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Nabia Abbott

January 07, 2023

Nabia Abbott (31 January 1897 – 15 October 1981) was an American scholar of Islam, papyrologist and paleographer. She was the first woman professor at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. She gained worldwide recognition for her researches into the emergence of the Arabic script and the oldest written documents of Islam. She was also a pioneer in the study of early Muslim women. Especially noteworthy was her biography of Aisha, one of the wives of the prophet Muhammad.[1]

Nabia Abbott
Nabia Abbott at the Oriental Institute
Born
Nabia Abbott

(1897-01-31)31 January 1897
Mardin, Ottoman Empire
Died15 October 1981(1981-10-15) (aged 84)
Chicago
Academic background
EducationIsabella Thoburn College
Boston University (M.A.)
University of Chicago (PhD)
ThesisThe Kurrah Papyri of the Oriental Institute (1936)
Doctoral advisorMartin Sprengling
Academic work
DisciplineIslamic Studies
Sub-disciplinePapyrology
Philology
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago Oriental Institute
Notable worksAisha, the Beloved of Mohammed (1942)
Two Queens of Baghdad (1946)

Biography

Nabia Abbott was born on January 31, 1897 in Mardin, Ottoman Empire. Her father was a Christian merchant whose business activities brought his family first to Mosul, then to Baghdad and finally to Bombay. There she attended various English-language schools. In 1919 she completed her undergraduate studies with honours at the Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow.[2]

After her graduation, Nabia returned for a short time to Mesopotamia where she worked educating women. The politician and orientalist Gertrude Bell offered her friendship and supported her in her research.[3]

In 1923, Abbott moved with her family to the United States and received a master's degree in 1925 from Boston University. From 1925 to 1933, she taught history at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, where she rose to the head of the Department of History. In 1933 she joined the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago to begin her doctoral studies under Martin Sprengling. She became a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Oriental Institute in 1949. After her 1963 retirement, she became Professor Emerita.[2]

Nabia Abbott died in Chicago on 15 October 1981.[3][4]

Research

Papyrology

Nabia Abbott's concentration was in Arabic and Islamic studies. The Oriental Institute had a large collection of early Islamic papyri and documents on paper and parchment. Abbott published these documents and helped expand the Institute's collection.[2]

Arabian Nights

In al-Maqqari's History of Spain Under the Moslems, there is a reference to the existence of a 12th-century work titled Thousand and One Nights. Abbott notes this in her documentation of the early evolution of the tales. Among other conclusions, she showed that the Arabian Nights borrows the framing tale (around which are accumulated Arabised and original Arabian stories) from the Hezar Afsaneh, an Indo-Persian collection of tales.[5]

Abbott published an essay in 1949 about a 9th-century fragment of the Arabian Nights, which contains the title and first page of the works. She demonstrated its assistance in elucidating early Arabic palaeography as well as the development of early Islamic books in paper. She proved it was nearly a century older than earliest known references to the Arabian Nights, and established a chronology of the evolution of the Arabian Nights, which has remained valid since then.[6]

Hadiths

Early generations of Western scholars of Islam, notably Ignác Goldziher and Joseph Schacht, had introduced a scepticism to the hadith tradition, which - as actions or habits by the Muhammad - was supposedly the basis for Islamic Law. They claimed that these originated, instead, in the first few centuries of Islam (therefore, not contemporaneous with Muhammad), and that these were attempts to shoehorn authority atop a legal foundation that had already been laid. Indeed, the hadith had been traditionally held to be of higher consequence than the opinions of Muhammad's successors or companions, and over time, the desire to promote certain laws over others resulted in the attribution of Successors' arguments to the Companions, and the Companions' opinions to Muhammad himself. Nabia Abbott, on the other hand, argued that hadith was an original practice in Islam, held in written form until they entered the canonical books. In answer to the question of the unavailability of these early manuscripts, she blamed the Caliph Umar, who ordered the destruction of these writings to prevent a parallel development of holy literature that might contend against the Qur'an. After his death, however, the remaining hadiths compiled by some of the Muhammad's companions, formed the basis of the later collections.[7]

Selected works

Articles

  • Abbott, Nabia (1977). "Wahb B. Munabbih: A Review Article". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 36 (2): 103–112. doi:10.1086/372551. S2CID 162209400.
  • Abbott, Nabia (July 1949). "A Ninth-Century Fragment of the ″Thousand Nights″: New Light on the Early History of the Arabian Nights". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. VIII (3): 129. doi:10.1086/370926. S2CID 162013745.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1942). "Women and the State in Early Islam". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 1 (3): 341–368. doi:10.1086/370650. S2CID 222442262.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1941). "Arabic Paleography". Ars Islamica. 8: 65–104. JSTOR 4515583.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1941). "Pre-Islamic Arab Queens". The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures. 58: 1–22. doi:10.1086/370586. S2CID 170870845.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1939). "The Contribution of Ibn Muklah to the North-Arabic Script". The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures. 56: 70. doi:10.1086/370527. S2CID 170562180.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1939). "The Rise of the North Arabic Script and its Kur'anic Development, with a Full Description of the Kur'an Manuscripts in the Oriental Institute". The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. University of Chicago. 1.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1937). "The Monasteries of the Fayyum" (PDF). The American Journal of Semitic Languages. University of Chicago.

