Michael Pregill | Università Degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale" (original) (raw)

Books by Michael Pregill

Articles by Michael Pregill

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 6, 2021

“The Two Sons of Adam: Rabbinic Resonances and Scriptural Virtuosity in Sūrat al-Māʾidah” Journal... more “The Two Sons of Adam: Rabbinic Resonances and Scriptural Virtuosity in Sūrat al-Māʾidah”
Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 6 (2021): 167–224

The Routledge Companion to the Qur’an, ed. Maria M. Dakake, Daniel Madigan, and George Archer , 2021

Al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā, 2021

This article discusses critical issues surrounding the Jewish-Muslim encounter, framed as an eval... more This article discusses critical issues surrounding the Jewish-Muslim encounter, framed as an evaluation of the approach and conclusions of two recent publications by Aaron W. Hughes: Shared Identities: Medieval and Modern Imaginings of Judeo-Islam (2017) and Muslim and Jew (2019).

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 3.1, 2018

The Reception of Golden Calf Traditions in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, ed. Alec Lucas, Eric Mason, and Edmondo Lupieri, 2018

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 2, 2017

This essay examines two recent publications relevant to research into the Qur'an's revelatory con... more This essay examines two recent publications relevant to research into the Qur'an's revelatory context in late antique Arabia: G. W. Bowersock’s The Crucible of Islam and Islam and Its Past, edited by Carol Bakhos and Michael Cook. The approaches to questions of Islamic origins, the background to the Qur'an, and the interpretation of the qur'anic corpus in each of these volumes are strikingly different, and tell us much about the contemporary status quo in Qur'anic Studies on these questions, or rather the abiding incoherence of the field. Nevertheless, the approaches of more positivist and more revisionist scholarship are not wholly irreconcilable, and a basic consensus on certain fundamentals (such as the heuristic utility of the basic chronology of revelation), as well as a tacit reconciliation with major aspects of the traditional view, point the way forward for productive research in the future.

Routledge Handbook of Early Islam, 2017

Islamic Studies Today: Essays in Honor of Andrew Rippin, ed. Majid Daneshgar and Walid A. Saleh, 2016

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 2.1, 2017

The study of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, the Islamic tales of the prophets, has a distinguished pedigree in... more The study of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, the Islamic tales of the prophets, has a distinguished pedigree in the Western academy, but much work remains to be done in the field. Although there have been numerous studies of individual prophetic figures over the last few decades, focused studies of specific works in the literary genre of qiṣaṣ have generally been lacking. Moreover, many studies of prophetic narratives tend to privilege exegetical works over other literary sources, including works in the genre of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ itself. Despite the apparent contradiction, however, I would argue that the broad dissemination of qiṣaṣ-type material throughout different genres suggests that qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ is better approached as a form of discourse reflecting specific ideological purposes, in particular the appropriation of the biblical tradition and positioning of Muḥammad, the Qurʾān, and Islam as the natural culmination of the Israelite prophetic legacy. As the field develops, clear desiderata remain to be addressed, such as the incorporation of Shi’i, postclassical, and modern reflections on the prophets into the discussion, as well as the full integration of different genres and types of material, for example visual culture, into the field. All of these expressions are tied together by the common aim of shaping the portrayal of these figures in ways that reflect the diverse understandings of Islam among particular authors and communities.

Harvard Theological Review 110, 2017

At the time of Shahab Ahmed's untimely death on 17 September 2015, he left behind many admiring c... more At the time of Shahab Ahmed's untimely death on 17 September 2015, he left behind many admiring colleagues, students, friends, and family, as well as a weighty tome of monumental significance—What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic. It is tragic when an author's first book is published posthumously, perhaps even more so in this case given that Ahmed's work is poised to have a pervasive influence on the field of Islamic Studies and has already garnered numerous accolades. Like a supermassive celestial body, this dense book exerts an irresistible attraction and alters the intellectual trajectory of those drawn into its orbit. What Is Islam? poses difficult questions no one in the field can ignore, even if one disagrees with its premises, methods, or conclusions. We are collectively the poorer for being unable to engage directly with the author in the many discussions that are sure to be provoked by the book's meteoric impact.

