Close Relationships
Incest and Inbreeding in Classical Arabic Literature| By: | Geert Jan van Gelder |
| Publisher: | Bloomsbury UK |
| Print ISBN: | 9781850438557 |
| eText ISBN: | 9780857711458 |
| Edition: | 1 |
| Copyright: | 2005 |
| Format: | Page Fidelity |
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Close Relationships is Geert Jan van Gelder's groundbreaking and comprehensive study of the diverse facts and opinions concerning incest and close-kin marriage found in literary and non-literary pre-modern Arabic texts. The pre-Islamic Arabs knew about the dangers of inbreeding; the Qur'an formulates the basic principles of marriage impediments in Islam, which were elaborated by generations of jurists. Incest is a motif found in lampoons, anecdotes, stories, legends, dream interpretation, and polemics with other religions, in particular the Zoroastrians, who in pre-Islamic times allegedly recommended next-of-kin marriage. Many of the relevant passages are presented as English translations in this richly documented book.