Public lecture in honour of Andrew Rippin

Join us for this public lecture in celebration of the publication of Islamic Studies Today: Essays in Honor of Andrew Rippin

A Statement of Identity? The Ka'ba in the Development of Early Islam

Gerald Hawting

Emeritus Professor, School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London

Saturday, November 26, 2016
11:00 am
Harry Hickman Building, Room 105

The Ka’ba, a large cubic structure frequently referred to by Muslims as the House of God, is a focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. According to Muslim tradition, the Ka’ba and the Hajj had been incorporated into Islam by the time of the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. In this lecture Gerald Hawting calls into question the view that the Ka’ba had been the focus of Islam from the time of Muhammad onwards, and suggests an alternative scenario for its integration into Islam.