The Ḥawqala and the Syriac Version of Zechariah: 4.6b
The popular Islamic formula known as the ḥawqala ( lā ḥawl a wa-lā quwwat a illā bi-Llāh ) is first attested in Ḥadīth and other written sources from around the eighth century CE. A similar formula is Q: 18 (al-Kahf).39b ( lā quwwat a illā bi-Llāh ). Some scholars in the first Islamic centuries were...
| Published in: | Der Islam |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2022
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| In: |
Der Islam
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| Further subjects: | B
ḥawqala
B Ḥadīth B Book of Zechariah B book of Isaiah B Sūrat al-Kahf B Isrāʾīliyyāt |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The popular Islamic formula known as the ḥawqala ( lā ḥawl a wa-lā quwwat a illā bi-Llāh ) is first attested in Ḥadīth and other written sources from around the eighth century CE. A similar formula is Q: 18 (al-Kahf).39b ( lā quwwat a illā bi-Llāh ). Some scholars in the first Islamic centuries were concerned that the non-Qurʾānic ḥawqala would be more venerated than Q: 18.39b or confused with it. In this essay, I suggest in what respect the ḥawqala is related to Q: 18.39b. I argue that the ḥawqala is perhaps influenced by Zech : 4.6b ( lō be-ḥayil we-lō be-koʾaḥ kī im be-rūḥī ) and its Syriac version. Past scholars have noted the similarity between the ḥawqala and Zech: 4.6b, but the exact relation between these two phrases has not been fully explored. I therefore discuss the linguistic and thematic similarities between both phrases and note some Islamic traditions in which the ḥawqala is said to be of Biblical provenance. By this, I show that there is good reason to suspect that the ḥawqala is partly influenced by Zech : 4.6b and its Syrac version, and that this probably occurred at an early stage in the development of Islam when Jewish scripture was more regularly consulted as a means of confirming Islamic revelation. |
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| ISSN: | 1613-0928 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Der Islam
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/islam-2022-0003 |