Abstract
Book Reviews 147 however, in his article on the Tawwabun Hawting seems to suggest an even earlier ¯ ¯ date for the collection of the Qur8a¯n, since according to him it was the Qur8a¯nic passage informing us of God’s command to the Children of Israel to ‘‘Turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (Q. 2: 54)’’ that persuaded Sulayma¯n ibn Surad and his followers to martyr themselves at the battle of 6Ayn al-Ward in 65/ 685....
Book Reviews 147 however, in his article on the Tawwabun Hawting seems to suggest an even earlier ¯ ¯ date for the collection of the Qur8a¯n, since according to him it was the Qur8a¯nic passage informing us of God’s command to the Children of Israel to ‘‘Turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (Q. 2: 54)’’ that persuaded Sulayma¯n ibn Surad and his followers to martyr themselves at the battle of 6Ayn al-Ward in 65/ 685. This peculiarly Qur8a¯nic version of how the issue of the golden calf was dealt with has, according to Hawting, probably been influenced by the phrase ‘‘afflict yourselves’’, regarding the day of Atonement, in Leviticus 16: 29. Most of the articles are certainly important contributions – Norman Stillman’s on ‘‘Charity and Social Service in Medieval Islam’’ is enlightening, and, admittedly, it is nice to be treated to an English translation of Hurgronje’s articles on the Meccan Feast and Zaka¯t. Hawting’s step-by-step analysis of the celebration of 6Ashu¯ra¯’, taking the reader from the original Jewish to the Shi 6ite form of celebration, is fascinating. The articles on ‘‘Fasting’’ by Vajda and Goitein are interesting but neither mention the Zaka¯t al-Fitr, instituted by the
Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Taylor & Francis
Published: Aug 1, 2011
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