Death and the Hereafter in Islamic Tradition According to al-Kisā’ī

Abstract

The objective of this study is to present the views on death and the hereafter as described by four manuscripts of the medieval collection of Islamic orally transmitted stories, Kitāb ‘Ağā’ib al-Malakūt,  compiled by al-Kisā’ī. An attempt has been made to take selected pieces of information gained from its chapters on this topic and review them through reference to interpretations of the same scenes and notions in texts that constitute the basis of Islamic doctrine (‘aqīda), such as Quranic exegeses, ḥadīṯs and their exegeses, as well as a number of books focusing on fatwas, Islamic law, history, morals etc. The author has striven to elucidate and comment on the level of agreement (or otherwise) that exists between the images presented in the collection and the data acknowledged or even prescribed by the Islamic authorities as fundamental tenets of belief.