At the Origins of Islam with Fred Donner

UChicago Center for Middle Eastern Studies

With almost 2 billion followers, Islam has spread far beyond the land of its birth. Its origins, however, remain difficult for historians to explain. In this episode of Ventures, Fred Donner discusses the challenges of studying early Islam and the narratives of Islam’s emergence in the 7th century CE. Drawing on decades of research, Donner complicates the conventional historical account by raising questions about the boundaries of the early Muslim community, or as he calls it, the “Believers Movement,” and the Jews and Christians that may have constituted it. Interview by Alexander Barna. The views expressed in this podcast are the participants' own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.