The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad

by Jonathan E. Brockopp

Overview

As the Messenger of God, Muhammad stands at the heart of the Islamic religion, revered by Muslims throughout the world. The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad comprises a collection of essays by some of the most accomplished scholars in the field exploring the life and legacy of the Prophet. The book is divided into three sections, the first charting his biography and the milieu into which he was born, the revelation of the Qur’ān, and his role within the early Muslim community. The second part assesses his legacy as a law-maker, philosopher, and politician and, finally, in the third part, chapters examine how Muhammad has been remembered across history in biography, prose, poetry, and, most recently, in film and fiction. Essays are written to engage and inform students, teachers, and readers coming to the subject for the first time. They will come away with a deeper appreciation of the breadth of the Islamic tradition, of the centrality of the role of the Prophet in that tradition, and, indeed, of what it means to be a Muslim today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521713726
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/19/2010
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Religion
Pages:	346
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jonathan E. Brockopp is Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University. A specialist on early Islamic legal texts, he has written widely on Islamic law, ethics, and comparative religions. His books include Early Mālikī Law: Ibn Abd al-Hakam and his Major Compendium of Jurisprudence (2000), Judaism and Islam in Practice: A Sourcebook (2000, co-authored with Jacob Neusner and Tamara Sonn), and two edited volumes on Islamic ethics. His article 'Theorizing Charismatic Authority in Early Islamic Law' (2005) advances a new theory for understanding the role of Muhammad in Islamic history.

Table of Contents

List of figures xi

List of maps xiii

Notes on contributors xv

Introduction Jonathan E. Brockopp 1

Part I Mu&hbdot;ammad in his world

1 The Arabian context of Mu&hbdot;ammad's life Walid A. Saleh 21

2 Mu&hbdot;ammad's message in Mecca: warnings, signs, and miracles Uri Rubin 39

3 Glimpses of Mu&hbdot;ammad's Medinan decade Michael Lecker 61

Part II Mu&hbdot;ammad in history

4 The Prophet as lawgiver and legal authority Joseph E. Lowry 83

5 Personal piety Robert Gleave 103

6 Mu&hbdot;ammad as the pole of existence Carl W. Ernst 123

7 The Prophet Mu&hbdot;ammad in ritual Marion Holmes Katz 139

8 Muslim philosophers' rationalist explanation of Mu&hbdot;ammad's prophecy Frank Griffel 158

9 Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Mu&hbdot;ammad as head of state Asma Afsaruddin 180

Part III Mu&hbdot;ammad in memory

10 Mu&hbdot;ammad in &Sbdot;ūfī eyes: prophetic legitimacy in medieval Iran and Central Asia Shahzad Bashir 201

11 European accounts of Mu&hbdot;ammad's life John v. Tolan 226

12 Religious biography of the Prophet Mu&hbdot;ammad in twenty-first-century Indonesia Anna M. Gade 251

13 Images of Mu&hbdot;ammad in literature, art, and music Amir Hussain 274

14 Epilogue: Mu&hbdot;ammad in the future Abdulkader Tayob 293

Index of Qur'an verses 309

General Index 313

Editorial Reviews

"Brockopp assembles here a rich collection of essays by leading Western scholars, mostly American, on the life and influence of Muhammad.... Recommended." - Choice

From the Publisher