Futuwwa
Encyclopedia
Futuwwa is a Sufi term that has some similarities to chivalry
and virtue
. It was also a name of ethical urban organizations or "guilds" in mediaeval Muslim realms that emphasised honesty, peacefulness, gentleness, generosity, avoidance of complaint and hospitality in life. According to Ibn Battuta
, a member was called fata (youth, pl. fityan) and group leaders were called akhi.
In modern day dialects of Arabic, e.g. in Egypt
, the term is used for youths who try to do quasi-chivalrous acts such as helping others resist intimidation by rival groups. Alternatively it may denote gang
-like behaviour.
Futuwwa groups often influenced the course of political events. Different futuwwa leaders could have serious rivalries. Members were united through the practices of Sufi worship and a form of common property. Patched robes of sufi were called libas al-futuwa.
The leader of the group would furnish a hospice where, at the end of the workday, members would bring money to buy food and drink. They entertained travelers with elaborate banquets or, if no traveler came that day, enjoyed the feast themselves with song and dance. They also supported charities (vakif).
, Ibn Jubayr
wrote of an organization called the Nubuya that fought Shi'a Muslims in Syria
. The Abbasid
Caliph
an-Nasir
(1158–1225) approved of and supported futuwwa. In 1182 he organized a warrior futuwwa order that was for all practical purposes a knightly order with mounted warriors. He became the head of this order and gathered ruling princes and other notables to its membership. It continued for some time after the death of its founder.
This military futuwa was also practiced by Javans, mercenary soldiers of 10th and 11th centuries in Khurasan
, Persia
(although they may have also had non-Muslim soldiers amongst them). Apparently it may have been a model for janissaries
.
as a social phenomenon of medieval Iraq and Turkey.
. It was also the name of a Hitler-Jugend style pan Arab facsist nationalistic youth movement that existed in Iraq in the 1930s and 1940s., In 1938 the Al-Futuwwa youth organization sent a delegate to the Nuremberg
Nazi party rally, and in turn hosted the Hitler Youth
leader Baldur von Schirach
.
The fascist pan-Arab al-Muthanna club and its al-Futuwwa (Hitler Youth
) type movement, participated in the 1941 Farhud
attack on Baghdad
's Jewish community.
Besides espousing a fanatic Pan-Arabism, the Futuwwa adopted a frankly totalitarian ideology
The Daily Telegraph wrote that although Saddam Hussein
never acknowledged the training of a youth brigade, he has, in several past speeches, spoken admiringly of the Hitler Youth. It is widely believed that he belonged to the Futuwa, paramilitary youth organisation which was modelled on the Hitler Youth
and was formed in Baghdad in the late 1950s.
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
and virtue
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
. It was also a name of ethical urban organizations or "guilds" in mediaeval Muslim realms that emphasised honesty, peacefulness, gentleness, generosity, avoidance of complaint and hospitality in life. According to Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
, a member was called fata (youth, pl. fityan) and group leaders were called akhi.
In modern day dialects of Arabic, e.g. in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the term is used for youths who try to do quasi-chivalrous acts such as helping others resist intimidation by rival groups. Alternatively it may denote gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
-like behaviour.
Social groups
Through membership of a futuwwa order, artisans and craftsmen were linked in a social connection that stabilized local communities and balanced the power of the aristocracy. Some were the equivalent of trades-guilds, constituted with a sufi ideology along with preference for self-government. Their precise historical origins are obscure.Futuwwa groups often influenced the course of political events. Different futuwwa leaders could have serious rivalries. Members were united through the practices of Sufi worship and a form of common property. Patched robes of sufi were called libas al-futuwa.
The leader of the group would furnish a hospice where, at the end of the workday, members would bring money to buy food and drink. They entertained travelers with elaborate banquets or, if no traveler came that day, enjoyed the feast themselves with song and dance. They also supported charities (vakif).
Warfare
Warriors of the Faith were warbands or warrior guilds. Some were just glorified bands of brigands. In 12th century in DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Ibn Jubayr
Ibn Jubayr
Ibn Jubayr was a geographer, traveler and poet from al-Andalus.-Early life:Born in Valencia in Spain, then the seat of an independent emirate. Ibn Jubayr was descendant of a tribe of Andalusian origins, Jubayr was the son of a civil servant...
wrote of an organization called the Nubuya that fought Shi'a Muslims in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
an-Nasir
An-Nasir
An-Nasir li-Din Allah was the 34th Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death. His laqab literally means The Victor for the Religion of God. He attempted to restore the Caliphate to its ancient dominant role and achieved a surprising amount of success, despite the fact that the...
(1158–1225) approved of and supported futuwwa. In 1182 he organized a warrior futuwwa order that was for all practical purposes a knightly order with mounted warriors. He became the head of this order and gathered ruling princes and other notables to its membership. It continued for some time after the death of its founder.
This military futuwa was also practiced by Javans, mercenary soldiers of 10th and 11th centuries in Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
, Persia
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
(although they may have also had non-Muslim soldiers amongst them). Apparently it may have been a model for janissaries
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
.
Historiography
Futuwa became a topic for European orientalists after being mentioned in a work by Franz Taeschner. Later it was studied by Claude CahenClaude Cahen
Claude Cahen was a French Marxist orientalist and historian. He specialized in the studies of the Islamic Middle Ages, Muslim sources about the Crusades, and social history of the medieval Islamic society ....
as a social phenomenon of medieval Iraq and Turkey.
Modern reuse of the name
Al-Futuwa was also an Arabic name the of Arab-nationalist Young Arab Association founded in 1913 in Paris during the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was also the name of a Hitler-Jugend style pan Arab facsist nationalistic youth movement that existed in Iraq in the 1930s and 1940s., In 1938 the Al-Futuwwa youth organization sent a delegate to the Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
Nazi party rally, and in turn hosted the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
leader Baldur von Schirach
Baldur von Schirach
Baldur Benedikt von Schirach was a Nazi youth leader later convicted of being a war criminal. Schirach was the head of the Hitler-Jugend and Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter of Vienna....
.
The fascist pan-Arab al-Muthanna club and its al-Futuwwa (Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
) type movement, participated in the 1941 Farhud
Farhud
Farhud refers to the pogrom or "violent dispossession" carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, on June 1-2, 1941 during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The riots occurred in a power vacuum following the collapse of the pro-Nazi government of Rashid Ali while the city was in a...
attack on Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
's Jewish community.
Besides espousing a fanatic Pan-Arabism, the Futuwwa adopted a frankly totalitarian ideology
The Daily Telegraph wrote that although Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
never acknowledged the training of a youth brigade, he has, in several past speeches, spoken admiringly of the Hitler Youth. It is widely believed that he belonged to the Futuwa, paramilitary youth organisation which was modelled on the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and was formed in Baghdad in the late 1950s.