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" We Have Made Clear the Signs. Dala'il al-Nubuwa -- Proofs of Prophecy in Early Hadith Literature "
Mareike Koertner
B. Gruendler
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Latin Dissertation
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English
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| Record Number
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1103726
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TLpq1541912855
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| Main Entry
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B. Gruendler
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Mareike Koertner
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| Title & Author
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We Have Made Clear the Signs. Dala'il al-Nubuwa -- Proofs of Prophecy in Early Hadith Literature\ Mareike KoertnerB. Gruendler
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| College
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Yale University
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| Date
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2014
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2014
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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305
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| Abstract
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This dissertation examines thematic compilations of H[dotbelow]adith dedicated to 'proofs of prophecy' and their social-historical context in the Arab and Persianate world of the 3 rd /9th and 4th /10th centuries. While previously dismissed as the products of popular prophetic veneration, these works prove to be critical sources for studying the socio-political context of a larger epistemological discourse on prophecy that transcended both the dividing lines between various Muslim scholarly disciplines and religious boundaries. The first part of my dissertation demonstrates the scholarly provenance of these works, and takes as a point of departure Western scholars' categorization of Dala'il al-Nubuwa literature as product of unscholarly discourses linked to the circles of storytellers (qus[dotbelow]s[dotbelow]as[dotbelow] ). The first chapter challenges the common dichotomy of scholarly and popular accounts of the Prophet's life by comparatively analyzing the earliest written sources, `Urwa b. al-Zubayr (d. 94/713) and Wahb b. Munabbih (d. between 109/728-113/732). I demonstrate that the main differences between the two biographical traditions were the authors' methodological approaches and their thematic emphases but not their inclusion of miracles. The alleged focus on miracles, therefore, does not provide sufficient evidence for the categorization of Dala'il al-Nubuwa literature as 'unscholarly.' I reiterate the scholarly origin of this literature in my second chapter by identifying twenty-four authors of Dala'il al-Nubuwa works between the late 2nd /8 th and early 5th /11th centuries, which showcases a previously unknown scope of this literature. Based on examinations of biographical and bibliographical dictionaries, I provide evidence that these authors were scholars of H[dotbelow]adith with undisputed reputations. I, furthermore, conduct a network analysis which demonstrates that the first three generations of these authors were in close contact with one another, mostly linked to one another through direct student-teacher relationships, while the fourth and fifth generations were less closely connected to one another and almost entirely disconnected from the previous generations. The second part of my dissertation analyzes the contents of Dala'il al-Nubuwa literature. Based on five extant works of the first three generations, including a unique manuscript containing a fragment of the oldest self-contained work by Juzajani (d. 259/873), I demonstrate that the compilations display considerable differences in their scope and thematic focus. This indicates that individual authors - despite their close connections with one another - afforded evidentiary value to very different aspects of the Prophet's life. I conclude that these early scholars compiled their Dala'il al-Nubuwa works by deliberately selecting accounts from the existing body of H[dotbelow]adith literature but did not follow any coherent notion of 'proofs of prophecy.' I argue further that their selection processes reflected certain religious discourses concurrent at their time, albeit without referencing them. In the fourth chapter I apply the same analytical parameters to the extant Dala'il al-Nubuwa works of the fourth and fifth generations. In congruence with their personal disconnect from previous authors, their works differ significantly from their antecedents both in scope and contents. While previous compilations for the most part constituted thematic chapters within H[dotbelow]adith compilations, these later works constitute extensive monographs that cover the entire life of the Prophet, similar to the tradition of biographical ( sira ) works. Furthermore, the introductions of these books specifically address topics of theological import. Abu Nu`aym al-Is[dotbelow]bahani (d. 429/1038) and Bayhaqi (d. 458/1066), for instance, incorporate the doctrine of the inimitability of the Qur'an in congruence with theological views of his time. The third part of my dissertation examines the socio-political context in which Dala'il al-Nubuwa literature arose and developed. I show that the emergence of these works coincided with correspondences between Muslim and non-Muslim dignitaries regarding the legitimacy of Muhammad's prophecy and the ensuing epistemological debates about prophecy among theologians of all three faiths. With regard to the inner-Islamic debate, I demonstrate that 'proofs of prophecy,' as a theme, was used in multiple contexts during the consolidation of Sunni Islam. Crucial moments in the intellectual history of Sunni Islam, such as the initial rivalry between the ahl al-h[dotbelow]adith and the mutakallimun , the short period of state intrusion into theology during the mih[dotbelow]na and the ensuing intellectual crisis, the rise of Ash`ari theology, and finally the reconciliation of previously disjoint schools of thought, are all reflected in Dala'il al-Nubuwa literature.
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Islamic Studies
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Islamic Studies
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Near Eastern Studies
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Philosophy, religion and theology
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Religion
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Social sciences
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