Book contents
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Study of Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Chapter 2 North Arabia between the Late Third and the Fifth Century
- Chapter 3 A Late Antique Kingdom’s Conversion
- Chapter 4 The Shape of the Sixth Century I
- Chapter 5 The Shape of the Sixth Century II
- Chapter 6 The Ḥijāzī Islam
- Chapter 7 Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 6 - The Ḥijāzī Islam
Narratives and Frameworks Re-Examined
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2023
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Study of Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Chapter 2 North Arabia between the Late Third and the Fifth Century
- Chapter 3 A Late Antique Kingdom’s Conversion
- Chapter 4 The Shape of the Sixth Century I
- Chapter 5 The Shape of the Sixth Century II
- Chapter 6 The Ḥijāzī Islam
- Chapter 7 Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Having previously investigated the political and religious milieux of the north and the south of the Arabian Peninsula, this chapter sheds some light on the history of the Ḥijāz at the time of the rise of Islam. It aims to answer the following questions: what factors made the Ḥijāz a favourable environment for the emergence of a third scriptural monotheism? What was the religious context of sixth- and seventh-century Ḥijāz? What picture emerges from a comparative reading of the epigraphical and literary sources? The chapter discusses the polytheistic milieu of pre-Islamic Arabia immediately after the introduction. This discussion includes an analysis of the Qurʾānic passages which mention pagan idols, and argues the case for the existence of a henotheist Ḥijāz at the end of the sixth century. In the third section, an overview of the scriptural communities documented in the Ḥijāz is given. These scriptural groups heavily influenced and shaped the rise of Islam, as evident from even a superficial reading of the Qur’ān. Finally, section four analyses Muḥammad’s prophetic career.
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- Pre-Islamic ArabiaSocieties, Politics, Cults and Identities during Late Antiquity, pp. 172 - 207Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023