Middle Eastern Studies Discussion Question

 “Instructions for Short Essay Assignments.” 

Question

In both lecture and in the Ernst reading, it was argued that the content of the revelation delivered by the Prophet Muhammad to his community reflected his community’s historical circumstances and the events that were occurring in Muhammad and his community’s life. Think, for instance, of the challenges and attacks Muhammad and his community faced while in Mecca from disbelieving Arab pagans. With this in mind, analyze the selections from the Qur’an that you’ve read for this class. What do these selections reveal about Muhammad and his community’s historical context and circumstances? When writing you may reference lecture, cite the Ernst reading, and cite the Qur’an readings.

Some things you might want to reference :

1) The Qur’an’s warnings about God’s wrath, its descriptions of the apocalypse or Judgement Day, its calls to charity and generosity, and its consolation of Muhammad.

2) The Qur’an frequently invokes imagery that is reminiscent of the Arabian natural environment in which it revealed. 

3) The Qur’an mentions the idea of revelation (and gives vivid portrayals of how revelation occurs), it mentions prophets, including Abraham and Moses, and mentions civilizations that were destroyed because they failed to listen to their prophets.