Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam

The origins of Islam have been the subject of increasing controversy in recent years. The traditional view which presents Islam as a self-consciously distinct religion tied to the life and revelations of the prophet Muhammad in western Arabia has since the 1970s been challenged by historians engaged in critical study of the Muslim sources. In Muhammad and the Believers the eminent historian Fred Donner offers a lucid and original vision of how Islam first evolved. He argues that the origins of Islam lie in what we may call the "Believers movement" begun by the prophet Muhammada movement of religious reform emphasizing strict monotheism and righteous behavior in conformity with Gods revealed law. The Believers movement thus included righteous Christians and Jews in its early years because like the Quranic Believers Christians and Jews were monotheists and agreed to live righteously in obedience to their revealed law. The conviction that Muslims constitu