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Near & Middle East

Introduction To Early Islamic Texts

Course Code:
155901115
Unit value:
1 unit

This is an introductory text-based course which aims to acquaint students with features of classical Arabic literature not covered in the Modern Standard language course. It introduces students to representative early Islamic texts relating to the rise of Islam and Arabic-Islamic culture. 

Students will study selections from the Qur’an together with early exegetical compilations (tafsir), exploring the attempts to preserve, elucidate and interpret the language of scripture. Developments in Arabic orthography and the Qur'anic manuscript tradition are examined, together with issues relating to hermeneutics. The genre of Hadith literature, which enshrined the Prophetic sunna, is surveyed in terms of its genesis, content and structure, while the theoretical instruments employed by scholars to verify and collate the stock of traditions are briefly reviewed. 

Having examined the principal scriptural sources of Islam, students will have the opportunity to study some of the earliest forms of historical writing, including selections from the biographical compilations of the life of the Prophet as documented through the sira and tabaqat genres of literature. These forms of writing are assessed for their impact upon subsequent approaches to the chronicling of Islamic history. The extent to which classical writers augmented, expounded upon and synthesised much of the early source material will be explored through later literature. Particular emphasis is placed upon gauging the classical contexts within which specific trends in authorship and learning were nurtured and developed.

Qualification for entry

Successful completion of Arabic 1; in addition prior completion of Introduction to Islam is recommended.

 

Workload

The class meets for two hours each week. Students read, translate and discuss selected material. Students are expected to present at least one seminar relating to topics covered during the course of the lectures.

 

 

Method of assessment

Two term essays of approximately 2,500 words each (together 20% of the final marks), submitted by the end of the first week of Term 2 and the end of the first week of Term 3 respectively. One written examination in May-June (80%).

Required reading

Reference Works: 
  • Encyclopaedia of Islam, New edi. (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1961, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000) thereafter referred to as "E. I.".
    • This is now available on-line through the Library's website. 
  • Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Jane McAuliffe, ed. (Leiden : E.J. Brill, 2001. 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006). (A-D), (E-I), (J-O), (P-Sh), (Si-Z) 
  • Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, Kees Versteegh (general ed.) (Leiden, Boston: E.J. Brill, 2005). 
The Qur'an: 
  • Ambros, Arne Amadeus. A Concise Dictionary of Koranic Arabic, (Wiesbaden : Reichert, 2004). 
  • Arberry, Arthur. The Koran Interpreted (London: George Allen Urwin, 1980) 
  • Cook, Michael. The Koran, A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). 
  • Gwynne, Rosalind Ward. Logic, Rhetoric and Legal Reasoning in the Qur'an: God’s Arguments (New York : RoutledgeCurzon, 2004).
  • Haleem, Abdel. The Qur'an: A New Translation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
  • Haleem, Abdel. Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style (London: I.B. Tauris, 1999). 
  • Madigan, Daniel. The Qur’an’s Self-Image (Princeton: Darwin Press, 2003). 
  • McAuliffe, Jane Dammen (ed.), With Reverence for the Word: Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering. (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003). 
  • Rippin, Andrew (ed.), The Qur'an: Style and Contents (Aldershot : Variorum, 1999). 
  • Watt, Montgomery, Introduction to the Qur'an, R. Bell's introduction Revised by Watt, W.M., Islamic Surveys, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989). 
  • Wheeler, Brannon, An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis (New York: Continuum, 2002). 
  • Zammit, Martin R. A Comparative Lexical Study of Qur'anic Arabic (Leiden: E.J.Brill, 2002).
The Hadith and Law: 
  • Burton, John, Introduction to the Tradition (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000). 
  • Hallaq, Wael. The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004). 
  • Motzki, Harald (ed.), Hadith: Origins and Development (Aldershot : Variorum, 2004). 
  • Siddiqi, Muhammad, Hadith Literature: its Origin, Development, Special Features and Criticism (Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1993).
Historical Texts: 
  • Duri, Abd al-Aziz. The Rise of Historical Writing Among the Arabs (New Jersey: Princeton, 1983). Edited and translated by Conrad, L.Introduction by Donner, F. 
  • Guillaume, Alfred. The Life of Muhammad (translation of the redaction of Ibn Hisham's life of the Prophet), (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955).
  • Humphreys, R. Stephen. Islamic History. (London, New York: I. B. Taurus, 1999).
  • Khalidi, Tarif. Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1994). 
  • Robinson, Chase. Islamic Historiography (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
  • Rosenthal, Franz. A History of Muslim Historiography (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1952) 
  • Rubin, Uri (ed.), The Life of Muhammad (Aldershot: Variorum, 1998). 
Qur'anic manuscripts and inscriptions: 
  • Blair, Sheila. Islamic Inscriptions (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998).
  • Déroche, François. The Abbasid Tradition: Qur'ans of the 8th to 10th centuries, (London: Nour Foundation in Association with Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press, 1992). 
Arabic Linguistic Thought: 
  • Carter, Michael. Sibawayhi (Makers of Islamic Civilization Series) (London and New York, Oxford University Press, I.B. Taurus, 2004)
  • Versteegh, Kees. Landmarks in Linguistic Thought III: the Arabic Linguistic Tradition (London, New York: Routledge, 1997).
  • Versteegh, Kees. The Arabic Language (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2001). 
  • Suleiman, Yasir. The Arabic Grammatical Tradition ((Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999). 
  • Watson, Jane. The Phonology and Morphology of Arabic (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).
Related Works: 
  • Berkey, Johnathan, The Formation of Islam, Religion Society in the Near East 600-1800 ( Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003). 
  • Daniels, Peter and Bright, William. (Editors), The World’s Writing Systems (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1996). 
  • Brown, Daniel, Islam: A New Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004). 
  • Grabar, Oleg. Islamic Art and Beyond (Aldershot: Ashgate, Variorum, 2006). 
  • Hoyland. Robert. Arabia and the Arabs : from the Bronze Age to the coming of Islam (London ; New York: Routledge, 2001).