al-Dawla

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the use of al-Dawla as the official name of a militant group, see Names of the Islamic State.

The

al-Din
('Faith' or 'Religion').

Origin and evolution

The term dawla originally meant 'cycle, time, period of rule'. It was particularly often used by the early

Abbasid caliphs to signify their "time of success", i.e. reign, and soon came to be particularly associated with the reigning house and acquire the connotation of 'dynasty'.[1] In modern usage, since the 19th century, it has come to mean "state", in particular a secular state of the Western type as opposed to the dynastic or religion-based state systems current until then in the Islamic world.[2]

Amid al-Dawla

From the early 10th century, the form al-Dawla began appearing as a compound in

al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Wahb, who was granted the title of Wali al-Dawla ('Friend of the Dynasty') by the caliph al-Muktafi (r. 902–908), an epithet which also appeared on caliphal coinage.[3] The same honour was also bestowed on al-Qasim's son, al-Husayn, who was named Amid al-Dawla ('Support of the Dynasty') by al-Muqtadir in February 932.[3]

The major turning point was the double award of the titles of

Buyids in the contest for control of Iraq and the Caliphate's capital of Baghdad, the victorious Ahmad ibn Buya assumed the title of Mu'izz al-Dawla ('Fortifier of the Dynasty'), while his brothers assumed the titles of Imad al-Dawla and Rukn al-Dawla ('Support' and 'Pillar of the Dynasty' respectively).[3][4]

The example set by the Hamdanids and Buyids was soon imitated throughout the Islamic world, from the

din ('faith') began to appear.[3][5]

Indeed, the proliferation of multiple and ever more lofty titles which began with the award of the al-Dawla forms was so swift and extensive, that already around the year 1000 the scholar al-Biruni lamented the practice, complaining that "the matter became utterly opposed to common sense, and clumsy to the highest degree, so that he who mentions them gets tired before he has scarcely commenced, and he who writes them loses his time and writing space, and he who addresses them risks missing the time of prayer".[6] By the 12th century, the titles with al-Dawla had become lowly honorific appellations; a simple court physician at the Baghdad court, such as Ibn al-Tilmidh, could receive the title of Amin al-Dawla ('Trusted Supporter of the Dynasty'). Nevertheless, despite their debasement, the titles remained indicative of their bearer's "high standing in the community", according to F. Rosenthal.[3] In India, they continued to be used by individual Muslim rulers, and in Iran, cabinet ministers until 1935 often received titles with the al-Dawla compound.[3]

In the major Indian Muslim princely state of

Rif Republic
.

Examples of the honorific al-Dawla

Notes

  1. ^ Rosenthal 1965, pp. 177–178.
  2. ^ Ayubi 1995, pp. 21–22.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rosenthal 1965, p. 178.
  4. ^ a b Endress 2002, p. 148.
  5. ^ Endress 2002, pp. 148–149.
  6. ^ Endress 2002, pp. 147–148.

Sources

  • ISBN 1850438285
    .
  • Endress, Gerhard (2002). Islam: An Historical Introduction. Edinburgh University Press.
    ISBN 0748616209
    .
  • Rosenthal, Franz (1965). "Dawla". In
    OCLC 495469475
    .
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