International Conference "Islamic Tradition at the End of Late Antiquity: New Perspectives on Hadith, History, and Historiography"

08/07/2024 to 10/07/2024

The conference is oriented towards exploring new connections between Islam and the late antique milieu, whilst shifting the emphasis to the hadith, broadly defined. The conference aims at addressing four primary lines of inquiry: 1) Can the hadith prove tobe a reliable source for historical inquiry into the 7th century CE,despite its codification in the 9th century and later? 2) If so, can other genres of hadith convey insights that contradict or confirm the tafsir tradition? 3) How might different methodological approaches to the hadith and improved analytical techniques shed new light on the Qurʾan and its environment? 4) How is the hadith, if at all, a witness to the existence of and the specific cultural and religious impact of Jewish, Christian, or other communities in Arabia?