Shaping a Muslim State The World of a Mid-Eighth-Century Egyptian Official

Shaping a Muslim State provides a synthetic study of the political, social, and economic processes which formed early Islamic Egypt. Looking at a corpus of previously unknown Arabic papyrus letters, dating from between AD 730 and 750, which were written to a Muslim administrator and merchant in the Fayyum oasis in Egypt, Sijpesteijn examines the reasons for the success of the early Arab conquests and the transition from the pre-Islamic Byzantine system and its Egyptian executors to an Arab/Muslim state.

By examining the impact of Islam on the daily lives of those living under its rule, the volume highlights the striking newness of Islamic society while also acknowledging the influence of the ancient societies which preceded it. The book applies theoretical discussions about governance, historiography, (social) linguistics, and source criticism to understand the dynamics of early Islamic Egypt, as well as the larger process of state formation in the Islamic world.

Petra Sijpesteijn is Professor of Arabic Language and Culture at Leiden University. Her research focuses on the transition from Late Antiquity to early Islam in Egypt.

Acknowledgements
Note on Editions, Dates, and References
List of Maps
List of Plates
Introduction
Part I: Discussion
1. The Egyptian context: Geography and History
2. Arab Egypt: The first fifty years
3. The Second Fifty Years: Consolidation and Reform
4. Beyond Words
5. Conclusion
PART II: The Texts
Note on the Orthography and Grammar of the Papyri
Letters to 'Abd Allah b. As'ad from Najid b. Muslim
Other Letters to 'Abd Allah b. As'ad
Letter from 'Abd Allah b. As'ad
Letters from/Related to Najid b. Muslim
Bibliography
Index