Islam: A New History from Muhammad to the Present

John Tolan, Professor of History at the University of Nantes, adds to his prolific body of work with the publication of Islam: A New History from Muhammad to the Present. Originally published in French (2022), this expanded English edition attempts to offer a “new” history not of a “monolithic” Islam, but of “Islams” (p. xiv), characterised by a “great diversity of beliefs and practices” (p. xiii) across fourteen centuries. The work is thematically arranged into three parts—Foundations, Expansion, and Modernities—and subdivided into ten chapters.

Part I, “Foundations”, covers the period from the first revelation (610 CE) to the fragmentation of the caliphate. Tolan opens with scepticism regarding the historical reliability of the Qurʾān and Hadith/Sīrah. He asserts that while “these sources probably preserve narrative elements that correspond to the era of Muhammad, other elements were clearly added later.” (p. 5) Consequently, citing contemporary scholarship, he argues that “it is impossible to write a biography of Muhammad.” (p.5) Regarding the Qurʾān, Tolan suggests that while some “suras were probably written down during Muhammad’s lifetime”, the definitive text was established “only during the Umayyad era.” (p.5) Paradoxically, he acknowledges that the “best source for understanding the life of Muhammad” remains the Qurʾān. (p.7) This approach aligns with secular positions that often overlook historical evidence regarding the early preservation of the Qurʾānic text. Moreover, Tolan outlines various legal and theological perspectives, arguing that Qurʾānic regulations on women, slavery, and polygamy organise and limit pre-Islamic norms while retaining a patriarchal structure. (p.15)