AP HUMA 1845: Islamic Traditions

Running head: Islamic Traditions
Islamic Traditions
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ISLAMIC TRADITIONS
The Earliest Meaning of Quran
The author seeks to find the original meaning of Qur’an and develop a clearer
understanding of the word Qur’an in Muslim usage. The Quran refers to the collected and written
body of revelations of prophet Muhammad from God as assembled in its present state by original
‘reciters’ (Qurra) or “transmitters of the recitation” (hamalat al-qur’an) who were alive in the
reign of the third Caliph, Uthman (Graham and William 361). These revelations have been
perceived as “al-Qur’an” and as “the Book” or “the Scripture” (al-Kitab) (Graham and William
363). In Islam theology, it is understood as the “Speech of God” (Kalam Allah) (Graham and
William 370) preserved in the Scripture of God. The “al-Qur’an” is a post-Uthmanic or a post-
Muhammadan usage.
The most important genre of non-qur’anic words of God is the “Divine saying”. (Graham
and Williams 371). This statement is prevalent in the earliest work on the Qur’anic sciences and
is an attempt to differentiate the divine saying, which is called revelation (wahy and tanzil).
(Graham and Williams 372).
The word Qur’an occurs in all seventy examples in only three basic senses, i.e. as the act
of reciting God’s words, as the whole Revelation that God is giving to be recited, then a verse
‘surah’ a “scripture portion” or “line” (Graham and Williams 377). The recitative form of Qur’an
distinguishes it from other religious texts. According to modern scholarship, Qur’an means to
proclaim, recite or read aloud rather than read silently.
The article is very insightful and I learnt a lot and developed a greater understanding of
the origin of the word Qu’ran and its implications. Reading the article, I realized that the Quran
is perceived by the Muslims to be the final Word of God to mankind. I realized that the Quran is

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meant to be recited aloud. Regardless of the linguistic history of Qur’an, it reflects the fact that
these words were being presented as God’s holy word to be recited in worship. I realized that
Qu’ran would not have been a document meant to be read in silence but it would have been a
sacred word that one said out aloud and to which a person listened with utmost reverence. I
realized that Qur’an has also, probably been influenced by Syriac Christian usage. In Syriac, Q-R
has the sense “to call, to call out” and then “to recite, read aloud” (Graham and Williams 375)
especially scriptural texts. Almost all major Qur’an scholars of the West have stressed the
linking of quran to the Syriac word qeryana (Graham and Williams 375) Another possible
influence upon the specific meaning of qur’an in the original Islamic usage, is that of the Hebrew
forms of the root Q-R. This has led me to believe that Qur’an must have been understood as
reading of the scriptures or recitation such as Christians and Jews in the Arabian milieu would
have also had. Qur’an was meant to be recited aloud. The word Qur’an originally meant ‘reciting
(aloud)’ (Graham and Williams 376). The recurring imperative “Qul!” which means “Say!” over
three hundred times that introduces so many Qur’anic passages is itself a reminder that these
texts are meant to be read aloud. I realized that the Divine saying is said to be a prescript that
God ordained, revealed and sent down. The difference between Qur’an and the Divine saying is
that Qur’an is a verbatim word while a “Divine saying” is Muhammad’s report of the words of
God. Tracing the roots of the word Qur’an offers an insightful knowledge about the origin of the
word Qur’an and its use in Islamic tradition.

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Between Arabia and the Holy Land: A Mecca-Jerusalem Axis of Sanctity
The article offers a new reading of some important passages found in the Qur’an as well
as in the earliest available Islamic sources of historiography. The author aims to provide an
insight on the origins of the Islamic sanctity of Mecca and that of Jerusalem thereby reassessing
the views of some modern scholars of Islam concerning the status of Mecca and Jerusalem in
early Islam.
The Quran defines Israel as the “sacred land” (al-ard al- muqaddasa) (Rubin 345) The
Qur’an describes the Kaba as the “sacred house” (Rubin 345) and the sacred place of worship
stands for a station in the hajj near Arafat. The Qur’an denounces people who have denied the
believers and followers the entry to the Sacred Mosque which is the sanctuary of Mecca that
contains the Kaba. The term ‘haram’ which is the sacred territory where Mecca is situated is a
region where all kinds of fruits are brought. (Rubin 345).
Reading the article, I realized that the Qur’an describes Israel as a land where the
blessings of God has been bestowed. I further learnt that according to the Qur’an, there are two
places of sacredness: one in Israel and the other in Arabia, in the holy region of Mecca and the
Sacred Mosque. I realized that the only difference between these two places is that, Mecca is also
the area where the Qur’an was revealed. While the Holy Land is the blessed land of the prophets,
the sacred land of Muhammad is Mecca. Mecca has some priority over the Holy Land because
the Qur’an was revealed in Mecca. Scholars also believe the direction of prayer decreed by God
is Mecca. Reading the article, I further realized that the land of Israel and Arabia are not
separate. The Qur’an brings them into contact through various ways. On one instance, the two

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places are linked through a nocturnal journey. Another way by which the Quran brings into
contact the two sacred places is revealed in the figure of Abraham wherein Abraham not only
goes to the Holy Land but also goes to Mecca. I realized that Abraham is the main link in the
Quran that brings into contact the two places of sanctity. To conclude, one can say that the
reading of the various texts in Islam reflect an understanding and awareness of a Mecca-
Jerusalem axis of sanctity which has its origin in pre-Islamic Arabia. I feel one should also
reassess the views of modern scholars concerning the views of the qibla. The fact that some
scholars feel that the sacredness of Jerusalem has no considerable roots in Islam is debatable.
The notion that prophet Muhammad’s prayer was only designed to win the Jews over to Islam is
further debatable.

