Conclusion

Chapter 5 presents a cohesive conclusion, summarizing the findings, rehearsing the arguments, and synthesizing the concluding remarks of the entire study. Islamic historiography presents varying notions of conversion to Islam which are evidenced by repeated literary features and depictions. It suggests not only that conversion started slowly (as recent studies advocate) but also that conversion meant different things, including sincere religious conviction and mere political submission. Medieval Muslim historians utilize conversion themes to address both non-Muslims and Muslims, highlighting the supremacy of Islam to non-Muslims and emphasizing genuineness of faith to Muslims. Literary depictions of conversion are a product of the religious views of the historians, influenced by the sociopolitical requirements at the time of writing.

Precursors of Conversion Themes under the Umayyads

Chapter 2 is devoted to sources attributed to pre-ᶜAbbāsid writers, who lived and wrote during the Umayyad Caliphate: Sulaym ibn Qays (d. 76/695), Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (d. 124/741), and Mūsā ibn ᶜUqba (d. 135/752). These sources are problematic for various reasons, examined extensively in the first section of the chapter. The chapter then focuses on the literary descriptions of conversion and detectable themes. This chapter demonstrates how the earliest available historical reports include precursors of conversion themes, which are to be developed, used, or reinterpreted under the ᶜAbbāsid rule. Chapter 2 argues that, since the genesis of Muslim historical writing, religious historians not only emphasized conversion but also used it to advance their religious views and support their political agendas.

Establishing Pro-ᶜAbbāsid Orthodoxy

Chapter 3 examines conversion themes in pre-miḥna historical works, written by historians who lived and wrote before the enforcement of the miḥna in 218/833. These works are the earliest available from the ᶜAbbasid era. The chapter analyzes how the caliphs’ attempts to establish a pro-ᶜAbbāsid orthodoxy influenced history writing and thus impacted historical depictions of conversion. Tracing and analyzing topoi of conversion, the chapter demonstrates how pro-ᶜAbbāsid historians portrayed the conversion of major Umayyad figures unfavorably, advancing pro-Shīᶜite and pro-ᶜAlid depictions. ᶜAbbāsid depictions are contrasted with pre-ᶜAbbāsid portrayals to emphasize how religio-political disputes shape the historiographical narrative.

Attempts at Compromise

Chapter 4 focuses on the aftermath of the miḥna and the continued fight for orthodoxy in the period (218/833–299/911). It examines the interaction between the caliphs and their historians, tracing and analyzing conversion topoi in works written during this period. It establishes how the ᶜAbbāsid caliphs’ attempts—both at compromise with the traditionists and at maintaining the fight for ᶜAbbāsid claims—have redesigned conversion depictions. This period witnessed both the suppression of extreme views and the elevation of moderate portrayals of conversion. Conversion depictions in the aftermath of the miḥna were influenced by reconciliatory attempts between the rulers and historians, as evidenced by the harmonization of differing ideologies.

Introduction

Chapter 1 introduces the topic of investigation by explaining the research problem and the state of the art. It shows how some modern scholars believe that classical Muslim sources include scarce information on conversion and consider them the wrong sources for studying the phenomenon. Drawing straightforward links between historiographical reports and events which may have happened centuries earlier is problematic, especially in the absence of actual documentation. However, it is important to study conversion depictions in early Islamic historiographical accounts. Through analyzing a vast number of Arabic Muslim historical accounts, historiography reveals a great deal about conversion. The chapter explains the theoretical basis of the investigation and the methodology of marrying history and historiography by tracing the interplay between historical phenomena and historiographical depictions; external evidence is investigated, then internal criticism is applied. The chapter lists the conversion themes detected, lays out the major arguments of the investigation, and explains the research plan and the outline of the book.