Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa Literature and Prophecy (2024)

Koertner, Mareike. Proving Prophecy, Dalāʾil al-Nubūwa Literature as Part of the Scholarly Discourse on Prophecy in Islam. Islamic Literatures: Texts and Studies 5. Brill, 2024. ca. 230 pp.

“Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa literature that is centered on narratives from the Prophet Muḥammad’s life has most commonly been viewed, or even dismissed, as the product of popular veneration. Building extensive research on biographical and bibliographical sources, this book demonstrates that Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa literature emerged among the circles of early ḥadīth scholars of the late 2nd/8th century. By analyzing extant texts of Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa regarding their sources, structures, methodological approaches, and selection of contents, it showcases that these works were part of epistemological discourses on prophecy that transcended religious boundaries as well as the dividing lines between various Muslim scholarly disciplines.

Biographical Note

Mareike Koertner is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Trinity College. She earned her Ph.D. (2014) in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Yale University. Her research focuses on Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) and Biography (Sira); the intellectual history of medieval Islam, particularly epistemological discourses on prophecy; interface of religious and literary texts; epistemological discourses on prophecy, and interaction and intellectual exchanges between Jews, Christians and Muslims in the medieval Near East.”

Description from the publisher’s website.