1. Graves and shrines in medieval Islam: from pre-Islamic times to Ibn Taymiyya's legacy -- 2. Early Wahhabism and the beginnings of modern Salafism -- 3. Saudi Arabia between pan-Islamism, iconoclasm and political legitimacy -- 4. Following current paths of destruction: ISIS and beyond
Summary
In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random acts of vandalism, these are associated with the idea of performing one's religious duty as attested to in the Salafi/Wahhabi tradition and texts. Graves, shrines and tombs are regarded by some Muslims as having the potential to tempt a believer to polytheism. Hence the duty to level the graves to the ground (taswiyat al-qubūr). In illuminating the ideology behind these acts, this book explains the current destruction of graves in the Islamic world and traces the ideological sources of iconoclasm in their historical perspective, from medieval theological and legal debates to contemporary Islamist movements including ISIS
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 228-252) and index
Notes
Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on November 14, 2018)
