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The Life of the Prophet
Ira M. Lapidus
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| Seminar Introduction |
![[IMAGE]](21701746_symbol1.jpg) Prophecy is a rare phenomenon, and all the more extraordinary is the prophet whose influence permanently transforms the lives of his people and leaves as a legacy one of the world's great religions. Thus the life of Muhammad and the rise of Islam have to be understood in terms of both religious vision and worldly impact. Compared with the founders of other great religions, the sources of our knowledge of the Prophet's life are abundant. We have the Quran itself, Muslim scripture, believed by Muslims to have been revealed by God through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad--the direct revelation of God's word and will, the ultimate source of Muslim belief, and the inspiration to live in the way God requires of human beings. In the Muslim view the Quran is the final revelation and supersedes the previous Jewish and Christian dispensations. The Prophet himself probably began the process of compiling a written scripture by dictating to scribes and instructing them on how to order the verses of the revelation. The Quran was fully compiled after the Prophet's death and an official version promulgated by the Caliph 'Uthman (644-56). Because of various problems of script and variant non-'Uthmanic traditions, small points of detail remained in dispute until the tenth century, when Muslim scholars agreed to consider seven variant readings equally valid. The hadith, or sayings of the Prophet, are a second source. In the Muslim view, these are Muhammad's own inspired utterances, as opposed to Quranic utterances. Hadith deal mainly with ritual, moral, and other religious matters. The third principal source of the Prophet's life is the biography, compiled by Ibn Ishaq (d. 768-9) on the basis of oral tradition and partial written accounts and then edited and revised by Ibn Hisham (d. 833-4). Materials not included in Ibn Hisham's edition are found in later Muslim sources. From these sources we know that the Quran was revealed over the last two decades of Muhammad's life, from about 610 until his death in 632. In this seminar Ira Lapidus, professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, takes us through the life of Muhammad to show how he unified tribal societies but did not propound a fixed system of belief. He was a judge rather than a legislator, a counselor rather than a theorist. We see the Prophet as a man to whom the revelation has given a new direction in life, a direction whose implications and possibilities constantly unfold before him. Based on Chapter 2 of the book A History of Islamic Societies the author offers a real sense of what it is to be a Muslim, and what it means to form a community around belief.
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| Learning Objectives |
- Record historical periods in the prophet Muhammad's life.
- Describe the most important teachings of the Quran.
- Understand Muhammad's complex and changing relationship to Mecca.
- List the key factors involved in developing a Muslim community, from unifying tribal communities to creating strength through coherent leadership.
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| Sessions |
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| Credits |
 | This seminar is an extract from pp.18-30 of A History of Islamic Societies, published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright Cambridge University Press, 2002. In the second edition of this classic work, Ira Lapidus explores the origins and evolution of Muslim societies. The book, now revised and updated, is divided into three parts. The first covers the formative era of Islamic civilization. The second traces the diffusion of worldwide Islamic societies, while the third explores their reaction to European imperialism, and emergence as independent states. The concluding chapters consider Islam's recent history, the formation of Islamic revival movements and global Islamic identities. The book is essential reading for students and for those seeking to understand the Muslim peoples.
A History of Islamic Societies
Ira M. Lapidus
Paperback (2002) |
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them. Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
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