This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7726

The Fantasy Islam Of The University Of Chicago's Fred Donner (Part 3)

February 5, 2019

The Fantasy Islam of the University of Chicago's Fred Donner (Part 3)

February 1, 2019 8:00 AM By Stephen M. Kirby

In this final part we will be concluding our examination of Donner's book Muhammad and the Believers at the Origins of Islam.

All major events occurred on the same date and day of the week – just different years?

On p. 51 Donner made this claim to support his concerns about the accuracy of the early Muslim writings about Muhammad:

The chronology of this traditional material about Muhammad, moreover, is not only vague and confused, but also bears telltale signs of having been shaped by a concern for numerological symbolism. For example, all the major events of Muhammad's life are said to have occurred on the same date and day of the week (Monday, 12 Rabi' al-awwal) in different years.

It would be unusual if all of the major events in Muhammad's life had occurred on Monday, 12 Rabi' al-awwal in different years, and it would suggest that the Muslim writers had been concerned with something other than truthful attempts to write about their prophet. Let's look into this.

The Islamic calendar is lunar-based and consists of twelve months (see Donner, p. xviii). Rabi' al-Awwal (Rabi' 1) is the third month in that calendar.

Did the early Muslim scholars really claim that all of the major events of Muhammad's life occurred on 12 Rabi al-Awwal, but in different years? Here are some major events with the dates and/or months ascribed to them by authoritative 8th to 10th century Muslim scholars, including Donner's sources ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari:

Birth of Muhammad

2 Rabi' al-Awwal: Ibn Sa'd[1]

10 Rabi' al-Awwal: Ibn Sa'd[2]

12 Rabi' al-Awwal: Ibn Ishaq[3]

Muhammad received his first revelation

Month of Ramadan: Ibn Ishaq,[4] Al-Tabari,[5] and Ibn Sa'd[6]

Muhammad first arrived in Medina (the Hijra)

2 Rabi' al-Awwal: Ibn Sa'd[7]

12 Rabi' al-Awwal: Ibn Ishaq,[8] Al-Tabari,[9] Al-Waqidi,[10] and Ibn Sa'd[11]

Change of the qibla (direction of prayer)

Month of Rajab: Ibn Sa'd[12]

Month of Sha'ban: Ibn Ishaq,[13] and Al-Tabari,[14]

Battle of Badr

Month of Ramadan: Ibn Ishaq,[15] Al-Tabari,[16] Ibn Rashid,[17] Al-Waqidi,[18] and Ibn Sa'd[19]

Battle of Uhud

Month of Shawwal: Ibn Ishaq,[20] Al-Tabari,[21] Ibn Rashid,[22] Al-Waqidi,[23] and Ibn Sa'd[24]

Battle of the Trench

Month of Shawwal: Ibn Ishaq,[25] and Al-Tabari,[26]

Month of Dhu'l-Qa'da: Al-Waqidi,[27] and Ibn Sa'd[28]

Treaty of Al-Hudaybiya

Month of Dhu'l-Qa'da: Ibn Ishaq,[29] Al-Tabari,[30] Al-Waqidi,[31] and Ibn Sa'd[32]

Conquest of Mecca

Month of Ramadan: Ibn Ishaq,[33] Al-Tabari,[34] Al-Waqidi,[35] and Ibn Sa'd[36]

Muhammad's Farewell Pilgrimage

Month of Dhul-Qa'da: Ibn Ishaq,[37] Al-Tabari,[38] Al-Waqidi,[39] and Ibn Sa'd[40]

Death of Muhammad

2 Rabi' al-Awwal: Al-Tabari,[41] and Ibn Sa'd[42]

12 Rabi' al-Awwal: Al-Tabari,[43] Al-Waqidi,[44] and Ibn Sa'd[45]

As we can see, there were some major events in various years that did occur on 12 Rabi' al-Awwal. However, we can also see that there were many other major events that did not even occur in in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. A review of the works of these early Muslim scholars, including those by ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari, shows that Donner's claim about "a concern for numerological symbolism" among the early Muslim writers is actually refuted by those works.

