Esther in Islamic Cultures
Esther - Kristin Joachimsen
Adam Silverstein [+]
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Description
This chapter will consider the reception of the book of Esther within Islamic cultures and societies, from the seventh century CE until modern times. The topic will be divided into three sections: 1) The Quranic references to Haman and the exegetical elaborations that they generated; 2) The treatment of the book of Esther in classical Islamic historiography, which drew on Jewish, Christian, and “organic” Iranian traditions in acculturating the story within different Islamic contexts; and 3) Modern Muslim conceptions about the book of Esther and Haman, from Egypt to Iran. The chapter draws on sources from various genres—including exegetical literature, pre-modern historical and geographical texts, modern blogs, twitter-battles and internet controversies, all of which demonstrate the diversity of the Muslim societies that received the work, as well as the plurality of contexts in which it could feature, some of them highly unexpected.