Foucault’s power, discourse, author, knowledge, and archaeology in Abdullah Al-Mahjūb’s Qurat Al-Ayn Fi Awṣāf Al-Ḥarhmayn

Abstract

In this article, Abdullah Al-Mahjūb’s manuscript entitled Qurat Al-Ayn fi Awsaf Al-Ḥarhmayn (Delight of the Eye in the Description of the Two Holy Mosques) is analyzed on the backdrop of Michel Foucault’s theories of power, discourse, author, knowledge, and archaeology. The article explores how Foucault’s theories illuminate the complex interplay between religious authority, political legitimacy, and historical narrative in al-Mahjūb’s detailed description of Makkah and Medina during the 15^th Calendar century. Al-Mahjūb’s account, as motivated by scholarly requests and shaped by his socio-religious context, reveals how knowledge production and historical description, can serve as tools of both spiritual devotion and political expression. Through comparative analysis with other Muslim and Western travelers of that time, the study demonstrates how discourse surrounding the Two Holy Mosques is shaped by the author’s perspective, audience, and purpose. The manuscript, viewed through Foucault’s lens, underscores how sacred architecture becomes a site of power and memory across time, ultimately contributing to the interpretation of classical Islamic texts through Foucault’s postmodern theory. It also provides a model for applying Foucault’s analysis to historical Islamic literature, bridging gaps between Western critical thought and Islamic intellectual heritage.