The "violent conquest model" and archeological records

Donner was dismissive of what he called the "violent conquest model" to explain the expansion of Islam On pp. 106-107 Donner wrote that in spite of contemporary writings about Islam being spread through major battles and by the ravaging of the countryside and the slaughter of non-Muslim communities,

…an increasing burden of archaeological evidence has turned up little or no trace of destructions, burnings, or other violence in most localities…Instead, the archaeological record suggests that the area underwent a gradual process of social and cultural transformation that did not involve a violent and sudden destruction of urban or rural life at all.

However, on pp. 116 and 118 he then proceeded to undermine his own claim that "archaeological evidence" allowed one to dismiss the "violent conquest model." With regard to major battles, Donner wrote that "such battles…usually take place in open country and leave no archaeological record."

He then continued to bury his claim:

We can also assume, however, that the first arrival of the Believers in many areas may have been accompanied by widespread – though probably short-lived and superficial – plundering and raiding…that would also leave little archaeological record because major towns were not involved…Larger towns and cities…seem in most cases quickly to have made terms with the Believers once the latter's large armed forces arrived…It was only those cities and towns that refused to make terms that would have been subjected to siege, and these were few – and hence only in such places…are we likely to find some archaeological trace of the "conquest" in the form of destruction layers.

So Donner undermined his own argument against the "violent conquest model," which was based on the lack of corresponding archeological records, by providing alternative explanations for how violent conquest could happen while leaving few archeological records!

And for Donner to deny the "violent conquest model" in explaining Islam's expansion, he had to also arbitrarily dismiss the writings of authoritative Muslim scholars from the 8th century to the present, including the writings of two of his own sources: ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari.

The Rest of the Story

"The Rest of the Story" was a radio program that began in the 1970's and was hosted by Paul Harvey. He was renowned for telling an interesting story and before taking a break would say, "In a minute, you're going to hear the rest of the story." Harvey would then come back from the break and fill in additional information that gave the story its real meaning. Here is "the rest of the story" for some of Donner's claims:

The Koran says to fight unbelievers, not Christians or Jews:

On p. 85 Donner made a curious claim:

It is important to remind ourselves here, however, that the Qur'an speaks of fighting unbelievers, not Christians or Jews, who were recognized as monotheists – ahl al-kitab[People of the Book/Scripture]

I was unable to determine which Koran Donner used for his numerous quotes from Koran verses, but Koran Verse 9:29 refutes Donner's claim, and this verse was not included in his book:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

The 14th Century Muslim scholar ibn Kathir explained the significance of this verse:

[9:29] was the first order to fight against the People of the Book, after the whole Arabian Peninsula came under the banner of Islam, and people embraced Islam in numbers. Allah then ordered His Messenger to wage war against the Jews and Christians, because they rejected Muhammad as Messenger of Allah…[46]

This was also noted in the 20th Century Tafsir Ahsanul-Bayan:

The command to fight the pagans was already given. Now Allah commands the believers to fight the Jews and Christians (if they do not accept Islam) until they pay the jizya and live under the rule of the Muslims.[47]

One can see why Donner left Koran 9:29 out of his book extolling the virtues of an ecumenical "Believers' movement."

"Believers sharing worship space with Christians in churches" (continued):

On p. 250 in his "Notes and Guide to Further Reading," Donner referred to pp. 125 and 201 in Hitti's translation of The Origins of the Islamic State in support of his claim that Believers and Christians shared worship space in churches. This book was written by al-Baladhuri, a 9thcentury Muslim scholar.[48] Do these two pages in this book really support Donner's claim that Believers and Christians worshipped together in churches?

P. 125 is in a chapter about the Muslim conquest of "Al-Bahrain." On pp. 120-124 we find that the Muslims gave those in Al-Bahrain the choice of converting to Islam, part of which required them to "observe prayer," or remaining with their respective religions and paying a "poll tax." Here is the relevant part of p. 125: "‘Umar…gave abu-Hurairah [sic] authority over the military guard and charged him with the conduct of prayer."

‘Umar was the Muslim Caliph, and based on the information in the preceding pages, this statement on p. 125 simply said that ‘Umar had "charged" abu-Hurairah with ensuring that the Muslim prayers were conducted appropriately.

And on p. 201? This page dealt with the Muslim conquest of the Syrian city of "Hims" (Homs or Emesa). Here is the relevant part of that page:

The people of Hims capitulated, and he [the Muslim commander] guaranteed the safety of their lives, possessions, city wall, churches, and wells excluding one-fourth of St. John's Church which was to be turned into a mosque. He made it a condition on those of them who would not embrace Islam to pay kharaj [a tax on agricultural land and its produce].

