The Eloquent Tyrant

In The Eloquent Tyrant, Pamela Klasova presents a cultural history of speech in the early Islamic empire, examining the relationship between the spoken word and power through the oratorical practice of the powerful governor of Iraq, al-Ḥajjāj b. Yūsuf al-Thaqafī (d. 714). The governor is remembered both as one of the most eloquent rulers of his age and as one of the worst tyrants in Islamic history. Klasova contends that oratory was inextricably connected with imperial rule and that the governor—despite the deeply ingrained image of him as a bloodthirsty tyrant—relied not only on military force but also on a robust machinery of cultural power. Drawing on a multiplicity of voices from al-Ḥajjāj’s milieu, including rebellious poets, non-elite orators, and women, Klasova portrays the Umayyad world in full color. She challenges al-Ḥajjāj’s one-dimensional image in both medieval and modern sources and makes a compelling case for reintegrating Arabic literature into the study of Islamic history.

 

Contents
 
List of Illustrations
Note on Transliteration, Translations, and Dates
Acknowledgments
 
Introduction
 
PART ONE: SETTING THE GROUND
1 • Al-Ḥajjāj in Umayyad Iraq: Orating and Building
2 • Archives of Umayyad Speech: Oratory, Poetry, and Historical Narratives
 
PART TWO: AL-ḤAJJĀJ'S ORATORY IN FOCUS
3 • The Inaugural Speech in Kufa: Obedience and Hierarchy
4 • The Religious Foundations of al-Ḥajjāj's Oratory
 
PART THREE: SITUATING PUBLIC SPEECH IN THE WORLD OF UMAYYAD IRAQ
5 • Language, Power, and Empire under al-Ḥajjāj
6 • Poetry in Political Life: Al-Ḥajjāj, Jarīr, and Aʿshā Hamdān
7 • Iraqi Soundscapes
8 • The Greatest Name of God and the Miraculous Power of Speech
 
Conclusion
 
Appendix
Bibliography
Index