Prophet Has Appeared

Early Islam has emerged as a lively site of historical investigation, and scholars have challenged the traditional accounts of Islamic origins by drawing attention to the wealth of non-Islamic sources that describe the rise of Islam. A Prophet Has Appeared brings this approach to the classroom. This collection provides students and scholars with carefully selected, introduced, and annotated materials from non-Islamic sources dating to the early years of Islam. These can be read alone or alongside the Qur'an and later Islamic materials. Applying historical-critical analysis, the volume moves these invaluable sources to more equal footing with later Islamic narratives about Muhammad and the formation of his new religious movement.

Included are new English translations of sources by twenty authors, originally written in not only Greek and Latin but also Syriac, Georgian, Armenian, Hebrew, and Arabic and spanning a geographic range from England to Egypt and Iran. Ideal for the classroom and personal library, this sourcebook provides readers with the tools to meaningfully approach a new, burgeoning area of Islamic studies.

Review:

"A marvel of concision and originality; best of all, it is readily accessible to the general reader. . . . A Prophet Has Appeared is one of the most readable and exciting books in Islamic history."

* Middle East Quarterly *
"Indeed, Shoemaker provides one of the most cohesive alternative visions to the emergence of Islam. A Prophet Has Appeared is a pivotal piece of this vision." * Reading Religion *

"This sourcebook is a valuable contribution to reliable historical data concerning theologically based approaches to the rise of Islam."

* CHOICE *
"This is an excellent book and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Islam during its formative period." * Journal of Near Eastern Studies *