Books

  • Abbott, Nabia (1972). Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri III: Language and Literature (PDF). The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Vol. LXXVII. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1967). Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri II: Qur'ānic Commentary and Tradition (PDF). The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Vol. LXXVI. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1957). Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri I: Historical Texts (PDF). The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Vol. LXXV. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1946). Two queens of Baghdad: mother and wife of Hārūn al Rashīd. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1942). Aishah: The Beloved of Mohammed. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1939). The rise of the north Arabic script and its Ḳur'ānic development, with a full description of the Ḳur'ān manuscripts in the Oriental institute (PDF). The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Vol. L. University of Chicago.
  • Abbott, Nabia (1938). The Kurrah Papyri from Aphrodito in the Oriental Institute (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Chicago.

References

  1. ^ Mahdi, Muhsin (1990). "Orientalism and the Study of Islamic Philosophy". Journal of Islamic Studies. 1: 73–98. doi:10.1093/jis/1.1.73. JSTOR 26195668.
  2. ^ a b c Mahdi, Muhsin (1981). "Foreword". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 40 (3): 163–164. doi:10.1086/372888. JSTOR 545183. S2CID 222433080.
  3. ^ a b Duda, Dorothea (1990). "Nabia Abbott". Fembio. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  4. ^ Brinkman, John A. (1981). "Introduction" (PDF). The Oriental Institute Annual Report. University of Chicago: 3. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  5. ^ Ali, Muhsin Jassim (2006). "The Growth of Scholarly Interest in the Arabian Nights". In Marzolph, Ulrich (ed.). The Arabian Nights Reader. Wayne State University. p. 4. ISBN 0814332595.
  6. ^ Marzolph, Ulrich (2006). "Introduction". In Marzolph, Ulrich (ed.). The Arabian Nights Reader. Wayne State University. p. ix. ISBN 0814332595.
  7. ^ Berg, Herbert (2013). The Development of Exegesis in Early Islam: The Authenticity of Muslim. Routledge. pp. 12–19. ISBN 9781136115141.

