The Opening Formula and Witness Clauses in Arabic Legal Documents from the Early Islamic Period

Arabic legal documents from early Islamic Egypt are attested in Arabic papyrus collections. These exhibit a formulaic structure that is clearly distinct from those of the Byzantine Greek tradition of legal documents, which continued to be written in the first Islamic century. The Islamic Arabic docu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Oriental Society 2019-01, Vol.139 (1), p.23-40
Main Author: Khan, Geoffrey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Arabic language
Autographs
Bilingualism
Clauses
Clauses (Grammar)
Historical text analysis
Islam
Islamic law
Legal documents
Muslims
Traditions
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Summary:Arabic legal documents from early Islamic Egypt are attested in Arabic papyrus collections. These exhibit a formulaic structure that is clearly distinct from those of the Byzantine Greek tradition of legal documents, which continued to be written in the first Islamic century. The Islamic Arabic documents reflect a legal formulaic tradition that had its origins in the Ḥijāz of Arabia. This article examines the background of this Ḥijāzī tradition, with particular focus on the opening formula and the witness clauses. Parallel features are identified in Ancient South Arabian legal texts and in texts of a legal nature from Northern Arabia.
ISSN:0003-0279
2169-2289
DOI:10.7817/jameroriesoci.139.1.0023