This remarkable source document was reviewed in English through an internet based medieval source book. I selected this particular document because of our extensive study regarding the rise of Islam and, its movements throughout the Arab and Western worlds. The author of the original Coptic (hieroglyphic form of writing) piece entitled, The Accounts of The Arab Conquest of Egypt, 642, was a Bishop of al-Ashmunein in upper Egypt, between al-Minya and Assiut, around the tenth century” named, Sawirus ibn al-Muqaffa. Ibn al-Muqaffa has been noted as being “the earliest of the great Coptic writers in the Arabic language.”1(MacMillan)
In society, Ibn al-Muqaffa began his writing career at an early age working for the Arab Administration as a scribe and has been long revered as one of the greatest historians for his work entitled the History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria.2 (MacMillan) The purpose for the patriarchs of the Coptic Church to compile transcripts of occurrences was for the historical recounting of key events, figures; and, biographies from battles, wars and the transformations in Egypt. The compilations derive from historical documentation and eyewitness accounts of events that detail the conquests of Egypt. The original text, which was written in the tenth century, contained a series of biographies. By the sixth century – the time of Ibn al-Muqaffa – subsequent significant events occurred and the record grew longer, was expanded upon and derived “from documents written by eyewitnesses of the events recorded.”3 (Orthodox Wiki) Falling in line with the piece by Ibn al-Maqaffa was a piece we studied recently by Pavlidis stating that: “Arab rulers did not require their subjects to be Muslim.”4 This statement coincides with ...
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...g), May 31, 2011. http://plbirnamwood.blogspot.com/2011/05/value-of- eyewitness-accounts-for.html (accessed November 9, 2013).
Halsall, Paul, ed. Internet Medieval Source Book. 1998. s.v. "Accounts of The Arab Conquest of Egypt, 642." http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/642Egypt-conq2.asp
(accessed November 8, 2013).
MacMillan. New York, NY: MacMillan, 2013. s.v. "Sawirus al-Muqaffa." http://us.macmillan.com/author/sawirusalmuqaffa (accessed November 7, 2013).
Orthodox Wiki. 2009. s.v. "History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria." http://orthodoxwiki.org/History_of_the_Patriarchs_of_the_Coptic_Church_of_Alexandria (accessed November 9, 2013).
Pavlidis, Theo. Islam City, "Chapter 6: The Rise of Islam and the Arab Conquests." Last modified October 16, 2011. Accessed November 9, 2013. http://www.theopavlidis.com/MidEast/part25.htm.
The Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798 – Napoleon in Egypt, was written by the Egyptian born scholar and jurist, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (c. 1753-c.1825) between 1798 and 1801, framing the French occupation of Egypt. Both the Middle East and Europe, during the late 17th century were in a state of redefinition. Although the chronicle had covered only the brief period during first seven months of 36, it serves as a crucial accounting. Clearly illustrated is a paradigmatic shift between a modern culture and an antiquated system with a chronicle of events that swings between something that is merely observational to something written by an emotionally charged spectator. Although the work has been widely accepted, there is still some speculation as to degrees of censorship and possible omissions through various translations.
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
The Favorability of the Social and Religious Situation in Arabia around 600 AD Toward the Rise of Islam
Print. Doak, Robin. Empire of the Islamic World. Rev. ed.
Scheindlin, Raymond P. "The Jews in the Islamic World: From the Rise of Islam to the end of the Middle Ages (632 to 1500)." In A Short History of the Jewish People: From Legendary Times to Modern Statehood. New York: Macmillan, 1998. 71-87.
Ibn Khaldun. “Il Muqaddimah.” Ed. Paul Davis. Gary Harrison. David M. Johnson. John F. Crawford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Page Range:1732-1739. Print.
Ansary, Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
...all, W. The Sources of Islam. Edinburgh, Scotland: T & T Clark Sivan, Emmanuel. Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics. Enlarged Edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001 Spencer, H. Islam and the Gospel of God: A Comparison of the Central Doctrines of Christianity and Islam, Prepared for the Use of Christian Workers Among Muslims. Delhi, India: S.P.C.K., 1998 Stott, John R. & Coote, Robert, editors. Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000 Sweetman, J. Windrow. Islam and Christian Theology. Part II Volume II. London: Lutterworth Press, 1999 Vander Werff, Lyle L. Christian Missions to Muslims. S. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2002 Zwemer, Samuel M. Heirs of the Prophets: An Account of the Clergy and Priests of Islam, the Personnel of the Mosque and 'Holy Men'. Chicago: Moody Press, 2002
to 2650 B.C., changed his name to the more commonly known Zoser. It was Zoser
In the early 6th century, Muhammad introduced Islam into the Arab world, and asserted that there was only one true God. Islam demanded that believers obey God’s will and laws (Islamic Law, web). By introducing Isla...
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Arabic language had great influence on many languages and Middle English was not an exception. By the 8th century Arabic language drove out Latin as the dominant Language, The Arabic civilization was able to spread and flourish throughout the Spain by the 11th and 12th century. As a matter of fact John the bishop of Seville was translating the Bible into Arabic (Metlitzki 5). These events made some European scholars to show interest in learning Arabic, mostly in the field of mathematics and astronomy. The most notable scholars who were interested in Arabic were Adelard of Bath (c. 1080-c.1150) who have travelled from England to mainland Europe to study Arabic, he had translated the astronomical tables of Al-Khawarizmi into Latin. Soon “Arabum studia” which literary means Arabic studies became a legitimate pursuit in twelfth century England. In the mid 1600’s Edward Pococke the scholar and author of Specimen of the history of Arabs, held the Laudial chair in Arabic at Oxford University, and Gerard Langbaine , Keeper of the Archives of the University, had the position as the University’s Arabic type (Burnett 81)
Recent decades turned to textual records, and historian F.E. Peters claimed that a “quest of historical Muhammad is unlikely to yield many certainties since so little can be known for certain about Arabian Peninsula of the era”. It is evident that the prophet was an orphan of noble lineage challenging his tribe and the powers of the oneness of God in an idolatrous wilderness, but what can we really know about Muhammad? How we can known it, and if Muhammad really existed is still of question? Setting Muslim sources aside, early Greek and Syrian sources also give sufficient evidence to remove “any doubts to whether Muhammad was a real person” There is still a debate on if one can use sources for reliable accounts of Muhammad’s life, but one can argue that doubt can fill even a few pages with indisputable information. With early texts often exaggerating the face of Muhammad’s character, it seems readers cannot accept Muhammad as a man that can slaughter, rob caravans and sell women and children into slavery. In that era, it was typical for facts to be presented in an emotional and exaggerated manner to appeal to listeners. Though some claim that there is lacking Muslim literature, Muslims have a voluminous biographical literatures of earlier surviving collection called the Tabaqat (generations) of Ibn Said, which additionally contains biographies of prophet’s wives, relatives, and companions. Some sources even went to explain what the prophet liked to eat, the way he washed, and even manners of eating. With that aside, it seems Ibn Hisham’s work was successful due to the incorporation of emphasizing authentic Christian, Jew and Arabian contexts. Muslims talk of Muhammad as a “perfected human being” whose conduct people should try to