ISLAM: The Creation Of Isund By Amin Maalouf

During the 11th century in the Middle East, during the reign of the Seljuk Turks, there existed a man named Omar Khayyam an intellectual who was a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and a poet who is the main protagonist in the book SAMARKAND by Amin Maalouf. This book follows the life of Omar and his two good friends Nizam Al-Mulk and Hassan Sabbah who are two people of the same coin, two major historical figures during the 11th century that will be remembered for the things they have accomplished during their time. These three major figures were affected by Sunni Re-Centering that was occurring during this time period. Jonathan Berkey the author of THE FORMATION OF ISLAM: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800, states that “not so much of new development as it is one which brought a sharper resolution to identities and principals… But the more profound developments were psychological and intellectual. Among the most important was a …show more content…
In order to do so Hassan found the Assassins and took over the fortress Alamut. “No sooner had he gained control of the fortress than Hassan Sabbah undertook action to assure that he was sealed off from any contact with the outside world,” (Maalouf 132). In this case the fortress is representing bid’a and the Sunni dislike towards it. Maalouf is using this as a metaphor to explain the stance of the Sunni’s views on philosophy, science, and poetry as heresy to Islamic views. This also represent how “blind” Muslims practice the same ideologies and how their unwavering beliefs is what made the Sunni Re-Centering possible. Without the collapse of the walls it will not be possible for these Muslims to incorporate “heretical” views into their beliefs. These walls do come down literally and figuratively when the Mongolia invade the Middle