POLEMIC AGAINST PRE-ISLAMIC DEITIES IN THE SŪRAH NAMED AFTER THE PLEIADES

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dc.contributor.advisorBorrut, Antoineen_US
dc.contributor.authorZaman, Asad Uzen_US
dc.contributor.departmentHistoryen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2021-02-13T06:32:55Z
dc.date.available2021-02-13T06:32:55Z
dc.date.issued2020en_US
dc.description.abstractThe thesis explores the idea of whether Allāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt were worshipped as manifestations of Venus by Muhammad’s pagan opponents known as the mushrikūn; an idea inspired through engagement with Gerald Hawting’s book The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam. By reading Q53 Sūrat al-Najm within a broader context of ancient Near Eastern astral religion/mythology I develop an “astral” interpretation of Muhammad’s angelic vision of the Archangel Gabriel, highlighting how the description of Gabriel at the beginning of the sūrah parallels the movements of Venus as the morning star in some salient features. Based on this finding I argue that the Venusian description of Gabriel serves as a polemic posing him in comparison to the goddesses mentioned later in the sūrah at Q53:19-20. These developments prompt me to examine their implications for the Satanic verses story and propose a date for Q53’s revelation.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/uory-ghxc
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/26714
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledIslamic studiesen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledReligionen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAncient historyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledal-‘Uzzāen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledAllāten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledManāten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledmushrikūnen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledNajmen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledVenusen_US
dc.titlePOLEMIC AGAINST PRE-ISLAMIC DEITIES IN THE SŪRAH NAMED AFTER THE PLEIADESen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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