ARTICLE GUIDE
At a Glance
This study evaluates what early Arabic rock inscriptions can contribute to debates about Islamic origins. It compares traditional, revisionist, and moderate readings of the evidence, considering religious identity, the development of confessional language, and the limits of arguments from silence.
What can desert inscriptions establish about early Islamic identity?
This guide introduces the argument developed in the complete article and its main lines of investigation.
Key Claims
- The essay treats inscriptions as material evidence to be compared with later literary accounts.
- It surveys arguments about the timing and distribution of explicitly Islamic language in the epigraphic record.
- The study contrasts radical revisionist interpretations with traditional and moderate scholarly responses.
- It acknowledges that the size of dated samples, preservation, and the purpose of inscriptions constrain conclusions from silence.
- The author connects historical method with a wider comparison of Christian and Islamic claims about revelation.
Primary Textual Anchors
- Genesis 3:15; 12:1–3
- Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:26–27
- Romans 11:17–29
Scripture Connections
Genesis 3:15; 12:1–3; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:26–27; Romans 11:17–29
Selected Scholarship
- Donner, F. M. (2010). Muhammad and the believers: At the origins of Islam. Harvard University Press.
- Lindstedt, I. (2019). Who is in, who is out? Early Muslim identity through epigraphy and theory. Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 46, 147–246.
- Nevo, Y. D., & Koren, J. (2003). Crossroads to Islam: The origins of the Arab religion and the Arab state. Prometheus Books.
Related Guides
- The Word Made Flesh versus the Word Made Book: A Biblical-Theological and Historical-Critical Evaluation of Qur’anic Origins and the Promise-Plan of God
- Mohammad vs Jesus: Who Has Better Historical Evidence?
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