In Late Antiquity it was widely accepted that the peoples inhabiting the northern Arabian Peninsula were Ishmaelites: that is, descendants of Ishmael.
Jan 20, 2020 • 29 tweets • 3 min read
Hisham al-Kalbi (d. 819) did some work linking Arab genealogy to the Bible. Among his sources was Abu Ya‘qub, a man of Jewish descent from Palmyra.
At stake was the question: did Ma‘add, legendary ancestor of the Arabs, have any biblical forebears? Abu Ya‘qub said yes, he did.
Jul 26, 2019 • 49 tweets • 8 min read
I’m finally reading Dan Gibson’s ‘Qur’anic Geography’ and, friends, would it surprise you to learn that this book is Bad
I’ll give him this: I think Gibson is sincere. A lot of work went into this book. But he doesn’t know enough to know how little he knows.
Jun 13, 2019 • 40 tweets • 4 min read
I have a deal with myself that I’m not gonna work on my article this week. However, there’s no rule against tweeting about it…
Muslims starting writing down exegesis – interpretation of the Qur’an – before 750, but those early writings haven’t survived.
Dec 22, 2018 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
As I read Hawting on “The Origin of Jedda”, I’m pleased to learn that Yanbu‘ is attested by ancient writers as Iambia/Lambia; see Ptolemy’s map (B3).
That is to say, both Yathrib and its port Yanbu‘ are known to ancient writers; but neither Mecca nor its port Jedda are so attested.
Oct 24, 2018 • 32 tweets • 4 min read
Yesterday @IslamicOrigins told me about a possible relationship between Isaiah 64 and Surah 96 (al-‘Alaq). Let’s have a look.
A fairly conventional translation of Surah 96:1–2 might go: “Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a blood-clot.”
Oct 13, 2018 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Nice thread on the public misconception of some quarters of critical scholarship.
My computer's knackered and my partner's out of the country, so I'm a bit sorry for myself. …Let's do an off-the-cuff history thread.
In recent years I've found myself thinking about pre-Islamic Arabia in terms of a peasant majority and an aristocratic minority.
