410:, and it may perform a useful role in educating the broader public, but as a scholarly work "it leaves something to be desired". Other academic reviews have characterized the book as "provocative and largely convincing" and as "a plausible and compelling, if necessarily somewhat speculative, alternate account of the emergence of Islam".
234:
Donner taught Middle
Eastern history in the History Department at Yale University from 1975-1982 before taking his position at the University of Chicago in 1982 (The Oriental Institute and Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations). He served as chairman of his Department (1997–2002) and
338:, an account of the early years of the spiritual movement that would come to be known as Islam, was published by Harvard University Press in May 2010. Donner's main argument is that what came to be called Islam began as a monotheistic "Believers' movement" inaugurated by
545:
1029:
350:(685-705) did Islam begin to separate from Christians and Jews. This argument was first presented at the Late Antiquity and Early Islam workshop in London in 1993, and published in an article.
315:. The book attempts to explain how concerns for legitimation in the developing Islamic community shaped the themes that are the focus of Islamic historical writing, particularly the themes of
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269:(MESA). He has been a member of MESA since 1975, served an earlier term on MESA's Board of Directors (1992-1994) and was awarded MESA's
1014:
616:
242:
to examine Arabic papyri from the first
Islamic century (seventh century CE) at collections in Paris, Vienna, Oxford, and Heidelberg.
994:
979:
226:, Germany, before returning to Princeton for doctoral work. Donner received his PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton in 1975.
989:
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was published in 1981 by
Princeton University Press. He has also published a translation of a volume of the history of
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467:
453:
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362:(1981) has been described as "magisterial" and "a major contribution to the understanding of early Islamic history" (
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219:
119:
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Donner received a 1994 Quantrell Award for
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. From 2007 to 2008, Donner held a
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864:
770:"Among the Believers: A new look at the origins of Islam describes a tolerant world that may not have existed"
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277:
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review of Donner's book indicates that his account of a "nice, tolerant, and open" Islam appeals to
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text. He responds in particular to the theory of late canonization of the Qur'an proposed by
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788:"From Believers to Muslims : Confessional Self-Identity in the Early Islamic Community"
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147:
35:
804:
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as
Director of the University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (2009–present).
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963:
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early Islam comes from several
Quranic verses, while the rest is based on
183:, having interrupted his studies from 1966 to 1967 to pursue the study of
546:
Institute for the Study of
Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa
902:
422:. Donner was appointed a life member of the Scientific Committee of the
521:
395:
328:
276:
A part of the MEM and MESA, Donner has also been a long-term member of
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818:
617:"Faculty members receive named, distinguished service professorships"
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who followed the teachings of the Qur'an. Only under the rule of
208:
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that the only direct evidence for Donner's central thesis of an
342:, which included righteous Christians and Jews as well as those
645:"University of Chicago article on Guggenheim Fellowship awards"
184:
1030:
Members of the
Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts
375:
has been described as "learned and brilliantly original" in a
343:
304:
171:, where he attended public schools. In 1968 he completed his
142:
and Peter B. Ritzma
Professor of Near Eastern History at the
139:
61:
667:"Al-Usur al-Wusta: The Bulletin of Middle East Medievalists"
368:). It is used as a set text for several university courses.
258:) from 1992 until 1994 and served as editor of the journal
260:
Al-Usur al-Wusta: The
Bulletin of Middle East Medievalists
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Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
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918:
Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam
879:
Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam
489:
Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam
336:
Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam
16:
American historian and scholar of Islam (born 1945)
855:, Sunday Book Review by Max Rodenbeck 25 June 2010
562:The Articulation of Early Islamic State Structures
203:, seeing duty with U. S. Army Security Agency in
961:
303:(1998), Donner argues for an early date for the
267:Middle East Studies Association of North America
424:Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts
83:Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts
915:
876:
558:
826:International Journal of Middle East Studies
365:International Journal of Middle East Studies
1035:Middle Eastern studies in the United States
916:Paul R. Powers (February 2013). "Review of
883:Journal of the American Academy of Religion
542:Christians and Others in the Umayyad State
1005:21st-century American non-fiction writers
803:
592:
590:
158:
611:
609:
607:
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388:was critical of the book: she wrote on
199:. From 1968 to 1970 he served with the
146:. He has published several books about
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877:Steven C. Judd (Sep 2011). "Review of
587:
764:
602:
1020:Scholars of medieval Islamic history
647:. Chronicle.uchicago.edu. 2007-04-12
865:Patricia Crone: Among the Believers
559:Fred M. Donner, ed. (15 May 2017).
