Description
Book SynopsisDavid Powers claims that the need for Muhammad to be the "seal of all prophets," combined with the fact that Muhammad apparently had an adopted son, Zayd, created a situation that drove early transmitters of the Qur'an to introduce a group of interrelated deletions, additions, and emendations into certain passages of the text.
Trade Review"Powers's work is most impressive throughout. . . .
Muhammad Is Not the Father of Any of Your Men is carefully researched, meticulously documented, and cogently argued. He presents a fascinating thesis for Islamic scholars to assess for its validity." *
Review of Biblical Literature *
"A vitally important contribution to scholarship on the Qur'an and early Islam." * Fred M. Donner, University of Chicago *
"Powers's ability to think through the creation of the narrative of the sonship of Zayd, his divorce, and Muhammad's marriage is truly compelling. The reader feels that the author is in total control of the material, even though it ranges so widely across the Near East and many disciplines." * Andrew Rippin, University of Victoria *
Table of ContentsPreface
PART I: FATHERS AND SONS
1. The Foundation Narratives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
2. Adoption in the Near East: From Antiquity to the Rise of Islam
3. The Abolition of Adoption in Early Islam
PART II: FROM SACRED LEGEND TO SACRED HISTORY
4. The Repudiation of the Beloved of the Messenger of God
5. The Battle of Mu'ta
6. The Martyrdom of the Beloved of the Messenger of God
7. Pretexts and Intertexts
PART III: TEXT AND INTERPRETATION
8. Paleography and Codicology: Bibliothèque Nationale de France 328a
9. Kalala in Early Islamic Tradition
10. Conclusion
Appendices
1: The Opening lines of Q. 4:12b and 4:176 in English Translations of the Qur'an
2: Deathbed Scenes and Inheritance Disputes: A Literary Approach
3: Inheritance Law: From the Ancient Near East to Early Islam
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
