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In his quest for the historical Muhammad, Zeitlin's chief aim is to
catch glimpses of the birth of Islam and the role played by its
extraordinary founder. Islam, as its Prophet came to conceive it,
was a strict and absolute monotheism. How Muhammad had arrived at
this view is not a problem for Muslims, who believe that the
Prophet received a revelation from Allah or God, mediated by the
Angel Gabriel. For scholars, however, interested in placing
Muhammad in the historical context of the seventh-century Arabian
Peninsula, the source of the Prophets inspiration is a significant
question.
It is apparent that the two earlier monotheisms, Judaism and
Christianity, constituted an influential presence in the Hijaz, the
region comprising Mecca and Medina. Indeed, Jewish communities were
salient here, especially in Medina and other not-too-distant oases.
Moreover, in addition to the presence of Jews and Christians, there
existed a third category of individuals, the Hanifs, who,
dissatisfied with their polytheistic beliefs, had developed
monotheistic ideas.
Zeitlin assesses the extent to which these various influences
shaped the emergence of Islam and the development of the Prophets
beliefs. He also seeks to understand how the process set in motion
by Muhammad led, not long after his death, to the establishment of
a world empire.
Auteur
Irving M. Zeitlin, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Toronto
Résumé
In his quest for the historical Muhammad, Zeitlin's chief aim is to catch glimpses of the birth of Islam and the role played by its extraordinary founder. Islam, as its Prophet came to conceive it, was a strict and absolute monotheism. How Muhammad had arrived at this view is not a problem for Muslims, who believe that the Prophet received a revelation from Allah or God, mediated by the Angel Gabriel. For scholars, however, interested in placing Muhammad in the historical context of the seventh-century Arabian Peninsula, the source of the Prophets inspiration is a significant question.
It is apparent that the two earlier monotheisms, Judaism and Christianity, constituted an influential presence in the Hijaz, the region comprising Mecca and Medina. Indeed, Jewish communities were salient here, especially in Medina and other not-too-distant oases. Moreover, in addition to the presence of Jews and Christians, there existed a third category of individuals, the Hanifs, who, dissatisfied with their polytheistic beliefs, had developed monotheistic ideas.
Zeitlin assesses the extent to which these various influences shaped the emergence of Islam and the development of the Prophets beliefs. He also seeks to understand how the process set in motion by Muhammad led, not long after his death, to the establishment of a world empire.
Contenu
Preface
Introduction and Overview of the Life of Muhammad
Donner's Reply to the Skeptics
Enter Muhammad: An Overview
The Battle of the Trench
Chapter One Ibn Khaldun's Social and Economic
Theory
Bedouins and Sedentary Peoples
Asabiyah
Chapter Two Pre-Islamic Arabia
The Hijaz on the Eve of the Rise of Islam
Pre-Islamic Religion
Chapter Three The Role of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael
Who was the Sacrificial Son?
The Islamic Theory that Abraham, Ishmael and Hagar Traveled to
the Valley of Mecca
Abraham, Ishmael and the Kaaba
William Muir on the Abrahamic Question
Muir on the Founding of Mecca and the Abrahamic Legend
Chapter Four Recent and Current Scholarship
The Religion of Mecca
The Kaaba and Its Devotees
Hanifiya and the Religion of Abraham
G.E. von Grunebaum, "The Nature of Arab Unity Before
Islam"
M.J.Kister, "Al-Hira: Some Notes on Its Relations with
Arabia"
Joseph Henninger, "Pre-Islamic Bedouin
Religion"
Moshe Gil, "Jews of Yathrib"
Fazlur Rahman, "Pre-Foundations of the Muslim Community
in Mecca"
Uri Rubin, "Hanifiyya and Ka 'ba: An Inquiry into
the Arabian Background of Din Ibrahim"
More on Pre-Islamic Religion in the Arabian Peninsula
Hamilton A.R. Gibb, "Pre-Islamic Monotheism in
Arabia"
W. Montgomery Watt, "Belief in a 'High God'
in Pre-Islamic Mecca"
Uri Rubin, "The Kaaba: Aspects of Its Ritual Functions
and Position in Pre-Islamic and Early Islamic Times"
Chapter Five Possible Influences on Muhammad's
Inspiration
Jewish Historians on the Jews of Arabia
Baron on Pre-Islamic, Arab-Jewish Relations in Arabia
Chapter Six The Jews of Arabia: A Recent Re-Examination
Chapter Seven Richard Bell's Origin of Islam in its
Christian Environment
Chapter Eight W. Montgomery Watt's Muhammad at
Mecca
The Daughters of Allah or the So-called Satanic Verses
More on the "Daughters of Allah" Affair
A Sociological Argument
W. Montgomery Watt's Muhammad at Medina
Chapter Nine Muhammad at Medina: William Muir's
Analysis
Muhammad and the Jewish Tribes of Medina
The Battle of Badr
Current Research on the Massacre of the B. Qurayza
The Conquest of Khaybar
Chapter Ten Muhammad and the Jews
Muhammad and the Jews: G.D. Newby's Re-Examination of the
Evidence
Chapter Eleven Concluding Sociological Reflections
Abu Bakr and the Ridda
Notes
Bibliography
Index