Islamicate Occult Sciences in Theory and Practice

Abstract

emphasize the military campaigns based on their interpretation of the literary history, archaeological evidence does not always support this as the main means of the Arab expansion into all the geographical areas they took under their control. Given the complexity of the evidence, Sirry emphasizes that dialogue between scholars is essential because a reductionist approach cannot provide the full picture. Sirry wants the scholars in each camp to be self-critical. Historians may prefer sources that are contemporaneous with the events they recount, but there is no guarantee that all the details they record are authentic. In our own time, we can see how misinformation can be recorded and disseminated. Future historians may debate the facts concerning events happening today because the sources they will have, though plentiful, are highly conflicting. Indeed, it is difficult, even for people alive today, to discern truth from falsehood concerning contemporary events. Contemporaneous sources are not necessarily superior unless they are engaged with critically, and so Sirry is correct in saying that one needs to keep an open mind and be self-critical, regardless of the camp to which one belongs. I highly recommend this book for students, scholars and anyone interested in the history of early Islam. It provides extensive references to the wide variety of scholarship in the field that will be useful to any researcher in the field. It details the nature of the academic controversies, giving a very balanced assessment of the arguments and counter-arguments made by each party. Sirry highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of each and shows convincingly that, while some approaches may appear to conflict, they are sometimes actually closer than they seem. Sirry calls on scholars to appreciate the diverse theories, enter into constructive dialogue, and avoid polemics. How can anyone who seeks to know the truth of historical events be polemical? How can constructive dialogue not be beneficial? Sirry’s very positive outlook regarding the result of such dialogue for the field of qur’anic studies is something that I am sure everyone can appreciate. This book will certainly be on the reading list for my own students.