Muhammad and the Believers Movement

Reviewed by Laury on February 19, 2013

If you put aside Fred M. Donner’s argument that Islam only began to know itself as a distinct religion a hundred years or so after the death of Muhammad, this book makes credible claims about the early community’s self-understanding. In short, Muhammad did not see himself leading a community wholly distinct from the faith communities around him but rather a revival of pietistic monotheism. Donner’s best evidence is the text of the Qur’an itself. Any reader of the Qur’an recognizes its responsiveness to the events experienced by the early community; everything from domestic disputes to inter-community debates and struggles are addressed. Therefore, it is reasonable to read the Qur’an for the community’s sense of itself over time. Most critics of the book place the community’s claim to a distinct identity at the change of qibla (relatedly, for a brilliant analysis of Surat al-Baqarah through which this event is positioned, see Neal Robinson’s Discovering the Qur’an). This is when Muhammad realized the Jewish and Christian communities were not going to accept him as a common Prophet with a common message and a verse was revealed turning the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca (and establish the intention to [re]claim Mecca). Some critics are concerned with his dismissal of classic scholarship offering other arguments about the development of the Muslim community (for example see Robert Holyland’s review). While other critics, such as Paul Powers, find that his thesis “seems nearly incontrovertible.” The book is written for non-specialists but not in the least “dumbed-down.” Any reader will find it an informative and fascinating account of the development of the “Muslim” identity of the early community.