Nineteenth-century philologist and Biblical critic William Robertson Smith famously concluded that the sacred status of holy places derives not from their intrinsic nature, but from their social character. Building upon this insight, "Mecca and Eden" uses Islamic exegetical and legal texts to analyze the rituals and objects associated with the sanctuary at Mecca. Integrating Islamic examples into the comparative study of religion, Brannon Wheeler shows how the treatment of rituals, relics, and territory is related to the more general mythological depiction of the origins of Islamic civilization. Along the way, Wheeler considers the contrast between Mecca and Eden in Muslim rituals, the dispersal and collection of relics of the prophet Muhammad, their relationship to the sanctuary at Mecca, and long tombs associated with the gigantic size of certain prophets mentioned in the Quran. "Mecca and Eden" succeeds, as few books have done, in making Islamic sources available to the broader study of religion.

About the Author
Brannon Wheeler is director of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies and Visiting Distinguished Professor of History and Politics at the United States Naval Academy.

Reviews
"Mecca and Eden is absorbing from the first paragraph of the introduction to the final footnote in the concluding chapter. It is a completely original work of scholarship and an exceptionally good comparative study." - Richard D. Hecht, University of California, Santa Barbara"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226888040
Author Brannon Wheeler
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 539g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 16mm * 2mm