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 1, 2016

JIQSA is being launched at a crucial time for the growth and development of Qur’anic Studies as ... more JIQSA is being launched at a crucial time for the growth and development of Qur’anic Studies as a scholarly field. While there has been a surge of advances in just the last fifteen years, the field at times appears incoherent, seeming to lack a clear disciplinary identity. As greater numbers of scholars devote their efforts to the study of the Qur’an, there is a natural diversification of research aims and methods, stimulating attempts to define Qur’anic Studies "proper”—to distinguish those aims and methods that are central to the field from those that are peripheral, and determine how (and whether) the center and peripheries are meaningfully related.

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 1.1, 2016

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 1.1, 2016

Journal of Qur'anic Studies 16, 2014

The acephalous British Library manuscript Or. 8419 is currently catalogued as a qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ ... more The acephalous British Library manuscript Or. 8419 is currently catalogued as a qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ or compilation of Islamic narratives about the prophets. However, an examination of its contents reveals that although it does focus on the various prophets – including Muḥammad himself – and their missions, the text is more accurately characterised as Ismāʿīlī taʾwīl, a commentary on Qur'anic passages that draws parallels between the struggles of the prophets of the past and the persecution of the Shīʿa in the present. The central argument of the text is that while the Shīʿī Imāms and their supporters continue the legacy of the prophets and their virtuous followers in the past, the majority of the Muslim community has gone astray just as the Jews and Christians did before them, especially in their denial of the claims of the ahl al-bayt. Various indications in the text suggest that it was produced as propaganda supporting the claims of the Fāṭimids at an early juncture in the dynasty's history, possibly during the reign of the first caliph-Imām, al-Mahdī.

Aims, Methods and Contexts of Qur’anic Exegesis (2nd/8th–9th/15th c.), ed. Karen Bauer, 2013

Revelation, Literature, and Community in Late Antiquity, ed. Philippa Townsend and Moulie Vidas, 2011

Comparative Islamic Studies, Jan 1, 2010

The quranic retelling of the Golden Calf story found at 2:51–54 contains a unique allusion to wha... more The quranic retelling of the Golden Calf story found at 2:51–54 contains a unique allusion to what is arguably one of the most important elements in the biblical precursor in Exodus, the so-called Levitical election. This paper will explore the interpretation of Moses’ puzzling command to the Israelite idolaters to “slay yourselves” in early and classical tafsīr. I will argue that the subtle changes in Muslim exegetes’ understanding of this aspect of the episode reflect important developments in early Islamic society, in particular the emergence of the accommodationist political ideology that would become one of the defining features of classical Sunnism.

Jerusalem studies in Arabic and Islam, Jan 1, 2008

Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2007

The biblical tradition is manifest in the Quran in many different ways. Similarly, scholars have ... more The biblical tradition is manifest in the Quran in many different ways. Similarly, scholars have adopted a number of different approaches to the phenomenon of the biblical ‘borrowings’ found in the Quran. Since the foundation of the modern discipline of Islamic studies in the nineteenth century until very recently, scholars have often seen the appearance of biblical stories in the Quran, often in significantly altered, distorted, or amplified form, as reflecting Muhammad’s dependence upon Jewish teachers and thus an overarching Jewish influence on Islam. In point of fact, this approach to the biblical tradition in the Quran has significant roots in medieval Christian polemic against Islam. In recent years, a few scholars have sought to develop more constructive approaches to this material and to Quranic narrative in general; nevertheless, a full-scale reconsideration of the basic problem is still lacking, and the legacy of medieval polemic in the early Orientalist tradition, as well as its modern implications, has yet to be widely recognized.

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 6, 2021

“The Two Sons of Adam: Rabbinic Resonances and Scriptural Virtuosity in Sūrat al-Māʾidah” Journal... more “The Two Sons of Adam: Rabbinic Resonances and Scriptural Virtuosity in Sūrat al-Māʾidah”
Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 6 (2021): 167–224

The Routledge Companion to the Qur’an, ed. Maria M. Dakake, Daniel Madigan, and George Archer , 2021

Al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā, 2021

This article discusses critical issues surrounding the Jewish-Muslim encounter, framed as an eval... more This article discusses critical issues surrounding the Jewish-Muslim encounter, framed as an evaluation of the approach and conclusions of two recent publications by Aaron W. Hughes: Shared Identities: Medieval and Modern Imaginings of Judeo-Islam (2017) and Muslim and Jew (2019).

