Muḥammad and His Followers in Context: The Religious Map of Late Antique Arabia
This book surveys and analyzes changes in religious groups and identities in late antique Arabia, ca. 300–700 CE. Drawing on contemporary evidence – specifically, inscriptions, archaeological remains, Arabic poetry, the Qur'an, and the so-called Constitution of Medina – the study argues that transformations in social and religious groups were more piecemeal than previously assumed. The central argument of the book is that forms of monotheism (in particular, Judaism and Christianity) were prevalent in Arabia, including the Hijaz, at the rise of Islam.
"Highly recommended" - R. W. Zens in Choice
"Lindstedt does a great service to the field by examining myriad obscure and difficult pre-Islamic commissioned inscriptions, graffiti and poems to shed light on this complicated period." – Sandra Toenies Keating in Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations
"One of the contributions of the book, especially for archaeologists, is the identification of Christians and Jews in the Arabian Peninsula... Another merit of the text is its very broad coverage of the literature on early Islam, the Quran, and Abrahamic religions in general. Finally, the book is easy to read, as the author defines and clarifies all the terminology he uses and clearly summarizes every chapter" – Hagit Nol in Journal of Islamic Archaeology
"L’ouvrage constitue une contribution remarquable à l’historiographie. Son originalité réside dans la volonté d’opter pour approche interdisciplinaire, offrant une place importante à l’épigraphie." - Mohamed Hayyan in Studia Islamica
"تبقى هذا الدراسة مهمة للمتخصصين في الدراسات القرآنّية، ومقارنة الأديان، نظــرا لما تتضمنـه من قضايـــــا اعيـــــــد طرحهــــا على مائـدة النقـــاش في السياق المعاصر" – ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Rāqī in Qirāʾāt fī Kutub Jadīda, a publication of Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities
