The Garden and the Fire: Heaven and Hell in Islamic Culture

Nerina Rustomji

Published by Columbia University Press 2008

The Garden and the Fire

Heaven and Hell in Islamic Culture

Nerina Rustomji

https://doi.org/10.7312/rust14084

Overview
Contents

About this book

Islamic conceptions of heaven and hell began in the seventh century as an early doctrinal innovation, but by the twelfth century, they had evolved into a highly formalized ideal of perfection. In tracking this transformation, Nerina Rustomji reveals the distinct material culture and aesthetic vocabulary Muslims developed to understand heaven and hell and identifies the communities and strategies that took shape around the promise of a future world after death. She also conducts a meticulous study of texts and images and carefully connects the landscape and social dynamics of the afterworld with earthly models and expectations. By employing material culture as a method of historical inquiry, Rustomji points to the reflections, discussions, and constructions that actively influenced Muslims' picture of the afterworld, culminating in a distinct religious aesthetic.

Islamic conceptions of heaven and hell began in the seventh century as an early doctrinal innovation, but by the twelfth century, these notions had evolved into a highly formalized ideal of perfection. In tracking this transformation, Nerina Rustomji reveals the distinct material culture and aesthetic vocabulary Muslims developed to understand heaven and hell and identifies the communities and strategies of defense that took shape around the promise of a future world.

Ideas of the afterworld profoundly influenced daily behaviors in Islamic society and gave rise to a code of ethics that encouraged abstinence from sumptuous objects, such as silver vessels and silk, so they could be appreciated later in heaven. Rustomji conducts a meticulous study of texts and images and carefully connects the landscape and social dynamics of the afterworld with earthly models and expectations. Male servants and female companions become otherworldly objects in the afterlife, and stories of rewards and punishment helped preachers promote religious reform. By employing material culture as a method of historical inquiry, Rustomji points to the reflections, discussions, and constructions that actively influenced Muslims' picture of the afterworld, culminating in a distinct religious aesthetic.

Author / Editor information

Nerina Rustomji is associate professor of history at St. John's University in Queens, New York.

Reviews

Frederick S. Colby:
Highly useful not only to students and educated lay people but also to comparativists and specialists.

Walid Saleh:
Rustomji has filled a real gap in the secondary literature.... [The Garden and the Fire] is one of the best introductions to the Islamic eschatological literature.

Brannon Wheeler:
A wide-ranging... welcome addition to a small and growing body of scholarship.

David Reisman:
A delightful book.

This gem of a book offers a thorough, evocative study... Essential.

Youssef Choueiri:
A timely publication, highly recommended for specialists and non-specialists alike.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Illustrations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xiii
1. The Garden, the Fire, and Islamic Origins Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Visions of the Afterworld Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
3. Material Culture and an Islamic Ethic Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	40
4. Otherworldly Landscapes and Earthly Realities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	63
5. Humanity, Servants, and Companions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
6. Individualized Gardens and Expanding Fires Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	98
7. Legacy of Gardens Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	158
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 240
Illustrations
- Other: 13 illus.

eBook

Published: November 19, 2008
ISBN: 9780231511834