Sources for the First Century of Islam

Abstract

It may be surprising that there is so much to say about a period that is supposed to be poor in sources. The impression of a lack of primary and reliable secondary sources for the first century of Islam has been created by the issue of the usability of Arabic literary materials that are admittedly secondary. Indeed, the authenticity of the entire Arabic literary corpus, when it deals with matters in the first century and one-half of Islam, has been undermined by the skepticism of Western scholars based on its internal contradictions, on the partisan biases of the transmitters, on the anachronous projections of later issues and legal theories back to an earlier period, on the fictional and legendary quality of its anecdotal elements, and on assumptions about the nature of oral composition and transmission. Such criticism has led to a rather late dating of the use of writing for literature and of the use of theisnādespecially associated with the Schacht thesis, as well as to views that saw Islamic historical composition originating in commentaries on the Qur’ān and poetry.