0021-1818_islam_98-1-2-i-259

First Century Sources for the Life of Mu1ammad? A Debate 27
The three traditions are enough to refute the assertion that a ‘Qur#anisation’
of the account of the first revelatory experience, as assumed by Shoemaker
following Rubin, took place first with al-Zuhr\, and not until a later stage of his
lecturing activities. Rather, ^Urwa, according to an account transmitted by both
al-Zuhr\ and Hisham, had already included Qur#anic elements, as attested by the
appearance of Gabriel and the mention of Sura 93, which was revealed after the
fatra. 112 For this reason, Rubin’s thesis, to the extent that it relates to Hisham’s
version of the beginnings of revelation, must be considered refuted, and Rubin’s
entire thesis must be reviewed anew; because the Qur#anic motifs in this account
(mention of Gabriel and at least one early revealed sura) are obviously not later
than the non-Qur#anic (biblical) motifs (light and voices); the former have not
overlaid the latter but had existed beside them already in the last third of the first
century in ^Urwa’s store of traditions about the initial revelation experience.
Although Shoemaker in many places does not seriously doubt that the Hisham
< ^Urwa tradition on the beginning of the revelation is independent of the al-
Zuhr\ < ^Urwa < ^A#isha version and goes back to ^Urwa, 113 he contests an argument
brought forth by Schoeler which admittedly, as he grants, is ‘well-grounded’ in
Schacht’s analysis. Schoeler had argued that the non-elevation of the isnad to
^A#isha in Hisham’s traditions is a strong indication of its authenticity and, at
any rate, of its independence from al-Zuhr\’s version. 114 In contrast, Shoemaker
here 115 again follows Rubin 116 who had asserted that the traditions about the first
revelation do not exhibit any backward growth in the isnads, and that the appearance
in particular of the name ^A#isha is not such a backward growth (whereby
according to Rubin the isnad is purely a literary tool, 117 not a credible indication
of origin!). 118 This assertion by Rubin, however, is no longer tenable; it can now –
owing to the meanwhile completely compiled and evaluated corpus of ^Urwa
traditions – be refuted. It has been shown, namely, that in the entire ^Urwa corpus
reports transmitted by al-Zuhr\ on the authority of ^Urwa are as a rule traced
112 Likewise Waraqa’s expression of his strong trust in the Prophet and his divination regarding
Mu1ammad’s eventual triumph, which Shoemaker calls a strongly Qur#anised motif (“In Search
of ^Urwa’s Sira,” 312), is already found in this tradition of Hisham < ^Urwa! Waraqa even wants to
help the Prophet in the foreseen jihad!
113 Shoemaker, “In Search of ^Urwa’s Sira,” 313, 316, 317.
114 Schoeler, Charakter und Authentie, 80 (= The Biography of Muhammad, 51f.)
115 Shoemaker, “In Search of ^Urwa’s Sira,” 307f.
116 Rubin, The Eye of the Beholder, 234–238, 249–250.
117 Ibid., 237.
118 Shoemaker also expresses the same criticism with respect to a similar argumentation by
Motzki. See below 71f.