Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
I work on early and medieval Islamic history, with a specific focus on ḥadīth transmission, sīra-maghāzī literature and social history. For my PhD project, I am tracing the historical genesis of one of the most widely circulated traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, the ḥadīth al-manzila. Central to my source-critical approach is the isnad-cum-matn methodology (Motzki; Schoeler; Scheiner; Boekhoff-van Der Voort). However, while dating and reconstruction are important to my research, my primary goal is to reconfigure/redirect the isnād-cum-matn methodology in order to trace the multiple socio-political histories of a tradition from Prophet/Common Link to compiler(s), rather than from Compiler(s) to the Prophet/Common Link.
Substantively, my the thesis moves beyond pure methodology and attempts to extract important information about the literary, socio-political and religious implications of the ḥadīth al-manzila. Put simply, it seeks to show how far the shaping of the tradition, from transmitter to transmitter, is a reflection corresponding socio-political realities and shifts within the expanding Islamic Empire. Thematically, the ḥadīth al-manzila provides important insight into the early development of hagiographical literature, sunnī-shī'ī contestations and the transmission/spread of knowledge across the classical period.
My other research interests surround the early expansion of the Islamic community and the interaction between the early Muslim community(s) and non-Muslim groups (in particularly, anything to do with the Eastern church and Syriac!). Furthermore, I am deeply interested in the subtle linguistic gems and trappings that are hidden in the early ḥadīth/Arabic sources, as illustrated in the important scholarly contributions of specialists such as Guenther and Leder.
Supervisors: Professor Maaika van Berkel and Dr. Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort
Substantively, my the thesis moves beyond pure methodology and attempts to extract important information about the literary, socio-political and religious implications of the ḥadīth al-manzila. Put simply, it seeks to show how far the shaping of the tradition, from transmitter to transmitter, is a reflection corresponding socio-political realities and shifts within the expanding Islamic Empire. Thematically, the ḥadīth al-manzila provides important insight into the early development of hagiographical literature, sunnī-shī'ī contestations and the transmission/spread of knowledge across the classical period.
My other research interests surround the early expansion of the Islamic community and the interaction between the early Muslim community(s) and non-Muslim groups (in particularly, anything to do with the Eastern church and Syriac!). Furthermore, I am deeply interested in the subtle linguistic gems and trappings that are hidden in the early ḥadīth/Arabic sources, as illustrated in the important scholarly contributions of specialists such as Guenther and Leder.
Supervisors: Professor Maaika van Berkel and Dr. Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort
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Books by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Within the Islamic world, the prophet Muhammad's influence is profound. But even outside of the religion of Islam, this visionary had a wide-ranging impact on history, society, literature, art, philosophy, and theology. Within this work's more than 200 A–Z entries, internationally recognized scholars summarize views of Muhammad from the earliest editors of the Qu'ran to contemporary Muslim theologians. This detailed resource explores the traditions, ceremonies, and beliefs of Islam as they have spread worldwide, and examines Muhammad's role in other religious traditions as well as the secular world.
Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God distills 14 centuries of thinking about Muhammad, fully capturing his enduring legacy. This encyclopedia will benefit any reader seeking a greater understanding of the founder of Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world. No other publication discusses Muhammad at such a high level of detail while remaining easily accessible to non-specialist, Western audiences.
Features
• Documents Muhammad's broad impact on history, culture, and society
• Shares viewpoints from more than 100 scholars in the field of Islamic studies to provide different perspectives on how Muhammad's life and beliefs have changed the course of history
• Explores Muhammad's changing image—and controversies over his depiction and the communication of his ideas—in art, music, and literature
• Provides an in-depth overview of Muhammad's influences on secular life and culture
Sample Topics
Animals
Architecture
Biography of the Prophet (Sira Literature)
Byzantium
Cinema
Ecology
Food
Islamic Law (Fiqh)
Medicine
Miracles
Muhammad through Western Eyes
Philosophy
Prophethood
Qur'an
Sufism
Book Chapters by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Standing at the Grave of W. M. Watt, Bishop Richard Holloway stated in his funeral address: ‘’I cannot now remember who it was that said it to me, though I think it might have been Bishop Alastair Haggart - it was over 30 years ago, during my time at Old St Paul’s – but the remark itself stayed in my head. William Montgomery Watt, who had served OSP for many years and had an abiding affection for it, was sitting quietly in the congregation one Sunday morning. ‘Though he is almost unknown to the public at large’, the person remarked, ‘William Watt is one of the greatest Scots of his generation, and a legendary figure among Islamic scholars’’’ (Holloway, 2006).
William Montgomery Watt was born on Sunday 14th March 1909 in the historic Scottish village of Ceres, Fife, to Andrew and Mary Watt. It is fitting that ‘’Ceres,‘’ the place of his origin, is derived from the Gaelic word ‘’Siar‘’ meaning "Place to the west" in light of the fact that Watt would spend the remainder of his life striving to bridge the intellectual and socio-religious gap between the Christian West and Muslim East...