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 3.1, 2018

The Reception of Golden Calf Traditions in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, ed. Alec Lucas, Eric Mason, and Edmondo Lupieri, 2018

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 2, 2017

This essay examines two recent publications relevant to research into the Qur'an's revelatory con... more This essay examines two recent publications relevant to research into the Qur'an's revelatory context in late antique Arabia: G. W. Bowersock’s The Crucible of Islam and Islam and Its Past, edited by Carol Bakhos and Michael Cook. The approaches to questions of Islamic origins, the background to the Qur'an, and the interpretation of the qur'anic corpus in each of these volumes are strikingly different, and tell us much about the contemporary status quo in Qur'anic Studies on these questions, or rather the abiding incoherence of the field. Nevertheless, the approaches of more positivist and more revisionist scholarship are not wholly irreconcilable, and a basic consensus on certain fundamentals (such as the heuristic utility of the basic chronology of revelation), as well as a tacit reconciliation with major aspects of the traditional view, point the way forward for productive research in the future.

Routledge Handbook of Early Islam, 2017

Islamic Studies Today: Essays in Honor of Andrew Rippin, ed. Majid Daneshgar and Walid A. Saleh, 2016

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 2.1, 2017

The study of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, the Islamic tales of the prophets, has a distinguished pedigree in... more The study of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ, the Islamic tales of the prophets, has a distinguished pedigree in the Western academy, but much work remains to be done in the field. Although there have been numerous studies of individual prophetic figures over the last few decades, focused studies of specific works in the literary genre of qiṣaṣ have generally been lacking. Moreover, many studies of prophetic narratives tend to privilege exegetical works over other literary sources, including works in the genre of qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ itself. Despite the apparent contradiction, however, I would argue that the broad dissemination of qiṣaṣ-type material throughout different genres suggests that qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ is better approached as a form of discourse reflecting specific ideological purposes, in particular the appropriation of the biblical tradition and positioning of Muḥammad, the Qurʾān, and Islam as the natural culmination of the Israelite prophetic legacy. As the field develops, clear desiderata remain to be addressed, such as the incorporation of Shi’i, postclassical, and modern reflections on the prophets into the discussion, as well as the full integration of different genres and types of material, for example visual culture, into the field. All of these expressions are tied together by the common aim of shaping the portrayal of these figures in ways that reflect the diverse understandings of Islam among particular authors and communities.

Harvard Theological Review 110, 2017

At the time of Shahab Ahmed's untimely death on 17 September 2015, he left behind many admiring c... more At the time of Shahab Ahmed's untimely death on 17 September 2015, he left behind many admiring colleagues, students, friends, and family, as well as a weighty tome of monumental significance—What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic. It is tragic when an author's first book is published posthumously, perhaps even more so in this case given that Ahmed's work is poised to have a pervasive influence on the field of Islamic Studies and has already garnered numerous accolades. Like a supermassive celestial body, this dense book exerts an irresistible attraction and alters the intellectual trajectory of those drawn into its orbit. What Is Islam? poses difficult questions no one in the field can ignore, even if one disagrees with its premises, methods, or conclusions. We are collectively the poorer for being unable to engage directly with the author in the many discussions that are sure to be provoked by the book's meteoric impact.

Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association 1, 2016

JIQSA is being launched at a crucial time for the growth and development of Qur’anic Studies as ... more JIQSA is being launched at a crucial time for the growth and development of Qur’anic Studies as a scholarly field. While there has been a surge of advances in just the last fifteen years, the field at times appears incoherent, seeming to lack a clear disciplinary identity. As greater numbers of scholars devote their efforts to the study of the Qur’an, there is a natural diversification of research aims and methods, stimulating attempts to define Qur’anic Studies "proper”—to distinguish those aims and methods that are central to the field from those that are peripheral, and determine how (and whether) the center and peripheries are meaningfully related.

