apostolicity, perpetual orthodoxy, and the fact that its christology had never been subject to the whims of a Christian king (the Church of the East having developed outside the Roman Empire, under Sasanian & later Muslim rule). 3/6
A very interesting perspective from @jbralston. While I understand and respect Dr Ralston’s experience, I feel that it requires redress. I’m usually loath to making these kinds of interventions, but this is a subject close to me both personally & intellectually. 1/
I hope this thread is taken in the spirit decorum, respect, & admiration with which it is intended. Disclosure: My forthcoming monograph is an intellectual-historical study of the Syriac & Christian Arabic apologetic tradition, focusing on the Trinity, Incarnation, and cult. 2/
Now, Dr Ralston has said that although he is a Christian, the arguments of classical Muslim theologians against the Trinity & Incarnation win every time (though he allows that some medieval Christian Arabic thinkers had their moments). 3/
I posted this way back on my Instagram account but thought it would be of interest here: an #Arabic#inscription on Sé Velha de Coimbra (Old Cathedral of #Coimbra, #Portugal). (Photo of inscription taken by me). 1/7
It reads كتبت وقد ابقيته لشكايتي ستفنا يدي يوما ويبقا كبر ('I wrote this as a permanent record of my suffering; my hand will perish one day, but greatness will remain'). This inscription and others from Portugal were published by A.R. Nykl (jstor.org/stable/4515632…). 2/7
This poetic lament is common to #scribal traditions in #manuscripts. Typically, the scribe reflects on the fleeting nature of this life and the enduring nature of the written word (cf. Verba volant, scripta manent!). Here are some examples (info in captions): 3/7