Donner presents an overview of the traditional approach to early Islamic history  and a critique of revisionist objections to that approach, and suggests a re-examination of the traditional Islamic sources.  He sets the intellectual context for early Islamic historical writing with discussion of the date of the Quran, the tradition of Islamic piety, and styles of legitimation in the early Islamic community.  He then examines the emergence of early Islamic historical writing, particularly the themes that emerged as important to the community, among them themes of prophecy, community, hegemony and leadership; chronology; and formal and structural characteristics of early Islamic historical writing, in particular, the hadith format.  He concludes that "classical Islamic historiography was the product of specific needs that arose during the growth of the community of Believers - particularly the need to define itself as a community of Muslims distinct from other monotheisms, the need to justify its claim to religious and temporal superiority, and the need to adjudicate internal disputes over political and religious leadership within the community."  

< back to readings page ... >

< back to main page ... >