تبلور قصَّة القيصر يوليانوس في الفكر الإسلامي التَّاريخي

Abstract

The article examines the representations of the story of Julian the Apostate (r. 361-363) in early Islamic sources and the reasons behind Islamic interest in this narrative. It traces the early stages in which the Julian narrative evolved in classical Islamic literature by applying a comparative analysis of Islamic portrayals of this story in terms of sources (Arabic, Persian, Syriac, and Greek), methods and narrative strategies. In so doing, this study gives insights into the historical objectives of Muslim historians as well as the socio-political discourses that influenced their historical presentations. This article also reflects on the early stages of the transmission of knowledge from Graeco-Roman sources into Islamic culture.  By doing so, it provides a new perspective that enhances our understanding of the evolvement of early Islamic historical thought in general and the interest of Muslim historians in non-Islamic cultures in particular.