The Problem of Sources

The first half-century of Islamic history-from about 610 to about 660 CE- is both the most important and the most problematic period in that history. During these years, according to tradition, occurred the formative events in the life of the Islamic community. These include the preaching of Islam's Prophet, Muḥammad, and the creation under his leadership of the first community of Believers in Arabia; the rapid military expansion of that community throughout western Asia following Muḥammad's death; the emergence from the conquests of the first Islamic empire, under the leadership of the first caliphs; the codification of Islam's holy book, the Qur'an; and the theological and political disputes by which Islam, as we now know it, began to define itself communally, doctrinally, and institutionally. Muslims of all eras have tended to see this era as a golden age, and to look back to the beliefs and actions of their spiritual forefathers from it for guidance in living their own lives and in formulating their own beliefs-whether they have been political leaders of the tenth century (or the twentieth) challenging the claims of their rivals for power in Islamic states, or religious scholars debating the pros and cons of customs duties or the use of tobacco. For want of a b etter designation, we will use the phrase “Islamic origins” to refer to this formative period.

An understanding of Islamic origins is important not only for Muslims, but also for all serious students of world history, if they wish to comprehend Islam and its development, even its development in later historical periods. By the canons of modern historical research, however, it is exceedingly difficult to know much about Islamic origins, because the sources for it are highly problematic. Truly documentary sources for Islamic origins-that is, actual physical evidence contemporary with the origins of Islam, whether in the form of inscriptions, coins, archaeological evidence, or original papyrus or parchment-is almost non-existent. This being so, the generally received picture of Islamic origins has been constructed on the basis of chronicles and other written accounts produced by the Islamic tradition itself.