Society and Religion from Jahiliyya to Islam

In this second collection of his articles, Professor Kister has continued his investigation into the social and religious history of Arabia. The papers are based essentially on a study of the traditions preserved in the early Arabic sources, many unpublished. As the author demonstrates, these sources represent an invaluable mine of information on the history and religious life of pre-Islamic Arabia and on the transformations that affected customs, law and beliefs after the coming of Islam. Particular articles also deal with such questions as the relations and confrontation between nascent Islam and Judaism and Christianity, the contacts between tribal society and sedentary population, and the emergence of new popular customs and beliefs. Dans ce second receuil darticles, le professeur Kister, poursuit ses recherches sur lhistoire sociale et religieuse de lArabie. Les essais sont essentiellement bass sur une etude des traditions conserves par les premieres sources arabes, dont beaucoup nont jamais t publies. Ainsi que lauteur le dmontre, ces sources reprsentent une mine dinformation inestimable sur la vie religieuse et lhistoire de lArabie pr-islamique et sur les changements qui affectrent coutumes,lois et croyances aprs lavenement de lIslam. Certains articles , traitent plus particulierement, de sujets, tels les rapports et les affrontements entre la force naissante de lIslam et le Judasme et Christianisme pr-existants; ou encore des contacts entre socit tribale et population sdentaire, ainsi que de lemergence de nouvelles coutumes et croyances poulaires.