Course Proposal Details for - Where History meets Mystery: Approaches to the Study of Early Islam (Course code not
assigned)
School
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Course Description
Research on early Islam faces particular challenges due to the nature of the source material on
the period in question: The existing Islamic sources have emerged only long after the events of
which they report. They contain numerous contradictions in details and are influenced by later
political, theological and legal debates. Moreover, their statements are not or only partially
supported by archaeological findings or non-Islamic sources. This has led some researchers to
call the formative history of Islam into question and instead assume the origins of this religion
in the 8th or 9th century in Syria, Iraq or Khurasan. In the seminar, various approaches to
research on the history of the Qur'an and the biography of the Prophet are discussed.
Normal Year Taken
Year 4 Undergraduate
Course Level (PG/UG)
UG
Visiting Student Availability
Available to all students
SCQF Credits
20
Credit Level (SCQF)
SCQF Level 10
Home Subject Area
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Other Subject Area
Course Organiser
Andreas Goerke
Course Secretary
Paulo Nunes De Moura
% not taught by this
institution
Collaboration Information
(School / Institution)
Total contact teaching hours
20
Any costs to be met by
students
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations
Visting Student Pre-requisites
A pass in Islamic History A and/or Introduction to Islam A (preferred, but not essential. Students
without background in these subjects should consult the course organiser).
Keywords
Early Islam Approaches
Fee Code (if invoiced at
course level)
Proposer
Andreas Goerke
Default Mode of Study
Classes & Assessment incl. centrally arranged exam
Default delivery period
Semester 1
Marking Scheme to be
employed
Common Marking Scheme - UG Non-Honours Grade Only
Taught in Gaidhlig?
No
Course Type
Standard
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes/L01
Critical understanding of the main problems involved in the study of early Islam.
Familiarity with the main methods and approaches scholars have taken in the study of early
Islam.
Ability to evaluate and critique scholarly and other writings on the above topics.
Learning Outcome 2
Learning Outcome 3
Learning Outcome 4
Learning Outcome 5
Special Arrangements
Components of Assessment
2500-word essay: 40%
3-hour Examination: 60%
Exam Information
Semester 1
3 hours
Syllabus
1. Introduction: Problems in the study of early Islam
Overview of the situation of the sources on early Islam, material and literal sources, dating,
Islamic and non-Islamic sources.
2. The Qur'an: Background, traditional dating
Overview of the sources used for dating the Qur'anic text, traditional Muslim view of the history
of the text, history of Western views of the dating of the text. The Muslim view places the
codification of the text in the time of 'Uthman, about two decades after Muhammad.
3. The Qur'an: Alternative theories of dating: Casanova, Mingana, Wansbrough
Casanova and Mingana used mainly non-Muslim sources for the dating of the Qur'anic text. They
came to the conclusion that the text was codified in the time of 'Abd al-Malik, about a century
after Muhammad. Wansbrough rejected the traditions on the history of the text and studied the
Qur'anic text itself and compared its development to the canonisation of the Jewish bible. He
came to the conclusion that the Qur'anic text did not reach its final form before the end of the
second century after Muhammad.
4. The Qur'an: Relation to earlier scripture: Luxenberg, Geiger
Luxenberg saw parallels to Christian texts and lectionaries in the Qur'an and concluded that at
least part of the Qur'anic text consists of misread Christian texts, originating at least a century
before Muhammad. Geiger studied the parallels between the Qur'an and the Jewish tradition.
5. The Qur'an: Structure and composition of the Suras (Cuypers, Neuwirth, Sadeghi)
What does the structure of the suras tell us about the composition of the Qur'an?
6. Sira: Background, Traditional dating
Overview of the sources for the life of Muhammad, traditional Muslim position on the
authenticity and historicity of the text.
7. Sira: Watt, Lammens, Becker, Crone, Cook, Ohlig, Nevo/Koren
Different views on the reliability of the sources, ranging from moderate confidence in the
sources to extreme scepticism
8. Sira: The Qur'an as source for the life of Muhammad (Rippin, Cook)
What does the Qur'an tell us about the life of Muhammad?
9. Sira: non-Islamic sources for the life of Muhammad (Hoyland, Crone/Cook, Shoemaker)
What information can be gained on the life of Muhammad from non-Islamic sources?
10. Sira: The isnad-cum-matn analysis and its critics (Schoeler, Görke, Shoemaker)
Attempts to reconstruct older sources and thus get a more reliable picture of the history of the
life of Muhammad and critical reviews of these attempts.
Academic Description
Study Pattern
Transferable Skills
Study Abroad
Reading Lists
Select bibliography
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