Hisham Djait on the 'Historicity of Muhammad's Annunciation'

The article briefly examines two recent monographs on the biography of Muhammad and the genesis of the Qur'an by the Tunisian historian Hisham Djait. Both the general methodological assumptions of Djait's studies and representative examples of his approach are presented. It is argued that one of Djait's most significant insights consists in his recognition of the necessity of critically juxtaposing the Qur'anic text with later Islamic amplifications and narrative contextualizations. The article also discusses Djait's use of Western Qur'an scholarship and his romantically inspired portrayal of Muhammad as a religious genius.