
Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam
Brannon Wheeler(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 23. June 2022
Book
Hardback
482 pages
978-1-316-51186-2 (ISBN)
Description
Islam is the only biblical religion that still practices animal sacrifice. Indeed, every year more than a million animals are shipped to Mecca from all over the world to be slaughtered during the Muslim Hajj. This multi-disciplinary volume is the first to examine the physical foundations of this practice and the significance of the ritual. Brannon Wheeler uses both textual analysis and various types of material evidence to gain insight into the role of animal sacrifice in Islam. He provides a 'thick description' of the elaborate camel sacrifice performed by Muhammad, which serves as the model for future Hajj sacrifices. Wheeler integrates biblical and classical Arabic sources with evidence from zooarchaeology and the rock art of ancient Arabia to gain insight into an event that reportedly occurred 1400 years ago. His book encourages a more nuanced and expansive conception of "sacrifice" in the history of religion.
Reviews / Votes
'Wheeler's book is not only timely but also prodigious, as it engages with an impressive range of primary sources and secondary scholarship pertaining to Islam and several other religious traditions of the ancient world ... Wheeler's book is an impressive contribution that should appeal to students of early Islam as well as those interested in the significance of sacrifice in religious history.' Journal of the American Oriental SocietyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
927 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-316-51186-2 (9781316511862)
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

Brannon Wheeler
Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam
E-Book
06/2022
Cambridge University Press
€95.49
Available for download

Brannon Wheeler
Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam
E-Book
06/2022
Cambridge University Press
€111.99
Available for download
Person
Brannon Wheeler is Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy. A recipient of Fulbright Fellowships for research in Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Israel, he has been a visiting scholar at various institutions throughout the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
Content
1. Animal sacrifices in the life of the prophet Muhammad; 2. Burial of camels at the tombs of warriors; 3. Pagan origins of Muslim ?ajj sacrifice; 4. Abraham as the originator of ?ajj sacrifice; 5. Distribution of the body of the prophet Muhammad; 6. Martyred bodies and the demarcation of territory; Conclusions: Sacrifice and nostalgia for the origins of religion.