
Muhammad and the Empires of Faith
The Making of the Prophet of Islam
Sean W. Anthony(Author)
University of California Press
Published on 21. April 2020
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-520-34041-1 (ISBN)
Description
In Muhammad and the Empires of Faith, Sean W. Anthony demonstrates how critical readings of non-Muslim and Muslim sources in tandem can breathe new life into the historical study of Muhammad and how his message transformed the world. By placing these sources within the intellectual and cultural world of Late Antiquity, Anthony offers a fresh assessment of the earliest sources for Muhammad's life, taking readers on a grand tour of the available evidence, and suggests what new insights stand to be gained from the techniques and methods pioneered by countless scholars over the decades in a variety of fields. Muhammad and the Empires of Faith offers both an authoritative introduction to the multilayered traditions surrounding the life of Muhammad and a compelling exploration of how these traditions interacted with the broader landscape of Late Antiquity.
Reviews / Votes
"This carefully researched book provides a thorough analysis . . . [as well as] a new perspective on the study of Muhammad and makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature. Recommended." * CHOICE * "This book should be required reading for any scholar or graduate student of early Islam or Late Antiquity." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
2 tables, 14 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
524 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-34041-1 (9780520340411)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2020
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€16.49
Available for download
Person
Sean W. Anthony is Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University and author of The Caliph and the Heretic: Ibn Saba and the Origins of Shiism and Crucifixion and Death as Spectacle: Umayyad Crucifixion in its Late Antique Context.
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
The Caliphs, 632-809
Introduction: The Making of the Historical Muhammad
PART I. BEFORE THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE
1. The Earliest Evidence
Three Early Non-Muslim Testimonies to Muhammad
Revisiting the Doctrina Iacobi
The "Keys to Paradise" in Late Antique Religious Discourse
The "Keys to Paradise" in Early Islamic Preaching
The Doctrina Iacobi and the Historical Muhammad
2. Muhammad the Merchant
The Earliest Depictions of Muhammad as a Merchant
Muhammad's Occupation in the Hadith and Sirah-Maghazi Literature
Muhammad as a Trader in Arabic Sources
Muhammad and the Monk
The Merchants of Mecca
PART II. THE BEGINNINGS OF HTE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE
3. The Beginnings of the Corpus
The Umayyads and the Beginnings of the Sirah-Maghazi Tradition
`Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
4. The Letters of `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
The Chains of Transmission for `Urwah's Letters
A Translation of the Letters Attributed to `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
Letter 1. From the Persecutions in Mecca to the Hijrah to Yathrib
Letter 2. Khadijah's death and the Prophet's marriage to `A'ishah
Letter 3. The Battle of Badr
Letter 4. On al-Hudaybiyah, a Gloss on Q. Mumtahinah 60:10-12
Letter 5. The Conquest of Mecca and al-Ta?if
Letter 6. On the Hums
Letter 7. `A'ishah's Accusers
Letter 8. On Khuwaylah, the wife of Aws ibn al-Samit, a Gloss on Q. Mujadalah 58:1-4
Letter 9. On the Prophet's Marriage to a Sister of al-Ash`ath ibn Qays
5. The Court Impulse
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and the Umayyads
The Corpus of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri
Ibn Ishaq and the Abbasids
The Corpus of Ibn Ishaq
PART III. LOCATING THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE IN LATE ANTIQUITY
6. Prophecy and Empires of Faith
Prophecy and the Rhetoric of Empire
The Vision of Heraclius
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri's Christian Source
Translatio Imperii in the Early Sirah-Maghazi Literature
7. Muhammad and Caedmon
Caedmon's Call and The Iqra? Narrative
From Muhammad's Call to Caedmon's Call
Mechanisms of Narrative Influence
The Iqra' Narrative-Early, but not Historical
Excursus: Alternative Accounts of Muhammad's First Revelation
Epilogue: The Future of the Historical Muhammad
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
The Caliphs, 632-809
Introduction: The Making of the Historical Muhammad
PART I. BEFORE THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE
1. The Earliest Evidence
Three Early Non-Muslim Testimonies to Muhammad
Revisiting the Doctrina Iacobi
The "Keys to Paradise" in Late Antique Religious Discourse
The "Keys to Paradise" in Early Islamic Preaching
The Doctrina Iacobi and the Historical Muhammad
2. Muhammad the Merchant
The Earliest Depictions of Muhammad as a Merchant
Muhammad's Occupation in the Hadith and Sirah-Maghazi Literature
Muhammad as a Trader in Arabic Sources
Muhammad and the Monk
The Merchants of Mecca
PART II. THE BEGINNINGS OF HTE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE
3. The Beginnings of the Corpus
The Umayyads and the Beginnings of the Sirah-Maghazi Tradition
`Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
4. The Letters of `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
The Chains of Transmission for `Urwah's Letters
A Translation of the Letters Attributed to `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr
Letter 1. From the Persecutions in Mecca to the Hijrah to Yathrib
Letter 2. Khadijah's death and the Prophet's marriage to `A'ishah
Letter 3. The Battle of Badr
Letter 4. On al-Hudaybiyah, a Gloss on Q. Mumtahinah 60:10-12
Letter 5. The Conquest of Mecca and al-Ta?if
Letter 6. On the Hums
Letter 7. `A'ishah's Accusers
Letter 8. On Khuwaylah, the wife of Aws ibn al-Samit, a Gloss on Q. Mujadalah 58:1-4
Letter 9. On the Prophet's Marriage to a Sister of al-Ash`ath ibn Qays
5. The Court Impulse
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and the Umayyads
The Corpus of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri
Ibn Ishaq and the Abbasids
The Corpus of Ibn Ishaq
PART III. LOCATING THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE IN LATE ANTIQUITY
6. Prophecy and Empires of Faith
Prophecy and the Rhetoric of Empire
The Vision of Heraclius
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri's Christian Source
Translatio Imperii in the Early Sirah-Maghazi Literature
7. Muhammad and Caedmon
Caedmon's Call and The Iqra? Narrative
From Muhammad's Call to Caedmon's Call
Mechanisms of Narrative Influence
The Iqra' Narrative-Early, but not Historical
Excursus: Alternative Accounts of Muhammad's First Revelation
Epilogue: The Future of the Historical Muhammad
Bibliography
Index