Contents Illustrations and Features Preface Timeline of Traditional Chronology from the Birth of Muhammad to the Deah of uali The Family Tree of the Prophet Muh.ammad according to the Traditional Biography v ix xvii xxi PART 1 The Prophet Muhammad and the Rightly Guided Caliphs 1 introduction to part 1: historical overview 3 Chapter 1 muhammad in mecca 11 monotheism and Paganism in Muhammad s Arabia 11 muhammad s Early Life 17 muhammad s Conflict with The Pagans of Mecca 19 a Heavenly and an Earthly Journey 24 muhammad in Mecca and Historical Research 28 Study Questions 29 Chapter 2 muhammad in medina 31 the Fight for Islam 31 muhammad s Relationships in Medina 39 the Triumph of Islam 47 Study Questions 57 Chapter 3 the birth of an empire 59 the First Caliph and the First Imam 60 the Early Islamic Conquests 65 the Lives Of uumar, uuthman, and uali 70 Study Questions 77 conclusion to part 1 79 iii
iv v contents PART 2 The quraan 83 introduction to part 2: history and literature 85 Chapter 4 the quraan and its message 93 the Nature of the Quraanic Text 93 the Traditional Account of the Quraan s Development 96 the Quraan on Repentance and Belief 102 the Quraan on Divine Majesty 111 Study Questions 119 Chapter 5 the quraan and the bible 121 biblical Literature and Quraanic Rhetoric 121 the Quraan s Conversation with Biblical Literature 128 Study Questions 133 Chapter 6 rethinking the biography of the prophet 135 the Biography of Muhammad and Exegesis of the Quraan 135 the Sectarian Milieu 145 Study Questions 151 Chapter 7 the hisorical context of the quraan 153 Quraanic Evidence 153 islam and Theological Rivalries 162 Study Questions 166 conclusion to part 2 167 PART 3 contemporary perspectives 169 introduction to part 3: classical texts and contemporary religion 171 Chapter 8 contemporary muslim narratives of islam s emergence 173 the Struggle for an Islamic Society Today 173 islam and Modernity 196 Study Questions 204 conclusion 205 Glossary of Proper Names and Technical Terms 209 Bibliography and Further Reading 213 Index 223
illustrations and features Figures Fig. 0.1 Map of the Middle East xv Fig. 1.1 Muslim Pilgrims around the Kauba, Mecca 2007 14 Fig. 1.2 Map of Abraham s journey 15 Fig. 1.3 A pamphlet on how to perform the Hajj 21 Fig. 1.4 Muhammad s night journey 26 Fig. 2.1 The flag of Saudi Arabia 37 Fig. 2.2 Muhammad s letter to Heraclius 52 Fig. 3.1 Map of early Islamic conquests 67 Fig. 3.2 A rendering of the shrine containing uali s tomb 75 Fig. 4.1 An ornate Qur an 97 Fig. 4.2 Cairo edition of Qur an, sura 20 103 Fig. 4.3 Well of Souls 109 Fig. 4.4 Muslim man in prayer 113 Fig. 4.5 Muslim pilgrims casting stones 114 Fig. 5.1 Seven Sleepers of Ephesus 132 Fig. 6.1 Salman Rushdie 140 Figs. 6.2 and 6.3 First sura and title page 146 147 Fig. 7.1 Map of the world before Islam 156 Fig. 7.2 Ancient Arab church in Iraq 157 Fig. 7.3 Coins from the Umayyad period 160 Fig. 8.1 Muhammad Ali Jinnah 181 Fig. 8.2 Ayatollah Khomeini 191 Fig. 8.3 Shah and empress of Iran 193 Fig. 8.4 Splash page of quranandscience.com 199 v
vi v List of Illustrations and Features Personalities in Islam 1.1 Khadija 18 2.1 uaaisha 41 3.1 Abu Bakr 62 3.2 uali 73 4.1 Jesus 115 6.1 Abraham 150 8.1 Ibn Taymiyya 178 8.2 Khomeini 194 From a Classic Text 4 Hadith on the virtues of the Prophet 3 3 Death and funerals 6 5 Muhammad s letters to the emperors of Byzantium and Persia 49 6 The assassination of uali, Commander of the Faithful 76 7 The Peak of Eloquence 81 8 The Hadith: A second source of revelation 88 9 How to handle the word of God 98 2 The crucifixion 116 1 Qur an and Bible: The Table from Heaven 127 10 Fatwas today 175 11 The sharia today 183 12 A vision of ethics based on virtues 207 Boxes 1.1 The Hajj 20 2.1 Daily prayers 43 2.2 Ramadan fast 44 2.3 Representations of Muhammad 55 3.1 Religious movements and Muhammad s prophethood 65
List of Illustrations and Figures v vii 3.2 Jihad 69 4.1 Musical instruments 91 4.2 Etymology of the word Qur an 96 4.3 Printing the Qur an 104 4.4 Houris in Q 56:22 108 5.1 Gospel of Barnabas 123 6.1 Jinn 138 6.2 Salman Rushdie 141 6.3 Conflicts within the Qur an 148 7.1 People of the Book 155 8.1 Ahmadis status as Muslims 187 8.2 Demographics in Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan 190 8.3 Sir Richard Burton s pilgrimage to Mecca 200