Rewriting Islam’s Origin Story: Why Context is King in Understanding the Qur’an
By Adis Duderija, New Age Islam
7 May 2025
For too long, the narrative of Islam’s genesis has been presented as a dramatic and near-instantaneous rupture, a pristine faith springing forth fully formed from the Arabian desert, seemingly divorced from the religious and cultural currents that preceded it. This image, while powerful and deeply ingrained, obscures a far more intricate and fascinating reality – one where the nascent community around Muhammad engaged deeply with the existing religious landscape of late antique Arabia, drawing upon and interacting with Judaism, Christianity, and indigenous Arabian traditions. To truly grasp the nature of the Qur’an and unlock its multifaceted meanings, we must challenge this notion of a complete break and instead embrace the vibrant tapestry of continuities and interactions that shaped its very fabric.
Ilkka’s recent work (open access) powerfully advocates for this contextualized understanding of early Islam. He argues that Muhammad and his initial followers must be interpreted within their specific Arabian context, a context richly informed by epigraphic and other contemporary sources. Writing this book even two decades ago would have been impossible, he notes, highlighting the crucial role of newly discovered evidence from the 2000s onwards in reshaping our understanding. Muhammad’s project is fundamentally historical. He endeavours to set aside pre-conceived notions about early Islam and build his interpretation on the bedrock of contemporary evidence.
The traditional picture often paints a stark contrast: a desert teeming with idolaters worshipping stones, a sudden divine intervention, and the swift eradication of all prior beliefs. However, this portrayal, often amplified in later Islamic literature, appears to be a “tendentious and ideological creation” of subsequent generations. By giving “much weight to the epigraphic record, which is a dated (or datable), first-hand, insider source,” Ilkka constructs a narrative where early Islam is not a disjointed phenomenon but an “intrinsic part” of late antiquity. The research of recent years, he emphasises, increasingly situates late antiquity as integral to understanding Islamic connections and allusions to other Near Eastern texts. The need for a work that specifically addresses Muhammad’s message and community within its Arabian context remains crucial.
Consider the religious map of late antique Arabia. It was far from a monolithic landscape of paganism. Jewish and Christian communities thrived in various parts, leaving their mark on the linguistic, cultural, and religious lexicon of the peninsula. Muhammad’s work underscores the importance of understanding how the “earliest audience (those who believed in this message and those who perhaps did not) might have understood his revelations, later collected in the book known as the Qurʾān”. How did the Jews, Christians, and gentiles in Mecca, Medina, and elsewhere perceive this new message? What was the social composition of the community that formed around Muhammad? These are the fundamental questions that necessitate a deep dive into the pre-existing context.
The interaction with Judaism and Christianity is particularly significant. The Qur’an itself contains numerous figures, narratives, and concepts that resonate with Jewish and Christian traditions. Instead of viewing these as mere coincidences or later borrowings, Ilkka suggests they reflect the shared religious milieu of the time. The Qur’an interacts with and echoes other Near Eastern texts, be they scripture or otherwise. For instance, the emphasis on dietary and purity laws in the Qur’an, while possessing its own distinct character, finds parallels in Jewish traditions. The Qur’anic portrayals of figures like Jesus and Mary, while differing in some key theological aspects from mainstream Christian doctrines, need to be understood within the diverse landscape of late antique Christian beliefs, where various interpretations of the Trinity and the nature of Christ existed.
Furthermore, Ilkka highlights the possibility, supported by some contemporary evidence, that some Jews were part of the early movement around Muhammad . This nuanced perspective challenges the notion of an immediate and complete separation between these communities. While the Qur’an does contain passages that can be interpreted as critical of certain Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices, understanding the specific context and polemical nature of these passages is crucial, rather than assuming they represent an absolute and immediate schism. As Muhammad argues, a definitive “parting of ways” between Islam and other religions is not necessarily evident within the Qur’an itself.
