The Prophet between Doctrine, Literature and Arts: Introduction to Volume I

The Muslims’ relationship with the Prophet Muḥammad, as reflected in their daily lives, in devotional practice, in scholarly, legal and political activities and in literary and artistic expression, largely derives from a rich doctrinal and cultural heritage that was shaped over the centuries by diverse societal and regional contexts. Approaching this relationship therefore requires taking full account of the plurality of, and sometimes competition between, differ ent representations of the Prophetic figure, and of the changing modalities of Prophetic piety over the course of Islamic history. The first volume in the series is devoted to the figure of the Prophet as it was established and transformed since the beginnings of Islam, then throughout the Middle Ages and in modern times, up to the turn of the twentieth century. This volume aims to show that doctrinal representations of the Prophet are inseparable from those prevailing in literature, music and the visual arts, and that both doctrinal and aesthetic images of him have existed in a state of con stant interaction. Along with the general focus of the French-German project on the Prophet in the mirror of his community in the early modern and mod ern periods (see the General Introduction above), this volume also discusses earlier doctrinal, spiritual and literary developments that retained their impor tance in the development of the image of the Prophet and for Muslim piety in later times. The studies largely go back to two conferences held by the project in 2017, with some additional contributions which were specially requested.1 With its combined attention paid to doctrinal, literary and artistic expres sions, the volume will hopefully shed new light on the interactions between the different cultural spheres in Muslim societies, and it will confirm – if need be – the artificial nature of any division between learned and popular religious orientation and practice.