Archaeology and the History of Early Islam: The First Seventy Years

Abstract

The rarity of material evidence for the religion of Islam during the rst seventy years of the hijra (622-92 CE) has been used to attack the traditional positivist account of the rise of Islam. However, the earliest declarations of Islam are to be found on media produced by the early Islamic state. It is therefore mistake to read too much signi cance into the absence of such declarations prior to the formation of that state by ®Abd al-Malik (685-705 CE). There is little prospect that archaeology will uncover new evidence of Islam from the rst seventy years.Le manque de donn es mat rielles sur la religion de lÕIslam pendant les sept premi res d cennies de lÕh gire (622-92) a t utilis pour r futer la th orie positiviste traditionelle de lÕessor de lÕIslam. Cependant, les premi res d clarations de lÕIslam sont ˆ trouver dans des oeuvres produites par lÕEtat islamique ˆ ses d buts. Il est donc erron dÕattribuer trop de senŝ lÕabsence de telles d clarations avant la formation de cet Etat par ®Abd al-Malik (685-705). Il y a peu de perspectives de nouvelles d couvertes arch ologiques sur lÕIslam des sept premi res d cennies.

Leadership succession in early Islam: Exploring the nature and role of historical precedents

“…However, unlike the case with these earlier prophets, there is a fairly substantial historical record to support the view that Muhammad was an actual person (see Hoyland, 2007;Johns, 2003;Kung, 2007, p. 683, note 71;Peters, 1991), although this has been disputed (see Nevo & Koren, 2003). The principal sources for information on the life of Muhammad are the Qur'an (Islam's scripture) and the hadith (sayings of Muhammad witnessed by his companions).…”

History and Religion

“…Toom uch can be made of the silence (cf. Johns 2003). What appears to be the most promisingexplanationfor the changelies in the transformations -in bothscale and language of legitimacy -of the Umayyad state at the end of the seventh century.Itappears that in the 680s opponents to Umayyad rule had seized upon Muḥammada sa symbol; and the ruling clan of the Umayyads,t he Marwanids( 692 -750), responded in kind, initiatingaseries of reforms that, inter alia,f eatured the professionofmonotheism and prophecyofMuḥammad.…”

The contiguity between churches and mosques in early Islamic Bilād al-Shām

“…The first included mosques built in the aftermath of the conquest: these were often small buildings with little planning and with the sole aim of offering Muslim believers a place to pray. 15 Some were later rebuilt and transformed during the second phase, many others were simply abandoned. The second phase began with the accession to power of the Marwanid branch of the Umayyads (684) and was particularly rapid under al-Walīd (705-715).…”