Thread by @DrJavadTHashmi

There is nothing "self-styled" in the reading of the Qur'an in a more ecumenical way. This reading & view of early Islamic history is accepted by many scholars operating in the secular academy, who understand the Prophet to have led some sort of pan-Abrahamic movement. 1/

https://twitter.com/ijazbadshah1/status/1398571861353582593

Fred Donner is the most well-known advocate of this view, fully articulated in his book "Muhammad and the Believers." Writes Donner: "In later Islamic tradition, right down to the present, 'Islam' refers to a particular religion, distinct from Christianity, Judaism, & others..2/

"...and 'Muslim' refers to an adherent of this religion... [But] it becomes clear that 'muslim' in the Qur'an must mean something other than what later (& present) usage means by 'Muslim'" (71). Donner concludes that... 3/

"'muslim' in Qur'anic usage means, essentially, a committed monotheist, & 'islam' means committed monotheism in the sense of submitting oneself to God's will... As used in the Qur'an, then, 'islam' and 'muslim' do not yet have the sense of confessional distinctness... 4/

"...we now associate with 'Islam' and 'Muslim'; they meant something broader & more inclusive & were sometimes even applied to some Christians & Jews, who were, after all, also monotheists" (71).

Donner is not alone & others have sought to refine his thesis. 5/

Stephen Shoemaker writes, "As has become increasingly clear, considerable evidence both within the Islamic tradition itself & from contemporary non-Islamic sources suggest earlier Islam to have been an eschatological movement... whose membership was open to a wide range... 6/

"...of 'Believers' united by their common commitment to a generic form of Abrahamic monotheism" (Death 199). He writes further: "Belief in the one God & the imminence of the last day, seem to have been the defining tenets of the community of the Believers, & in the face of... 7/

"...the Hour's immediacy, other differences faded into insignificance... Basic belief in God & faith in the approaching eschaton, together with moral behavior, were the only requirement for salvation" (205, 208). 8/

In the same vein, Robert Hoyland writes, "Muhammad's coalition at this stage was, then, pluralist by nature, with everyone committed to waging jihad against the [Meccan] pagans whatever their own particular monotheist persuasion. This remained the case for some time... 9/

"...after Muhammad's death... Later Muslim historians play down this pluralist dimension..." (In God's Path, 57-8)
Finally, our very own Prof. Juan Cole @jricole, argues that "a close reading of the Quranic verses in which the word 'islam' appears shows that it refers... 10/

"...to the prophetic tradition of monotheism... It is synonymous with the Logos of Abraham, in which all the monotheistic religions participate... Between the recitation of the Quran by the Prophet Muhammad roughly 610-632 CE & the production... 11/

"...of the first Muslim religious texts in the eighth century under the Umayyad dynasty, a linguistic shift took place that limited the meaning of 'muslim' & 'islam' to the religion fo Muhammad" (Paradosis 405-6). 12/

This view is also endorsed by numerous Muslim academics, of which I really like Jerusha Tanner Lamptey's take in "Never Wholly Other." It is, of course, my view & Prof. @KhalilAndani also endorses it. 13/

In sum, this is not a "self-styled" interpretation as is alleged, nor is it based on any "presumption"--at least not any more than the "presumption" of *yours* that the later Islamic rendering is always correct. In fact, it is as theologically motivated as any reading. 14/

I have not here provided the arguments used to come to this view, & I may do this in the future. You are also free to explore the work of the scholars I have pointed to above.

(I must thank @IslamicOrigins for pointing me to some of these sources above.) 15/