Books in the Islamic History and Thought series

The story of Muhammad's granddaughter Zaynab.

Examines the ongoing tradition of rational theology in the Islamic world.

In the absence of reliable archaeological evidence, the question of how the mosque was made represents a real challenge. Its origin remains moot despite many attempts to settle the question.

What is the nature and social role of women? In today's Shi`ism, these questions are often answered through the "separate-but- equal" ideology which emphasizes the role of women as wives and mothers, and places men in authority.

Unlike the predominantly theological or text-historical studies which constitute much of the scholarly literature on Hallag, this study is completely philosophical in nature, placing Hallag within the tradition of Graeco-Arabic philosophy and emphasizing, in a positive light, his continuity with the pagan Neoplatonism of Plotinus and Proclus.

`Abd al-`Aziz b. Marwan (d. 86/705) reigned as the amir of Egypt and wali al-`ahd (heir apparent) to the Islamic caliphate for over 20 years. This book intends to revive this largely forgotten amir and demonstrate the critical role he played in the formation of the Marwanid dynasty.

This volume explores aspects of religious culture in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula across Late Antiquity - the period of dynamic and historically crucial developments, culminating in the emergence of Islam.

As Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn, son of 'Ali and Fatima and grandson of Muhammad, moved inexorably towards death on the field of Karbala', his sister Zaynab was drawn ever closer to the centre of the family of Muhammad, the `people of the house' (ahl al-bayt).

The present work provides a new edition and substantial German commentary of the important theological Arabic work Al-Tamhid fi bayan al-tauhid ("Introduction to the explanation of monotheism") by the 5th/11th century scholar Abu Shakur al-Salimi.

This in-depth study examines the relation between legal theory (usul al-fiqh) and speculative theology ('ilm al-kalam). It compares the legal theory of four classical jurists who belonged to the same school of law, the Shafi'i school, yet followed three different theological traditions.

This important work is a source-critical study of a group of traditions (ahadith) found in Ibn Ishaq's Biography (Sira) of the prophet Muhammad, widely considered one of the most important early historical texts on the Prophet's life. Important new light is also shed on problems with Ibn Hisham's recension of Ibn Ishaq's Sira.