So on p. 201 we read about a conquered people who were forced to allow one-fourth of a particular church to be turned into a mosque.

There is no support on these two pages for Donner's claim that Believers and Christians freely shared worship space in churches.

Peacefully marching into Alexandria:

On p. 132 Donner wrote:

…by 642 the Believers had occupied most of the country [Egypt] and surrounded Alexandria and were allowed to enter the city peaceably.

But in al-Baladhuri's work, which Donner had referenced above, al-Baladhuri had written this about the Muslim conquest of Alexandria:

The following is the report of the conquest of Alexandria made by ‘Amr to ‘Umar: "Allah has given to us the possession of Alexandria by force and against its will, without covenant or contract."[49]

The Muslims entered Alexandria "peaceably" because its inhabitants had already succumbed to force and surrendered.

"And now you know the rest of the story."

Re-writing a hadith

On p. 206 Donner wrote about how the "shift in terminology" from the inclusive "Believer" to the exclusive "Muslim" was reflected in hadith collections where hadiths had actually been reported in "two variants":

For example, the collections record the prophet as giving two variant responses to a questioner who asks, "what is the best of works?" One variant has him answering, "Belief in God, and jihad in the path of God," but the other has "Belief in God and His apostle, and jihad…

Donner proposed that the second variant was actually created after Muhammad's death in order to include belief in Muhammad as the apostle of God to further define who would, and would not, be a Muslim. In essence, Donner claimed that reports about the teachings and example of Muhammad were later altered to correspond to the developing emphasis on Muhammad as the terminology shifted from "Believer" to "Muslim."

Considering the importance Donner attached to these two hadiths, and the fact that there had been thousands of hadiths reported, it is strange that Donner provided no specific sources for these two hadiths. So I looked through the six authoritative collections of hadiths and came up with these five variations of Muhammad's response to which was the best "deed":

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet was asked, "Which is the best deed?" He said, "To believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad)." He was then asked, "Which is the next (in goodness)?" He said, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." He was again asked, "Which is the next?" He said, "To perform Hajj-Mabrur."[50]

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "A man asked the Prophet: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which deed is best?' He said: ‘Faith in Allah.' He said: ‘Then what?' He said: ‘Jihad in the cause of Allah.' He said: ‘Then what?' He said: ‘Then Hajj Al-Mabrur.'"[51]

Abu Tharr reported: I said Messenger of Allah, which of the deeds is the best? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Belief in Allah and the struggle in His cause.[52]

It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah b. Mas'ud that he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW) which deed was best. He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Prayer at its appointed hour. I (again) said: Then what? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Kindness to the parents. I (again) said: Then what? He replied: Earnest endeavour (Jihad) in the cause of Allah.[53]

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Hubshi Al-Khath'ami that the Prophet was asked: "Which deed is best?" He said: "Faith in which there is no doubt, Jihad in which there is no stealing of the spoils of war, and Hajjatun Mabrurah"…It was said: "Which Jihad is best?" He said: "One who strives against the idolators with his life and his wealth." It was said: "Which death is best?" He said: "One who sheds his blood while his horse's feet are cut with swords."[54]

To support his claim that the religion of Islam was changed after Muhammad died, Donner used as an example two variants of a hadith pertaining to the best of works/deeds. However as we can see with the five hadiths above, there were actually more than the two variants claimed by Donner. Donner's claim is best addressed by the following scholarly comment made about the second hadith I had mentioned:

Concerning the most meritorious deed, there are various narrations. In actuality, an excellent work may vary in accordance with various states and individuals. In certain conditions, remembrance of Allah is most excellent, and in some other conditions, striving in the way of Allah…For some other individual…the performance of the ritual prayer in its proper time could be excellent. Hence, various narrations should not be considered contradictory.[55]

I find this scholarly commentary more credible than Donner's claim that Muslims later lied about what their prophet Muhamad had said.

Conclusion

On p. xvii of his book Donner wrote:

This book is meant mainly for nonspecialists – introductory students and general readers with an interest in the beginnings of Islam. It is not intended to be a work of technical scholarship, although I hope that scholars will find some of the ideas I present in it novel and worthy of serious consideration.

