Symbolically, the Night Journey placed Islam within the Abra…
Symbolically, the Night Journey placed Islam within the Abrahamic traditions. It connected Islam to Judaism and Christianity, marked Mecca as a sacred city in Islam, and further placed Muhammad within the prophetic tradition, albeit at the top as the “seal of the prophets.”
Read DetailsAnother leading collector of hadith was the Baghdad juriscon…
Another leading collector of hadith was the Baghdad jurisconsult Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, who was active in the generation after Malik. He was a stubbornly orthoprax Muslim who spent long periods in prison and was beaten for his rejection of the “rationalist” theological views of the Mu’tazilites, who were favored at court as the empire’s official school. Ahmad is said to have memorized a million hadiths, which he used to develop yet another law school, which bears his name. Ibn Hanbal compiled a collection of hadith called the Musnad, so-called because it is arranged according to the isndds of specific companions.
Read DetailsIn pre-Islamic Arabia, different approaches to religion attr…
In pre-Islamic Arabia, different approaches to religion attracted different people for different reasons. Monotheism was attractive because it was personalized and local. Local holy men, deities, shrines, stories, and religious practices formed the center of small-scale community life.
Read DetailsAbu Talib lost everything. Stories recount Muhammad’s family…
Abu Talib lost everything. Stories recount Muhammad’s family eating leaves from the trees, because they could not afford food. Aging and likely weakened from starvation, Khadijah, Muhammad’s closest confidant, died in 650 CE, followed by his protector, Abu Talib. Muhammad called it the Year of Sadness (or the Year of Sorro) and the darkest period of his life.
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