Joseph Schacht was perhaps one of the more controversial Western scholars on Islamic law. Although his work, The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence, was originally received with some measure of critical acclaim, over time, scholars have attempted to redress the controversial underpinnings of his theory on the nature of prophetic authority in the centuries after Mohammad’s death. At the heart of Schacht’s argument is the idea that legal traditions ostensibly stemming from Mohammad were in fact created by traditionists in the 2nd Century AH to change the doctrine of the ancient schools of law (Schacht 1953 178). These fabricated traditions, in turn, can be determined to be false because of the existence of a common narrator in their isnad. This narrator, Schacht postulates, was the individual who put both the tradition into circulation and gave it an historical isnad leading back to the Companions, and thus the Prophet himself. Schacht’s theory, on the surface, seems plausible; its argument of the changes in the literary period, particularly its emphasis on the influence of Shafi’i in bringing about the supreme authoritativeness of the traditions of Mohammad and the explosion of traditions after this authority was established, no doubt has some basis in fact. Yet it is the application of the evolution of prophetic traditions, and their isnads, backwards into the pre-literary period, that Schacht ventures into supposition, even taking his unique and impressive theory of the common link into account. What follows is a summary of Schacht’s theory, as put forth in Origins, from a chronological perspective and a critical analysis of this theory. The evolution of legal doctrine of the ancient schools of law, from the time after Mohammad... ... middle of paper ... ...s a dedicated scholar, and more than likely, were he to have had access to the resources available to the scholars succeeding him, some of his work may have been modified as a result of this new information. What remains evident is that Schacht’s work tapped into a very real skepticism that existed in the Western scholarly community. Whether this skepticism was based in polemical motives, such as attempting to debunk the entire legal basis of a religion, or it was based in a very real scientific desire to ascertain the true historical origins of an integral part of Islamic law is not known. It is, more likely, a combination of both. But Schacht’s work, contentious though it may be, serves a purpose, or perhaps the main purpose, within the field of academia: the free exchange of ideas that can be employed (or rejected) by others to explain the world in which we live.
...y by compiling a summary of Islamic history, and, by doing so, creates a complete Islamic history that can go toe to toe with European history. As a result, his argument stands to be thorough, suggesting that Islamic history indeed plays a role in today’s international world
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
...en he was. Even if he wasn't out seeking new advances in science, he sought to improve the human condition.
He presents the themes and elements of the pre-Islamic society, including its tribal culture, economic culture, religious background, prominence of poetry (how the Qur’an situates itself in relation to the poetry of the “Jahileen”), and discusses gender issues (particularly infanticide of daughters). Moreover, he introduces the connection between Abraham and Muhammad which is identified as the “cornerstone to the Islamic tradition” (84), situating it relative to other monotheistic religions. Through these elements Safi notes that pre-Islamic Arabia shaped the ways in which “Islamic discourses and practices expressed themselves” (53) thus providing the “the context of Islamic practices”
Writing about a topic that has been on an upward slope of controversy and criticism within the past two decades, Fred Donner a notable Islamic History professor at the University of Chicago whom has written multiple texts about the origins of Islam, tells the tale of the beginnings of Islam and how it would be shaped into its current manifestation today with Muhammad and the Believers. Donner admirably conveys the early history of Islam and its success to its centrality and “Believers’ Movement” opposed to many western historians accrediting it to the need of social and economic reform. Muhammad and the Believers is split up into five chapters, all of which Donner imparts his main thesis of Islam being a group of believers (mu’minun) opposed
People who practice the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam collectively comprise over one half of the world’s population, and while disparities between these three religions are widely spread and politicized, the similarities between their religious texts outweigh their differences. A crucial similarity between these three religions is their view on Abraham as their spiritual patriarch (lecture). The Koran makes use of both the Tanakh and the New Testament, and while minor differences exist between these texts, the perspectives they share are far more significant. The Koran retains many of the core ideas found in the Tanakh and the New Testament, specifically in regards to the perception of Abraham, the status of God, and the role of women. Any religious text can be interpreted in any number of ways, and while it is easy to pull apart texts of different faiths and dissect the differences, finding common ground and similarities is arguably more important.
Al Ghazali a significant person in Islam has helped shape Islam to be what it is today - a living religious tradition for the lives of its adherents. His contribution to Islam though his theories, knowledge and works have left a positive impact upon the Islamic world that continues into the present. An everlasting impact upon the faith, Muslims and the expansion of Islam to be one of the most popular religious traditions in the present world for the lives of its adherents is seen as Al Ghazali’s
Rahman, Fazlur. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. Print.
In the discussion that follows, I will often talk of what “the Qur’an intends,” or what “the Torah means to say” on a topic. It should be understood that I am not ascribing human attributes to inanimate books, but rather that I am intentionally avoiding the conflict inherent in naming the author of these books. Depending on one’s tastes, one could understand the Qur’an’s intention to be either Muhammad or Allah’s intention. Likewise, “the Torah means to say” could really be understood as what either Moses or G-d means to say. Either way, the important point is that somebody thought through the stories and decided on which words were worthy of being included in the holy texts and which were not. One of the underlying assumptions of this paper is that the stories were written down the way we find them today for a reason, and this paper intends to shed light on some of those reasons.
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated
The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.
Since the beginning of time, religion has played one of the most significant roles within human existence and has been believed to be the source whereby our governing laws have been derived. However, dating back to as early as the 3rd to 6th century, Greek philosophers inclusive of Diagoras of Melos, Euhemerus, alongside the schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya and the Greek Cyrenaic School were all amongst some of the first who did not accept the idea of God (Friedrich, 1942, 25). In the 7th century and during the Early Middle Ages, undergoing the Golden Age, the idea of knowledge was emphasised amongst the Muslim world, translating and collaborating knowledge from all over the world, giving rise to a group of people known as the Dahriyya who were the ‘holders of materialistic opinions of vari...
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
Smart, Ninian, and Richard D. Hecht. "Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur'an and Hadith," Sacred texts of the world: A Universal Anthology, ed.. Crossroads Publishing, 1982. 130-32,135-41,144-46,150-53,158-59,162-64. Print.
“Even before his prophethood, Muhammad was the judge and referee of the Quraysh at the time of their disputes and crises” for example in one instance a rock had fallen from the sky and the tribes of Mecca all bel...