Society and religion from Jāhiliyya to Islam

In this volume, Professor Kister has continued his investigation into the social and religious history of Arabia. The papers are based essentially on a study of the traditions preserved in the early Arabic sources, many unpublished. As the author demonstrates, these sources represent an invaluable mine of information on the history and religious life of pre-Islamic Arabia and on the transformations that affected customs, law and beliefs after the coming of Islam. Particular articles also deal with such questions as the relations and confrontation between nascent Islam and Judaism and Christianity, the contacts between tribal society and sedentary population, and the emergence of new popular customs and beliefs.