The Public Figure: Political Iconography in Medieval Mesopotamia

that the original manuscript was a text used for study by the Zaydı̄ Imām al-Nāt ̇ iq bil-h ̇ aqq, the book also sheds some light on how deeply Zaydı̄ theology was influenced by Muʿtazilism, the ties between Yemeni Zaydiyya and Muʿtazila beliefs, especially the pro-ʿAlid tendency in the Muʿtazilı̄ doctrine on the imāmate, particularly as Muʿtazilism had become marginalised in Sunnı̄ Islam by the sixth/twelfth century. This volume should also facilitate comparison between Yemeni and Kūfı̄ Zaydı̄ thoughts and explain the reception of Bas ̇ ran Muʿtazilı̄ thought and why it experienced a sudden rise among the Zaydı̄s of Yemen. Bas ̇ ran Muʿtazilite Theology can also help to clarify the transfer of Bas ̇ ran Muʿtazilı̄ texts and doctrines to Yemen and the role of Yemenı̄ Zaydı̄s in the preservation of Muʿtazilı̄ theological sources. The book will be indispensible for the proper understanding of scholastic argumentation and will be especially useful for Islamicists, philosophers, theologians and students of these disciplines. It should be a starting point for more inter-sectarian comparisons and studies.