Title: Umma and Identity in Early Islamic Persia
Description: This dissertation analyzes local and regional histories written during the 10th to 13th centuries in areas that were historically a part of the Persian Empire. These texts are written in Persian or Arabic or both. Some sources were originally in Arabic and later translated into Persian. The main Persian language local histories that I will address in this dissertation include the Tarikh-i Sistan, Tarikh-i Tabaristan, Tarikh-i Bukhara, Tarikh-i Bayhaq, and Tarikh-i Qum. This project attempts to answer how and why Persian local and regional histories assert a privileged connection with the Prophet Muhammad. I examine the ways in which Persian local and regional histories assert legitimacy, authority, and privileged access to Muhammad, the prophetic experience, and a blessed role in the Islamic umma.