[The pdf contains the text accepted for publication] The Berber commentary to Abū Ghānim’s Mudawwana bears unique testimony to the ancient format of this early Ibadi text, preserving the outline of this work as it was in Middle Ages,... more
[The pdf contains the text accepted for publication]
The Berber commentary to Abū Ghānim’s Mudawwana bears unique testimony to the ancient format of this early Ibadi text, preserving the outline of this work as it was in Middle Ages, long before later reworkings. Overall, it is based on a text which was close to the what is known today under the name "Mudawwana ṣughrā".
This paper presents a specimen of what may be achieved by comparing the Berber commentary with the existing witnesses of the Arab text. A thorough examination of all the ‘paragraphs’ included in the commentary could help to retrieve a satisfactory philological edition of the text, providing grounds for moving what has been displaced back to its original position, discarding interpolations and restoring what has been modified or lost.
Abstract The Ibadis, like other Muslim communities developed a fertile theological literature much of which was reflected in their life style including their architectural production. The present paper addresses the Ibadi religious... more
Abstract
The Ibadis, like other Muslim communities developed a fertile theological literature much of which was reflected in their life style including their architectural production. The present paper addresses the Ibadi religious architecture in the four major regions where this community has settled since the 9th century: the Mzab Valley, Djerba Island, Jebel Nafusa and Oman. These mosques are distinguished from the so called “Classical style” of mosques by a number of characteristics that are discussed in the paper. This architecture that is plural in its special organization, volumes, materials and technics of construction, does a present a sort of “air de famille” that relates all its buildings to their Arab-Berber origins and Ibadi principles. These principles were generally expressed through the construction regulations generated by the Ibadi doctrine. The present research will discuss some unique samples of the traditional Ibadi mosques. It aims at establishing the fact that the religious texts developed by this school of thought do contain a number of opinions that seem to have affected the constructive traditions of the Ibadi community. It will also reveal the cases where these regulations have been countered and try to understand and interpret them under the light of the historical timeline of this community and the principles of its doctrine.
