Before Revelation

Before Revelation studies the development of Muslim jurisprudential and theological thought as expressed in the extensive dispute over the assessment of acts that took place before the arrival of Revelation. Between the ninth and nineteenth centuries Muslims debated, often fiercely, the question, "What is the value of an actmoving from place to place, breathing, or eating a tasty food, for instance - before Revelation arrives?" That is, Muslims, whose existence as Muslims derived from the Quranic Revelation, debated whether acts could be called "good," or reprehensible," before the Quran. This book analyzes that prolonged debate from a History of Religions perspective, using sources from the Muslim sciences of jurisprudential theory (usul al-fiqh) and theology (kalam).