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A Critical Review of William Sean Anthony’s Historicist Reading in Early Islamic Studies (An Interpretation of the “Keys to Paradise” Motif in the Doctrine of Jacob and Its Evaluation against the Criteria of Islamic Sources)
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Bahman Zeinali *   , Sajede Salmani |
| University of Isfahan, , bahman.zeinali@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (14 Views) |
The historical reconstruction of Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) life has consistently been marked by tensions between Islamic sources and secular Western approaches. William Sean Anthony, a scholar of the critical revisionist movement, draws upon early non-Islamic sources—particularly the Doctrine of Jacob—and interprets the "keys to paradise" motif as an ideological reflection of martial discourse during the Umayyad period. In this interpretation, the Prophet is portrayed as a legitimizer of military conquests rather than a monotheistic spiritual leader. This approach neglects the theological context and reduces salvation to military action, distorting prophetic imagery.
This study aims to critique Anthony's historicist interpretation and provide a balanced understanding using a descriptive-analytical method that relies on Islamic sources. The central research question is: To what extent is Anthony’s interpretation of the “keys to paradise” compatible with the Islamic principles of monotheism (tawḥīd) and salvation? The hypothesis is that this interpretation, by disproportionately emphasizing the military dimension while overlooking the spiritual aspects, offers a partial portrayal of early Islamic belief. The findings show that the motif symbolizes the Prophet's conditional intercession tied to faith and piety—not solely military action. Non-Islamic sources can complement historical analysis; however, they cannot supersede Islam’s theological framework.
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| Keywords: William Sean Anthony, Keys to Paradise, secular historiography, Prophetic biography (sīra), intra-religious critique |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Islamic History
Received: 2026/02/27 | Revised: 2026/10/17 | Accepted: 2026/10/2 | ePublished ahead of print: 2026/10/17
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