Exploring the Liminal Characteristics of Muslim Converts: An Analysis of Rabbinic and Ecclesiastical Legal References from the Early Islamic to Abbasid Periods

Abstract

When considering questions of integration, assimilation, and adjustment in the formative centuries of Islam it is vital to think about the individuals who converted to Islam. The gradual nature of conversion and the enduring ties of Muslim converts to their former coreligionists kept them in a liminal position. My analysis will evolve around three spheres of inquiry: linguistic, social, and practical. Linguistically, I show how ecclesiastical Syriac and rabbinic Hebrew terms that refer to apostates speak of individuals who did not burn all bridges but retained some level of contact with their former coreligionists. With respect to society, I discuss the place of converts to Islam as treated by the law of their former religions, and, finally, I dwell upon the persistence of former religious practices among converts to Islam. By viewing converts as liminal figures and unpacking the concept of liminality in its historical context I hope to contribute to the theoretical discussion regarding the process of conversion to Islam in the early and late formative Islamic periods and to argue against its presentation in linear terms.