Encyclopaedia Entries by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Papers by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Book Reviews by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Amuse-bouche by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
Collaborative by Adam Walker آدم وا(ل)كر
The workshop will provide an inter-disciplinary overview of the various perspectives emerging from the Christian Oriental, Byzantine, Early Islamic and Archaeological approaches to this area of research. The key objective of the workshop is to explore the possibilities of a unified and holistic approach to understanding the “Sattelzeit” (R. Koselleck) – i.e. the period between 500 and 750 CE. While the scope of the workshop has been intentionally left broad, the papers will primarily focus on the following areas:
- The role of Eastern/Oriental Christians in the relationship(s) formed between the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
- Scripture and Arts as a medium of interchange between Christians and Muslims.
- The historical narratives and administrative reality of the expansion of the Islamic Empire.
- The workshop will take place on 7th – 8th December, 2017 at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and is the collaborative effort of the Chair of Byzantine Studies (FU Berlin), Radboud University, and Gorgias Press.
We hope that the workshop will encourage fruitful discussions about the state-of-the-art of the field and highlight potential areas for future inquiry. We further expect the workshop to provide a platform for both established researchers in the field and early-career academics (including advanced Ph.D. students). The workshop proceedings will be published in an edited volume by Gorgias Press.
The workshop seeks to shed new light on the crossroads at which the Late Antique world of the Eastern Mediterranean heralded diverse exchanges between Oriental Christendom, Byzantine culture and the Islamic world. Furthermore, how these exchanges impacted the development of diverse regions, cultures, languages, and religions.
The workshop will provide an inter-disciplinary overview of the various perspectives emerging from the Christian Oriental, Byzantine, Early Islamic and Archaeological approaches to this area of research. The key objective of the workshop is to explore the possibilities of a unified and holistic approach to understanding the "Sattelzeit" (R. Koselleck) – i.e. the period between 500 and 750 CE. While the scope of the workshop has been intentionally left broad, papers are particularly welcome in, but not limited to, the following areas:
- The role of Eastern/Oriental Christians in the relationship(s) formed between the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
- Scripture and Arts as a medium of interchange between Christians and Muslims.
- The historical narratives and administrative reality of the expansion of the Islamic Empire.
The workshop will take place on 4th December, 2017 at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and is the collaborative effort of the Chair of Byzantine Studies (FU Berlin), Radboud University’s Institute for Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies (HLCS), and Gorgias Press.
We hope that the workshop will encourage fruitful discussions about the state-of-the-art of the field and highlight potential areas for future inquiry. Furthermore, that the workshop will provide a platform for both established researchers in the field and early-career academics (e.g. advanced Ph.D. students and Postdocs). Each paper will be allocated 20 minutes with a further 15 minutes for discussion. The workshop proceedings will be published in an edited volume under Gorgias Press’ Islamic History and Thought series and each participant will be provided with a complimentary hardback copy of the edited volume.
To submit a paper, please provide an abstract (max. 500 words) and a professional biography (max. 250 words) by 1st May, 2017 to [email protected]. Full papers should be submitted by 30th September, 2017. Limited funding will be available for accommodation and/or travel. As there are limited spaces for non-participants, kindly inform the conveners if you would like to attend the workshop and places will be allocated on an RSVP basis.
Conveners:
Manolis Ulbricht, Byzantine Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
Adam Walker, HLCS, Radboud University / Gorgias Press
The Outstanding Reference Sources Committee was established in 1958 to recommend the most outstanding reference publications published the previous year for small- and medium-sized public and academic libraries. The selected titles are valuable reference resources and are highly recommended for inclusion in any library’s reference collections.
Within the Islamic world, the prophet Muhammad's influence is profound. But even outside of the religion of Islam, this visionary had a wide-ranging impact on history, society, literature, art, philosophy, and theology. Within this work's more than 200 A–Z entries, internationally recognized scholars summarize views of Muhammad from the earliest editors of the Qu'ran to contemporary Muslim theologians. This detailed resource explores the traditions, ceremonies, and beliefs of Islam as they have spread worldwide, and examines Muhammad's role in other religious traditions as well as the secular world.
Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God distills 14 centuries of thinking about Muhammad, fully capturing his enduring legacy. This encyclopedia will benefit any reader seeking a greater understanding of the founder of Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world. No other publication discusses Muhammad at such a high level of detail while remaining easily accessible to non-specialist, Western audiences.
