The idea of idolatry and the emergence of Islam
Subtitle: from polemic to history
By: G.R. Hawting.
Series: Cambridge studies in Islamic civilization
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK; New York, NY, USA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 168
Subjects: Islam -- Origin; Idolatry; Civilization, Arab
Description: "In this book G. R. Hawting supports the view that the emergence of Islam owed more to debates and disputes among monotheists than to arguments with idolaters and polytheists.

Adopting a comparative religious perspective, the author considers why modern scholarship generally has been willing to accept the traditional image of the Koranic 'associators', he discusses the way in which the idea to idolatry has been used in Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and he questions the historical value of the traditional accounts of pre-Islamic Arab religion.

The implications of these arguments for the way we think about the origins and nature of Islam should make this work engaging and stimulating for both students and scholars."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-162) and index.