"Writing and Representation in Medieval Islam is an introduction to classical Islamic thought which explores its human and imaginative aspects across a broad intellectual spectrum. When medieval Muslims wrote about their world, its history, culture and its primary social actors - men and women, ordinary and extraordinary - how did they describe them? How did they recognize pattern and meaning in human affairs and show their readers the difference between appearance and reality?" "This volume provides a reader's guide to the use of types of Arabic sources which are typically treated as separate specializations by modern scholarship, but which medieval Islamic culture regarded as a continuum. Medieval Muslim world views could be sharply at variance, yet competing ideologies used common proof texts and keywords to promote their message, creating a shared literary pool. Modern readers often mistake such shared topics for a shared discourse and approach them through modern conceptualizations of social, sexual and intellectual hierarchy. Writing and Representation in Medieval Islam compares the sources with recent interpretations and questions misidentified teleologies and problematic categorizations. It proposes a substantial shift of perspective, making it essential reading for those with interests in Middle Eastern literatures, history and Islam."--BOOK JACKET.