Features
• Documents Muhammad's broad impact on history, culture, and society
• Shares viewpoints from more than 100 scholars in the field of Islamic studies to provide different perspectives on how Muhammad's life and beliefs have changed the course of history
• Explores Muhammad's changing image—and controversies over his depiction and the communication of his ideas—in art, music, and literature
• Provides an in-depth overview of Muhammad's influences on secular life and culture
Sample Topics
Animals
Architecture
Biography of the Prophet (Sira Literature)
Byzantium
Cinema
Ecology
Food
Islamic Law (Fiqh)
Medicine
Miracles
Muhammad through Western Eyes
Philosophy
Prophethood
Qur'an
Sufism
Standing at the Grave of W. M. Watt, Bishop Richard Holloway stated in his funeral address: ‘’I cannot now remember who it was that said it to me, though I think it might have been Bishop Alastair Haggart - it was over 30 years ago, during my time at Old St Paul’s – but the remark itself stayed in my head. William Montgomery Watt, who had served OSP for many years and had an abiding affection for it, was sitting quietly in the congregation one Sunday morning. ‘Though he is almost unknown to the public at large’, the person remarked, ‘William Watt is one of the greatest Scots of his generation, and a legendary figure among Islamic scholars’’’ (Holloway, 2006).
William Montgomery Watt was born on Sunday 14th March 1909 in the historic Scottish village of Ceres, Fife, to Andrew and Mary Watt. It is fitting that ‘’Ceres,‘’ the place of his origin, is derived from the Gaelic word ‘’Siar‘’ meaning "Place to the west" in light of the fact that Watt would spend the remainder of his life striving to bridge the intellectual and socio-religious gap between the Christian West and Muslim East...
The workshop will provide an inter-disciplinary overview of the various perspectives emerging from the Christian Oriental, Byzantine, Early Islamic and Archaeological approaches to this area of research. The key objective of the workshop is to explore the possibilities of a unified and holistic approach to understanding the “Sattelzeit” (R. Koselleck) – i.e. the period between 500 and 750 CE. While the scope of the workshop has been intentionally left broad, the papers will primarily focus on the following areas:
- The role of Eastern/Oriental Christians in the relationship(s) formed between the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
- Scripture and Arts as a medium of interchange between Christians and Muslims.
- The historical narratives and administrative reality of the expansion of the Islamic Empire.
- The workshop will take place on 7th – 8th December, 2017 at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and is the collaborative effort of the Chair of Byzantine Studies (FU Berlin), Radboud University, and Gorgias Press.
We hope that the workshop will encourage fruitful discussions about the state-of-the-art of the field and highlight potential areas for future inquiry. We further expect the workshop to provide a platform for both established researchers in the field and early-career academics (including advanced Ph.D. students). The workshop proceedings will be published in an edited volume by Gorgias Press.
The workshop seeks to shed new light on the crossroads at which the Late Antique world of the Eastern Mediterranean heralded diverse exchanges between Oriental Christendom, Byzantine culture and the Islamic world. Furthermore, how these exchanges impacted the development of diverse regions, cultures, languages, and religions.
The workshop will provide an inter-disciplinary overview of the various perspectives emerging from the Christian Oriental, Byzantine, Early Islamic and Archaeological approaches to this area of research. The key objective of the workshop is to explore the possibilities of a unified and holistic approach to understanding the "Sattelzeit" (R. Koselleck) – i.e. the period between 500 and 750 CE. While the scope of the workshop has been intentionally left broad, papers are particularly welcome in, but not limited to, the following areas:
- The role of Eastern/Oriental Christians in the relationship(s) formed between the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
- Scripture and Arts as a medium of interchange between Christians and Muslims.
- The historical narratives and administrative reality of the expansion of the Islamic Empire.
The workshop will take place on 4th December, 2017 at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and is the collaborative effort of the Chair of Byzantine Studies (FU Berlin), Radboud University’s Institute for Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies (HLCS), and Gorgias Press.
We hope that the workshop will encourage fruitful discussions about the state-of-the-art of the field and highlight potential areas for future inquiry. Furthermore, that the workshop will provide a platform for both established researchers in the field and early-career academics (e.g. advanced Ph.D. students and Postdocs). Each paper will be allocated 20 minutes with a further 15 minutes for discussion. The workshop proceedings will be published in an edited volume under Gorgias Press’ Islamic History and Thought series and each participant will be provided with a complimentary hardback copy of the edited volume.
To submit a paper, please provide an abstract (max. 500 words) and a professional biography (max. 250 words) by 1st May, 2017 to [email protected]. Full papers should be submitted by 30th September, 2017. Limited funding will be available for accommodation and/or travel. As there are limited spaces for non-participants, kindly inform the conveners if you would like to attend the workshop and places will be allocated on an RSVP basis.
Conveners:
Manolis Ulbricht, Byzantine Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
Adam Walker, HLCS, Radboud University / Gorgias Press
The Outstanding Reference Sources Committee was established in 1958 to recommend the most outstanding reference publications published the previous year for small- and medium-sized public and academic libraries. The selected titles are valuable reference resources and are highly recommended for inclusion in any library’s reference collections.