Literary scholars and Arabists from Europe, Israel, and the US set out their various, divergent, and often mutually exclusive theories about how Islam began. Th

This collection of articles examines the various and often mutually exclusive methodological approaches and theoretical assumptions used by scholars of Islamic

Explores the genesis of Islam for insight into the nature of ideological transformation.

The formative period of Islam remains highly contested. From the beginning of modern scholarship on this formative period, scholars have questioned traditional

The study of Islam’s origins from a rigorous historical and social science perspective is still wanting. At the same time, a renewed attention is being paid t