Majied (Robinson), Marriage in the Tribe of Muhammad. A Statistical Study of Early Arabic Genealogical Literature, Berlin, 2019, 280 p. ISBN 978-3-11-062607-0

Author

Dr Majied Robinson’s passion for all things pre-modern and Islamicate began in school with the Ottomans module of his History A-Level. Seduced by stories of slave-soldiers and sultans he went on to read Oriental Studies (Persian) at Cambridge University where he studied both literary and historical subjects. After a two-year hiatus he returned to university by undertaking a five year Masters and PhD programme in Arab World Studies (funded by CASAW) which he completed in 2013. In May 2015 he began a three-year fellowship which is focused on the Arab genealogical literary tradition and social trends in Late Antique Arabia.

In addition to research Dr Robinson is a keen advocate of evidence-based approaches to teaching in higher education. His first post-PhD academic post was a 16 month Junior Teaching Fellowship where he worked on a project investigating feedback and assessment practices within Edinburgh University’s School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. This experience highlighted to him the importance of approaching teaching in a systematic and reflective way. He is eager to talk to anyone enthusiastic about pedagogy in higher education, and in particular other teachers of pre-modern Islamicate history.

Presentation

This study examines the marital data preserved within the Arabic genealogical works of the early ninth century CE in order to better understand the tribal relationships of the pre-Islamic Quraysh (the Arabic tribe to which Muhammad belonged). The research establishes the accuracy of the Nasab Quraysh (Genealogy of the Quraysh) and informs a more nuanced analysis of the politics of the Central Hijaz into which Islam was born.