January 07, 2023
nabia, abbott, january, 1897, october, 1981, american, scholar, islam, papyrologist, paleographer, first, woman, professor, oriental, institute, university, chicago, gained, worldwide, recognition, researches, into, emergence, arabic, script, oldest, written, . Nabia Abbott 31 January 1897 15 October 1981 was an American scholar of Islam papyrologist and paleographer She was the first woman professor at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago She gained worldwide recognition for her researches into the emergence of the Arabic script and the oldest written documents of Islam She was also a pioneer in the study of early Muslim women Especially noteworthy was her biography of Aisha one of the wives of the prophet Muhammad 1 Nabia AbbottNabia Abbott at the Oriental InstituteBornNabia Abbott 1897 01 31 31 January 1897Mardin Ottoman EmpireDied15 October 1981 1981 10 15 aged 84 ChicagoAcademic backgroundEducationIsabella Thoburn CollegeBoston University M A University of Chicago PhD ThesisThe Kurrah Papyri of the Oriental Institute 1936 Doctoral advisorMartin SprenglingAcademic workDisciplineIslamic StudiesSub disciplinePapyrologyPhilologyInstitutionsUniversity of Chicago Oriental InstituteNotable worksAisha the Beloved of Mohammed 1942 Two Queens of Baghdad 1946 Contents 1 Biography 2 Research 2 1 Papyrology 2 2 Arabian Nights 2 3 Hadiths 3 Selected works 3 1 Articles 3 2 Books 4 ReferencesBiography EditNabia Abbott was born on January 31 1897 in Mardin Ottoman Empire Her father was a Christian merchant whose business activities brought his family first to Mosul then to Baghdad and finally to Bombay There she attended various English language schools In 1919 she completed her undergraduate studies with honours at the Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow 2 After her graduation Nabia returned for a short time to Mesopotamia where she worked educating women The politician and orientalist Gertrude Bell offered her friendship and supported her in her research 3 In 1923 Abbott moved with her family to the United States and received a master s degree in 1925 from Boston University From 1925 to 1933 she taught history at Asbury College in Wilmore Kentucky where she rose to the head of the Department of History In 1933 she joined the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago to begin her doctoral studies under Martin Sprengling She became a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Oriental Institute in 1949 After her 1963 retirement she became Professor Emerita 2 Nabia Abbott died in Chicago on 15 October 1981 3 4 Research EditPapyrology Edit Nabia Abbott s concentration was in Arabic and Islamic studies The Oriental Institute had a large collection of early Islamic papyri and documents on paper and parchment Abbott published these documents and helped expand the Institute s collection 2 Arabian Nights Edit In al Maqqari s History of Spain Under the Moslems there is a reference to the existence of a 12th century work titled Thousand and One Nights Abbott notes this in her documentation of the early evolution of the tales Among other conclusions she showed that the Arabian Nights borrows the framing tale around which are accumulated Arabised and original Arabian stories from the Hezar Afsaneh an Indo Persian collection of tales 5 Abbott published an essay in 1949 about a 9th century fragment of the Arabian Nights which contains the title and first page of the works She demonstrated its assistance in elucidating early Arabic palaeography as well as the development of early Islamic books in paper She proved it was nearly a century older than earliest known references to the Arabian Nights and established a chronology of the evolution of the Arabian Nights which has remained valid since then 6 Hadiths Edit Early generations of Western scholars of Islam notably Ignac Goldziher and Joseph Schacht had introduced a scepticism to the hadith tradition which as actions or habits by the Muhammad was supposedly the basis for Islamic Law They claimed that these originated instead in the first few centuries of Islam therefore not contemporaneous with Muhammad and that these were attempts to shoehorn authority atop a legal foundation that had already been laid Indeed the hadith had been traditionally held to be of higher consequence than the opinions of Muhammad s successors or companions and over time the desire to promote certain laws over others resulted in the attribution of Successors arguments to the Companions and the Companions opinions to Muhammad himself Nabia Abbott on the other hand argued that hadith was an original practice in Islam held in written form until they entered the canonical books In answer to the question of the unavailability of these early manuscripts she blamed the Caliph Umar who ordered the destruction of these writings to prevent a parallel development of holy literature that might contend against the Qur an After his death however the remaining hadiths compiled by some of the Muhammad s companions formed the basis of the later collections 7 Selected works EditArticles Edit Abbott Nabia 1977 Wahb B Munabbih A Review Article Journal of Near Eastern Studies 36 2 103 112 doi 10 1086 372551 S2CID 162209400 Abbott Nabia July 1949 A Ninth Century Fragment of the Thousand Nights New Light on the Early History of the Arabian Nights Journal of Near Eastern Studies VIII 3 129 doi 10 1086 370926 S2CID 162013745 Abbott Nabia 1942 Women and the State in Early Islam Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1 3 341 368 doi 10 1086 370650 S2CID 222442262 Abbott Nabia 1941 Arabic Paleography Ars Islamica 8 65 104 JSTOR 4515583 Abbott Nabia 1941 Pre Islamic Arab Queens The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 58 1 22 doi 10 1086 370586 S2CID 170870845 Abbott Nabia 1939 The Contribution of Ibn Muklah to the North Arabic Script The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 56 70 doi 10 1086 370527 S2CID 170562180 Abbott Nabia 1939 The Rise of the North Arabic Script and its Kur anic Development with a Full Description of the Kur an Manuscripts in the Oriental Institute The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications University of Chicago 1 Abbott Nabia 1937 The Monasteries of the Fayyum PDF The American Journal of Semitic Languages University of Chicago Books Edit Abbott Nabia 1972 Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri III Language and Literature PDF The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications Vol LXXVII University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1967 Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri II Qur anic Commentary and Tradition PDF The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications Vol LXXVI University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1957 Studies in Arabic Literary Papyri I Historical Texts PDF The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications Vol LXXV University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1946 Two queens of Baghdad mother and wife of Harun al Rashid University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1942 Aishah The Beloved of Mohammed University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1939 The rise of the north Arabic script and its Ḳur anic development with a full description of the Ḳur an manuscripts in the Oriental institute PDF The University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications Vol L University of Chicago Abbott Nabia 1938 The Kurrah Papyri from Aphrodito in the Oriental Institute PDF PhD thesis University of Chicago References Edit Mahdi Muhsin 1990 Orientalism and the Study of Islamic Philosophy Journal of Islamic Studies 1 73 98 doi 10 1093 jis 1 1 73 JSTOR 26195668 a b c Mahdi Muhsin 1981 Foreword Journal of Near Eastern Studies 40 3 163 164 doi 10 1086 372888 JSTOR 545183 S2CID 222433080 a b Duda Dorothea 1990 Nabia Abbott Fembio Retrieved 11 January 2018 Brinkman John A 1981 Introduction PDF The Oriental Institute Annual Report University of Chicago 3 Retrieved 11 January 2018 Ali Muhsin Jassim 2006 The Growth of Scholarly Interest in the Arabian Nights In Marzolph Ulrich ed The Arabian Nights Reader Wayne State University p 4 ISBN 0814332595 Marzolph Ulrich 2006 Introduction In Marzolph Ulrich ed The Arabian Nights Reader Wayne State University p ix ISBN 0814332595 Berg Herbert 2013 The Development of Exegesis in Early Islam The Authenticity of Muslim Routledge pp 12 19 ISBN 9781136115141 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nabia Abbott amp oldid 1130163966, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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