189:Middle East Centre for Arab Studies
13:
1055:Writers about religion and science
1000:21st-century American male writers
985:20th-century American male writers
460:State University of New York Press
14:
1071:
1015:American male non-fiction writers
944:
712:"Jere L. Bacharach Service Award"
456:(Vol. 10): The Conquest of Arabia
454:History of the Prophets and Kings
245:
995:21st-century American historians
980:20th-century American historians
120:University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
68:; scholarship on Islamic origins
990:21st-century American essayists
975:20th-century American essayists
909:
870:
867:Tablet Magazine 10. August 2010
858:
843:
830:
812:
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716:Middle East Studies Association
692:Middle East Studies Association
429:
384:On the other hand, orientalist
220:Friedrich-Alexander Universität
758:
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704:
688:"Letters from MESA Presidents"
680:
658:
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218:for a year (1970–1971) at the
211:in 1969-1970. He then studied
64:(Islamic) studies; scriptural
1:
1045:University of Chicago faculty
805:10.4000/abstractairanica.2410
786:; Fred Donner (15 May 2005).
753:Narratives of Islamic Origins
580:
475:Narratives of Islamic Origins
301:Narratives of Islamic Origins
278:The American Oriental Society
669:. Middleeastmedievalists.org
597:NELC Department Faculty list
353:
265:Donner was President of the
153:
7:
1040:Princeton University alumni
821:The Early Islamic Conquests
530:Suzanne Pinckney Stetkevych
436:The Early Islamic Conquests
360:The Early Islamic Conquests
290:The Early Islamic Conquests
283:
32:1945 (age 78–79)
10:
1076:
665:Middle East Medievalists.
440:Princeton University Press
373:Muhammad and the Believers
238:In 2007, he was awarded a
191:(MECAS) in the village of
840:(accessed 2 October 2007)
743:(accessed 2 October 2007)
740:Bryn Mawr Medieval Review
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169:Basking Ridge, New Jersey
125:
105:
95:
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72:
53:
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28:
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599:at University of Chicago
493:Harvard University Press
252:Middle East Medievalists
250:Donner was President of
1060:Yale University faculty
1010:American male essayists
348:Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
273:Service Award in 2008.
838:University of Oklahoma
402:. According to Crone,
262:from 1992 until 2011.
159:Early life and studies
955:University of Chicago
895:10.1093/jaarel/lfr024
622:University of Chicago
478:(Darwin Press; 1998)
420:Guggenheim Fellowship
240:Guggenheim Fellowship
148:early Islamic history
144:University of Chicago
110:University of Chicago
922:History of Religions
920:by Fred M. Donner".
881:by Fred M. Donner".
181:Princeton University
48:Princeton University
768:(August 10, 2010).
625:. December 27, 2017
163:Donner was born in
772:. Tablet Magazine.
534:Donald S. Whitcomb
518:Sidney H. Griffith
404:The New York Times
132:Fred McGraw Donner
23:Fred McGraw Donner
792:Abstracta Iranica
572:978-1-351-89449-4
538:Luke B. Yarbrough
501:978-0-674-05097-6
408:American liberals
271:Jere L. Bacharach
167:, and grew up in
134:(born 1945) is a
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90:Scientific career
77:Guggenheim Fellow
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526:Milka Levy-Rubin
177:Oriental Studies
173:Bachelor of Arts
165:Washington, D.C.
36:Washington, D.C.
19:
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508:; Fred Donner;
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309:John Wansbrough
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254:(MEM; homepage
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115:Yale University
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100:Islamic Studies
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58:Islamic Studies
44:Alma mater
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386:Patricia Crone
378:New York Times
358:Donner's book
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334:Donner's book
313:Yehuda D. Nevo
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719:. Retrieved
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671:. Retrieved
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639:
629:December 22,
627:. Retrieved
620:
561:
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514:Muriel Debié
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430:Bibliography
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106:Institutions
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970:1945 births
836:e.g. refer
738:Elton H in
344:monotheists
964:Categories
819:Review of
721:2016-10-01
697:2016-10-01
673:2013-09-12
651:2013-09-12
581:References
522:Wadād Qāḍī
400:conjecture
396:ecumenical
329:leadership
201:U. S. Army
175:degree in
953:with the
495:; 2010)
426:in 2012.
371:Donner's
354:Reception
321:community
296:in 1993.
294:al-Tabari
216:philology
154:Biography
903:23020418
548:, 2016)
462:; 1993)
442:; 1981)
381:review.
340:Muhammad
325:hegemony
317:prophecy
284:Research
224:Erlangen
213:oriental
66:exegesis
824:in the
305:Quranic
209:Germany
197:Lebanon
193:Shimlan
187:at the
136:scholar
62:Quranic
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391:Tablet
327:, and
230:Career
185:Arabic
96:Fields
79:(2007)
73:Awards
38:, U.S.
951:Entry
930:JSTOR
899:JSTOR
755:p. 62
140:Islam
631:2020
567:ISBN
550:ISBN
497:ISBN
480:ISBN
464:ISBN
444:ISBN
311:and
256:here
29:Born
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299:In
222:in
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