The Origins of Islam Flashcards
What is Jahilyya?
A word used by Muslims to describe the lawlessness and chaos of tribal Arabia before the inauguration of Islam
What was Montgomery Watt’s thesis?
That Islam emerged as a response to the barbarism of the Quraysh, with Muhammad as a social reformer.
Who perpetuates the idea of Islam as a radical rupture in Arabia?
The Islam tradition and Watt
What evidence is there in the Qur’an that Islam was a monotheistic theological continuation?
The role of Jesus and Abraham as prophets who proclaimed the ‘good news’ of Islam, Abraham ‘was neither Jew nor Christian, he was one of the true religion’
What had the dome of the rock previously been used for?
It was previously a sacred Judeo-Christian site, thought to be where Abraham sacrificed Isaac and also a temple of Solomon.
Who built the Islamic shrine on the dome of the rock?
Abd al-Malik
What was the thesis of Cook and Crone?
That Mecca was an important multi-cultural centre for trade, and that Muhammad, who was a trader, gained knowledge of the Judeo-Christian tradition from the city.
Who disagreed with Cook and Crone?
Rippin
What was Rippin’s argument against Cook and Crone’s thesis?
That Mecca was ‘a city only in name’ and was not a thriving hub of cultural activity.
What does Wansbrough use to suggest that Islam was forged in the cultural milieu?
The lack of contemporary sources
What does Donner argue accounts for the lack of contemporary sources?
The fluidity of the oral transmission accounts in early Arabia.
What did Donner believe emerged in the 700s?
A ‘community of believers’ or monotheistic revival movement.
What historical evidence is there that there was rupture within the Islamic community?
The 656-61 Islamic wars