Beyond the Abrahamic faiths, Muhammad’s analysis also considers the continuities with pre-existing Arabian religious traditions. While later Islamic historiography often paints a picture of widespread idolatry, contemporary sources like Arabic poetry offer a more complex view of the religious map of the Ḥijāz. Some of this poetry, argued to be authentically pre-Islamic, provides valuable insights into the religious ideas and practices prevalent at the time. Understanding these indigenous traditions, whether they involved veneration of certain deities or a more general monotheistic leaning, helps to contextualize the Qur’anic message and the ways in which it may have resonated with or diverged from existing beliefs.
Crucially, Ilkka emphasises the methodological lens through which we should approach this historical inquiry. He aligns with the view that the emergence of Islam “must be situated within the broader religious context of the late ancient Near East and likewise must be investigated using the same historical-critical methods and perspectives that have guided the study of early Judaism, Christianity, and other religions for well over a century now”. This means prioritising contemporary evidence, such as epigraphic inscriptions, the Qur’an itself, and near-contemporary non-Arabic sources, over later Arabic historiography, which, while valuable, is often coloured by the perspectives and agendas of subsequent centuries.
The implications of this contextual approach for understanding the Qur’an are profound. If we acknowledge the continuities and interactions with the religious landscape of late antique Arabia, our interpretation of the Qur’an shifts from viewing it as a text emerging in a historical and religious vacuum to seeing it as a dynamic engagement with existing ideas, beliefs, and communities. This helps us to understand:
• The Qur’anic language and concepts: Many terms and concepts within the Qur’an may have carried pre-existing meanings and connotations for its initial audience, shaped by the surrounding religious discourse. Understanding this linguistic and conceptual background can illuminate the nuances of the Qur’anic message.
• The early community’s identity: Ilkka argues that the earliest followers of Muhammad likely identified primarily as “believers” and that this community included individuals from diverse religious backgrounds, including Jews and Christians. The articulation of a distinct Islamic identity, with specific rituals and doctrines, appears to have been a more gradual process. The term “Islam” itself, in the early Qur’an, may have signified “submission” or “obedience” to God rather than a distinct religious system.
• The Qur’anic polemics: Passages that seem critical of other religions need to be understood within the context of inter-religious dialogue and debate prevalent in late antiquity. They may reflect specific arguments or theological points of contention rather than a blanket condemnation of entire faiths.
• The process of revelation and compilation: Recognizing the ongoing interaction with the existing religious context allows for a more nuanced understanding of how the Qur’anic revelations/proclamations may have addressed specific situations, answered questions, and engaged with the beliefs of the people Muhammad encountered.
By emphasising the continuities, we avoid imposing later, more sharply defined religious boundaries onto the early Islamic period. The “Constitution of Medina,” for example, suggests a framework where different religious communities could coexist under a broader political and social umbrella of “believers”. This challenges the idea of an immediate and absolute separation. The gradual evolution towards a more distinct Islamic identity, marked by developments like the change of the Qibla, the institution of Ramadan, and the Hajj, as noted by some scholars, should be seen as part of a process of communal boundary formationrather than a sudden initial break.
Understanding early Islam not as a radical departure but as a significant development within the rich religious landscape of late antique Arabia is paramount for a more accurate and nuanced interpretation of the Qur’an. By acknowledging the continuities and interactions with Judaism, Christianity, and pre-existing Arabian traditions, and by prioritizing contemporary evidence, we move beyond simplistic narratives of rupture. This contextual approach allows us to appreciate the complex social identity of the early believers, the multifaceted nature of the Qur’anic message, and the dynamic process through which Islam gradually articulated its own distinct identity. It requires a willingness to “unlearn” long-held assumptions and embrace a more historically grounded understanding of one of the world’s major religions. Only then can we truly begin to unlock the deeper meanings and significance of the Qur’an within its original and vibrant historical milieu.
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Checkout Dr. Adis Duderija’s personal website at: https://dradisduderija.com/
A decades old patron of New Age Islam, Dr Adis Duderija is a Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam and Society, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science; Senior Fellow Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, Griffith University | Nathan | Queensland | Australia. His forthcoming books are (co-edited) - Shame, Modesty, and Honour in Islam and Interfaith Engagement beyond the Divide (Springer)
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/origin-story-understanding-quran/d/135455
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