Concept
Historiography of early Islam
Overview
The historiography of early Islam is the collection of religious and secular literature on the early history of Islam during the 7th century, from Muhammad's first revelations in 610 until the disintegration of the Rashidun Caliphate in 661, and arguably throughout the 8th century and the duration of the Umayyad Caliphate, terminating in the incipient Islamic Golden Age around the beginning of the 9th century.
While classical Islamic scholarship developed methodologies such as the science of biography and the "chain of imputation" to evaluate the reliability -usually varies according to religious sects- of these manaqib narratives, prominent figures like Ibn Khaldun introduced critical historiographical methods, emphasizing the importance of context and the systematic evaluation of historical data. On the other hand modern Western scholarship seeks to support traditional narratives with objective data and external sources.(see: Historical criticism, Hermeneutics)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
According to this method of reasoning, when we believe any miracle of Mahomet or his successors, we have for our warrant the testimony of a few barbarous Arabians: And on the other hand, we are to regard the authority of Titus Livius, Plutarch, Tacitus, and, in short, of all the authors and witnesses, Grecian, Chinese, and Roman Catholic, who have related any miracle in their particular religion; I say, we are to…
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Close in meaning to Historiography of early Islam; the term itself is not named.
Babel is Babylon. It was founded, according to the Persian historians, by a prince named Tamurath. The only knowledge we have of its antiquities consists in the astronomical observations of nineteen hundred and three years, sent by Callisthenes by order of Alexander, to his preceptor Aristotle. To this certainty is joined the extreme probability that a nation which had made a series of celestial observations for…
Voltaire, A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 02
Close in meaning to Historiography of early Islam; the term itself is not named.
What is actually done is rather to make the contrary presupposition. Histories with such an object as religion or philosophy are understood to have only subjective aims for their theme, i.e. only opinions and mere ideas, not an essential and realised object like the truth. And that with the mere excuse that there is no truth.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel's Philosophy of Mind
States what Historiography of early Islam is.
Philosophers who discussed Historiography of early Islam
Related ideas
- Muqaddimah
- History
- Princeton University Press
- Historiography
- Herodotus
- History of India
- Judaism
- Internet Archive
- Latin
- Philosophy of history
- Muhammad
- Geography
- Islamic world
- Muslims
- Ibn Khaldun
- Propaganda
- Sovereign state
- Myth
- Historical method
- Scientific method
- World history (field)
- Quran
- Islamic Golden Age
- Cultural history
Place in the tradition
Part of Philosophy of history.
Explore Historiography of early Islam in the interactive graph →