Pre-Islamic Arabia, with Valentina Grasso
A conversation with Valentina Grasso on Arabia before Islam. This used to be known primarily from preserved Arabic poetry, but the picture is now filling in from inscriptions and contemporary texts. There were competing kingdoms, tribal coalitions, and foreign empires with a stake in trade routes. There were pagans, Jews, and Christians, as well as generic or “cautious” monotheists. The cultural background of the Quran has never been known in such richness and complexity.
Was a woman the first editor of the Qur’an?
Did one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad have a crucial role in editing and codifying the Qur’an? A study about Hafsa bint ‘Umar offers some different perspectives on the early days of Islam.
Ibn Khaldun, medieval medicine and Islam – four articles
Here are four recent articles focusing on Ibn Khaldun, the fourteenth-century century social scientist and historian. Written by Mohammadreza Shahidipak, they focus on his views on medicine and the role of Islam in this science.
A Messianic Uprising in Kufa: al-Mukhtar’s Revolt in 685-687
Al-Mukhtar’s two-year rebellion was an episode of a greater historical event known as the Second Civil War or Second Fitna (680-692).
The Scourges of the Desert: The Triumph and Fall of the Qaramita of Bahrayn
In the second part of this look at the Qaramita, it is revealed how they challenged both the Abbasids and Fatimids before ultimately disappearing in the eleventh century.
The Warlord Missionary: Abu Sa‘id al-Jannabi and the Rise of the Qaramita of Bahrayn
Fierce desert tribesmen, united by a sectarian missionary, emerged in Eastern Arabia in the 9th century. Under the leadership of this warlord missionary, they established a powerful predatory polity in Bahrayn that would terrorize the neighboring regions for 150 years.
The Assassins in Fact and Fiction
Perhaps no other group from the Middle Ages has sparked modern-day imaginations like the Assassins. Viewed as mystical and deadly, they were said to be led in Syria by a charismatic figure known as the Old Man of the Mountain. What can we really know about them?
Believing rulers and the political theology of the Qur’an within its Byzantine context
Zishan Ghaffar speaks about Believing rulers and the political theology of the Qur’an within it’s Byzantine context at the conference Unlocking the Byzantine Qur’an.
Mecca’s population was only about 500 people during the Prophet Mohammed’s time, study finds
New research suggests that the population of Mecca was only a few hundred people when the Prophet Muhammad first began preaching the Islamic religion during the first decades of the seventh century.
Fighting against the Abbasids: Rebellions of the Khurramiyya in the 8th century
There were several other rebellions by Khurramiyya groups in Khurasan, Sogdia, and the Jibal region that are described to some extent in the sources and sometimes even just mentioned in passing.
Khurramism: The story of a medieval religious movement
A look at the beliefs and religious practices of the Khurramiyya, and what happened when they came into contact with Zoroastrianism and Islam.
Abu Muslim: The Architect of the Abbasid Revolution
He lived an extraordinary life; he was a servant/slave, a partisan, a revolutionary, a soldier, and rose to be the most powerful man in the caliphate.
Islamic arts showcased in museum exhibitions throughout France
Collections of medieval and modern artwork from the Islamic world are being showcased in 18 cities across France. Arts de l’Islam. Un passé pour un présent will be running until March 27, 2022.
Ilkhanid Chronicles as Sources for History and Doctrines of Fatimid Ismailism
In this paper, I show that these histories, shorn of the narrative frameworks of Persian historical writing and the vitriol directed at the Ismailis, are important witnesses of Fatimid history and doctrine.
What can we know about the life of the Prophet Muhammad?, with Sean Anthony
A conversation with Sean Anthony about the earliest sources for the life of the Prophet Muhammad, including the Quran, papyri, inscriptions, and Christian sources of the seventh century, and how Muslims were initially perceived by the Romans of the eastern provinces.
New research on the petrified birds in the Dome of the Rock
On the southern exterior wall of the Dome of the Rock, a very important Islamic shrine in Jerusalem’s Old City, there are two marble slabs, both carved from the same stone and placed side by side to form a symmetrical pattern, that depicts two birds. The history of this marble decoration and how different narratives about its creation have been examined in a recent article.
Demons, Djinns, and Devils of the Medieval Islamic World
Throughout the medieval world there was a strong belief in supernatural beings. If you lived in the Middle East, they would be called djinn, demons or devils. If you dare want to know more about these monsters, read on!
Sword of God: The story of Khalid Ibn Al-Walid
Khalid is widely regarded as the military leader responsible for the world-changing expansion of Islam beyond its initial home in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century. His story is fascinating.
The Berber Queen who defied the Caliphate: Al-Kahina and the Islamic Conquest of North Africa
Seventh-century North Africa would see the rise of a warrior queen named al-Kahina. Who was she and how was she able to wage a war against the Umayyad Caliphate?
The Lion Of Mali: The Hajj of Mansa Musa
A recounting of the fabled Hajj of Mali emperor Mansa Musa in 1324.
Medieval Geopolitics: The Origins of Jihad and the Islamic Conquests
This short column will explain the historical context for the conquests and the three major transformations that made them possible.
How the Hashimite Revolution became the Abbasid Revolution
In 750 the Umayyad caliphal dynasty was overthrown by a popular revolution that had its origins in the eastern regions of the Muslim world, primarily in Khurasan.
Early medieval mosque discovered in Israel
Archaeologists working in Israel have discovered the remains of a mosque dating to seventh or eighth century, as well as a Byzantine-era farm.
Blue and Green Eyes in the Islamicate Middle Ages
In this paper I examine usages of classical Arabic words with the z-r-q root to understand how they are differently mobilised in the Qur’ān, Qur’ānic commentaries, hadith, early medical treatises and words of adab.