Sainthood and Authority in Early Islam: Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi’s Theory of wilaya and the Reenvisioning of the Sunni Caliphate

In Sainthood and Authority in Early Islam Aiyub Palmer recasts wilaya in terms of Islamic authority and traces its development in both political and religious spheres up through the 3rd and 4th Islamic centuries. This book pivots around the ideas of al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, the first Muslim theologian and mystic to write on the topic of wilaya.

By looking at its structural roots in Arab and Islamic social organization, Aiyub Palmer has reframed the discussion about sainthood in early Islam to show how it relates more broadly to other forms of authority in Islam. This book not only looks anew at the influential ideas of al-Tirmidhi but also challenges current modes of thought around the nature of authority in Islamicate societies.