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 1.1, 2016

Mizan: Journal for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations 1.1, 2016

Journal of Qur'anic Studies 16, 2014

The acephalous British Library manuscript Or. 8419 is currently catalogued as a qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ ... more The acephalous British Library manuscript Or. 8419 is currently catalogued as a qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ or compilation of Islamic narratives about the prophets. However, an examination of its contents reveals that although it does focus on the various prophets – including Muḥammad himself – and their missions, the text is more accurately characterised as Ismāʿīlī taʾwīl, a commentary on Qur'anic passages that draws parallels between the struggles of the prophets of the past and the persecution of the Shīʿa in the present. The central argument of the text is that while the Shīʿī Imāms and their supporters continue the legacy of the prophets and their virtuous followers in the past, the majority of the Muslim community has gone astray just as the Jews and Christians did before them, especially in their denial of the claims of the ahl al-bayt. Various indications in the text suggest that it was produced as propaganda supporting the claims of the Fāṭimids at an early juncture in the dynasty's history, possibly during the reign of the first caliph-Imām, al-Mahdī.

Aims, Methods and Contexts of Qur’anic Exegesis (2nd/8th–9th/15th c.), ed. Karen Bauer, 2013

Revelation, Literature, and Community in Late Antiquity, ed. Philippa Townsend and Moulie Vidas, 2011

Comparative Islamic Studies, Jan 1, 2010

The quranic retelling of the Golden Calf story found at 2:51–54 contains a unique allusion to wha... more The quranic retelling of the Golden Calf story found at 2:51–54 contains a unique allusion to what is arguably one of the most important elements in the biblical precursor in Exodus, the so-called Levitical election. This paper will explore the interpretation of Moses’ puzzling command to the Israelite idolaters to “slay yourselves” in early and classical tafsīr. I will argue that the subtle changes in Muslim exegetes’ understanding of this aspect of the episode reflect important developments in early Islamic society, in particular the emergence of the accommodationist political ideology that would become one of the defining features of classical Sunnism.

Jerusalem studies in Arabic and Islam, Jan 1, 2008

Religion Compass, Jan 1, 2007

The biblical tradition is manifest in the Quran in many different ways. Similarly, scholars have ... more The biblical tradition is manifest in the Quran in many different ways. Similarly, scholars have adopted a number of different approaches to the phenomenon of the biblical ‘borrowings’ found in the Quran. Since the foundation of the modern discipline of Islamic studies in the nineteenth century until very recently, scholars have often seen the appearance of biblical stories in the Quran, often in significantly altered, distorted, or amplified form, as reflecting Muhammad’s dependence upon Jewish teachers and thus an overarching Jewish influence on Islam. In point of fact, this approach to the biblical tradition in the Quran has significant roots in medieval Christian polemic against Islam. In recent years, a few scholars have sought to develop more constructive approaches to this material and to Quranic narrative in general; nevertheless, a full-scale reconsideration of the basic problem is still lacking, and the legacy of medieval polemic in the early Orientalist tradition, as well as its modern implications, has yet to be widely recognized.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions is the first comprehensive single-v... more The Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions is the first comprehensive single-volume reference work offering authoritative coverage of ancient religions in the Mediterranean world. Chronologically, the volume’s scope extends from pre-historical antiquity in the third millennium B.C.E. through the rise of Islam in the seventh century C.E. An interdisciplinary approach draws out the common issues and elements between and among religious traditions in the Mediterranean basin. Key features of the volume include:

Detailed maps of the Mediterranean World, ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and the Hellenistic World

A comprehensive timeline of major events, innovations, and individuals, divided by region to provide both a diachronic and pan-Mediterranean, synchronic view

A broad geographical range including western Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe

This encyclopedia will serve as a key point of reference for all students and scholars interested in ancient Mediterranean culture and society.

by Antoine Borrut, Luke Yarbrough, Kader Smail, Liana Saif, Gohar Grigoryan, Michael Pregill, Aurélien Montel, Alberto Bardi, Javier Albarrán, and Sarah Slingluff, PhD

Review of Qur'anic Research, 2020

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2019

Review of Qur’anic Research, 2016

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, 2016

Islamic Law and Society, 2014

Review of Middle East Studies, 2010

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2008

Association for Jewish Studies Review, 2008

Al-Masāq: Islam and the Medieval Mediterranean , 2008