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Rehabilitating the Spirituality of Pre-Islamic Arabia: On the Importance of the
Kahin, the Jinn and the Tribal Ancestral Cult
The author brings into focus the pre-Islamic spirituality of the Hejaz and their spiritual
leaders who are often called soothsayers and hopes that this article will spark a fresh interest in
the study of the religion and spirituality of the pre-Islamic Arabs.
The study of pre-Islamic Arab culture is revealed through the study of the Qur’an and the
hadith. This poses certain problems because scholars like Donner feel that early Islamic
historiography was directed by a Muslim “master narrative” (Moreman and Christopher 138)
that strove to affirm the belief that the Islamic community was, in fact, the community of true
faith” (Moreman and Christopher 138). However rejecting all of it leaves one in dark while
accepting all of it is not a mark of greatness.
The pre-Islamic Arabs recited poems primarily to keep alive men’s belief in the honour
of their tribes. The Arabs practiced ancestor worship that has often been misconstrued as stone
worship or litholatry by Western scholars and Muslim scholars (Moreman and Christopher 140).
For the pre-historic Arabs, the tribe is the most sacred. When it comes to pre-Islamic spirituality,
the pre-historic Arabs worshipped their ancestors and had great respect for them. They buried
their ancestors and camels, which were perceived as the essence of life in the desert and were
sacrificed at the grave of their ancestors. The camels were also associated with spirits and jinn
(Moreman and Christopher 141). As cultures become complex, one tends to see the emergence
of ritualists. The religious leaders of the Pre-Islamic Arabs were called the kahin.
The article was enlightening and provided a greater understanding to the religion and
spirituality of the Pre-Islamic Arabs. However, I feel the difference between the nomads of

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central Arabia and the Arabs who lived in permanent settlements is not delineated properly. The
distinction could probably be due to preference in lifestyle rather than any cultural differences.
Reading the article I realized that all were equal within the tribe and the tribal ties were
considered significant. A tribe protected a fellow member even if he was charged of any
wrongdoing. I realized that a tribe which had one member wronged felt wronged as a group and
if a member of a tribe was guilty, then the entire tribe felt guilty as a group. Faults required
immediate redressal and the murder of a member of a tribe was avenged in blood. The fact that
the camels, a source of life for the tribes, and is also sacrificed at the death of a member of the
tribe, and is also perceived as spirits further shows the connection between the jinns and the
spirit of the people who were dead. However, I feel that the perception of scholars in regards to
the religion and religious studies of the Pre-Islamic Arabs is debatable. The complete
denouncement of the theology and religion of the Pre-Islamic Arabs is uncalled for because one
should respect the history, culture and tradition of every race of people, not denounce their faith
by referring to them “as demons and spooks of one’s environment” (Moreman and Christopher
142) , and dismiss their religious practices and traditions.

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REFERENCES
Afsaruddin, Asma. "Dying in the Path of God: Reading Martyrdom and Moral Excellence in the
Quran." Roads to Paradise: Eschatology and Concepts of the Hereafter in Islam (2 vols):
Volume 1: Foundations and the Formation of a Tradition. Reflections on the Hereafter in
the Quran and Islamic Religious Thought/Volume 2: Continuity and Change. The
Plurality of Eschatological Representations in the Islamicate World Thought
(SET) (2016): 162.
Ahmad, Salina. Language in the Islamic Intellectual Tradition: On Expression and Meaning.
2015.
Donner, Fred M. "Talking about Islam's origins 1." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies 81.1 (2018): 1-23.
Graham, William A. "The Earliest Meaning of'Qurʾān'." Die Welt des Islams (1984): 361-377.
Hasan, Haslin, and Ab Hafiz Mat Tuah. "Quranic Cosmogony: Impact of Contemporary
Cosmology on the Interpretation of Quranic Passages Relating to the Origin of the
Universe." (2014).
Moreman, Christopher M. "Rehabilitating the Spirituality of Pre‐Islamic Arabia: On the
Importance of the Kahin, the Jinn, and the Tribal Ancestral Cult." Journal of Religious
History41.2 (2017): 137-157.
Rubin, Uri. "Between Arabia and the holy land: a Mecca-Jerusalem axis of sanctity." Jerusalem
studies in Arabic and Islam 34 (2008): 345-362.

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Vaid, Mobeen. "The Study Quran." Islamic Sciences 13.2 (2015): 105.
Yaacob, Solehah. "DISCOURSE ON THE BIBLE COMPILATION FRAMEWORK
TIMELINE: A RELATION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC
SOURCES." Journal of Al-Tamaddun 13.1 (2018): 83-94.
Zadeh, Travis. "Quranic studies and the literary turn." Journal of American Oriental
Society 135.2 (2015): 329-342.