Patronate And Patronage in Early And Classical Islam

The term mawali) is generally translated as recent converts to Islam, non-Arab converts, or other protected clients of one of the Arab peoples. European scholars of Arabic and Middle Eastern history show, however, that the meaning and practice from the seventh to the tenth centuries CE are much more complex than the translation suggests. Among their topics are an early Shi'ite view of mawali and the Prophet's family, the economic status of the mawali, and the contribution of mawali to the Arabic linguistic tradition. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Monique Bernards is Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She is a specialist in the history of the theory of Arabic grammar. Her publications include Changing Traditions. Al-Mubarrad's Refutation of Sibawayh & the Subsequent Reception of the Kitab. She was also assistant editor of the five-volume Encyclopaedia of the Qu’ran.John Nawas is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Catholic University Leuven, Belgium. He has written on the religio-political and social history of classical Islam with focus on the caliphate and the ulama. Also an Assistant Editor of the Encyclopaedia of the Qu’ran, he is now one of the four Executive Editors of the Encyclopaedia of Islam. Third Edition.