El Futuro del Pasado (Mar 2010)
The ruler’s mercy in the Pre-modern Islamic societies: its study through Ta’rij iftitah al-Andalus of Ibn al-Qutiyya
Abstract
Forgiveness is a concept with different implications depending on religious and political context. In the case of Islam, about Allah, is constantly preached that He is the Compassionate, the Merciful (al-Rahman al-Rahim). The Quran, the Scripture of Muslims, makes it clear that God punishes, but also forgives. So what is the place of forgiveness within the range of values of the Muslims? And, in the case of the rulers, is forgiveness a moral and religious value, as well as political?Forgiveness often becomes a political weapon, a tool of negotiation; it is therefore this double perspective that I will study throughout my investigation. The analysis of premodern Arab historical sources will be one of the fundamental materials of work. At thistime, we will focus on Ta’rij Iftitah al-Andalus of Ibn al-Qutiyya, where we will examine forgiveness tales taken out of the source, which are a sample of the material with which I work.