It is telling that Donner meant his book to be mainly for "introductory students and general readers." Such students and readers would know little about Islam and would not have the knowledge to critically question Donner's claim about the existence of a Believer's movement.

Including the disclaimer that his book was "not intended to be a work of technical scholarship" provided Donner the liberty to pick and choose among authoritative Muslim scholars and their writings, pick and choose among Koran verses, and engage in many speculations and conclusions that were not supported by either the Koran or authoritative Muslim scholars.

In this three part article I have taken Donner up on his hope that his book would be worthy of "serious consideration." After such consideration I can only conclude that Donner has created his own version of Fantasy Islam that does a disservice to "introductory students and general readers," and anyone else who seeks to understand the Islam of Muhammad.

Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is the author of five books about Islam. His latest book is The Lure of Fantasy Islam: Exposing the Myths and Myth Makers.

[1] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 110.

[2] Ibid., p. 109.

[3] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 69.

[4] Ibid., p. 111.

[5] The History of al-Tabari: Muhammad at Mecca, pp. 62-63.

[6] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 224.

[7] Ibid., p. 271.

[8] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 281.

[9] The History of al-Tabari: Muhammad at Mecca, p. 150.

[10] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 3.

[11] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 271.

[12] Ibid., p. 284.

[13] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 289.

[14] The History of al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community, pp. 24-25.

[15] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 292.

[16] The History of al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community, pp. 26-28.

[17] Ma'mar ibn Rashid, The Expeditions (Kitab al-Maghazi), trans. Sean W. Anthony (New York: New York University Press/Library of Arabic Literature, 2014), p. 51.

[18] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 3.

[19] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 10.

[20] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 389.

[21] The History of al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community, p. 105.

[22] The Expeditions (Kitab al-Maghazi), p. 77.

[23] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 4.

[24] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 42.

[25] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 450.

[26] The History of al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, p. 5.

[27] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 4.

[28] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 80.

[29] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 499.

[30] The History of al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, p. 67.

[31] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 4.

[32] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 117.

[33] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 545.

[34] The History of al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, p. 168.

[35] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 5.

[36] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 165.

[37] The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), p. 649.

[38] The History of al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, p. 109.

[39] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 532.

[40] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 213.

[41] The History of al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, p. 184.

[42] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 340.

[43] The History of al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, p. 184.

[44] The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi, p. 5.

[45] Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 340.

[46] Abu al-Fida' ‘Imad Ad-Din Isma'il bin ‘Umar bin Kathir al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), abr. Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa'i, trans. Chafik Abdelghani ibn Rahal (London: Al-Firdous Ltd., 1998), Part 10, p. 119.

[47] Salahuddin Yusuf, Tafsir Ahsanul-Bayan, trans. Mohammad Kamal Myshkat (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Darussalam, 2010), Vol. 2, pp. 345-346.

[48] Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri, The Origins of the Islamic State, Being a Translation from the Arabic, Accompanied with Annotations, Geographic and Historic Notes of the Kitab Fituh Al-Buldan of Al-Imam Abu-L Abbas Ahmad Ibn-Jabir Al-Baladhuri, trans. Philip Khuri Hitti (1916; rpt. Lexington, Kentucky: Ulan Press, 2014).

[49] Ibid., p. 340.

[50] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 2, Book 25, No. 1519, p. 345. Hajj Mabrur refers to following the teachings and example of Muhammad when one is making the Hajj.

[51] Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman Ahmad bin Shu'aib bin ‘Ali bin Sinan bin Bahr An-Nasa'i, Sunan An-Nasa'i, trans. Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Darussalam, 2007), Vol. 3, No. 2625, p. 419.

[52] Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, No. 84, p. 57.

[53] Ibid.,Vol. 1, No. 85, p. 57.

[54] Sunan An-Nasa'i, Vol. 3, No. 2527, pp. 359-360. One of the Comments for this hadithnoted that Hajjatun Mabrurah meant a Hajj (pilgrimage) "in which one has not behaved lewdly; no enormity has been perpetrated, or any quarrel has been picked with anyone, etc."

[55] Ibid., Vol. 3, Comments to Hadith No. 2625, p. 419.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/02/the-fantasy-islam-of-the-university-of-chicagos-fred-donner-part-3

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7726