Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islamof these. Attempts to discredit the chains of transmitters (^174 isnads) as
unreliable, together with the presumption that these hadith did not exist in
the earliest collections of Sira traditions, are certainly unfounded, because
these traditions appear in practically all of the earliest major Islamic
histories.^175
Provided that the compromise of the Satanic inspiration was of some
duration, the Meccans would have no longer had any reason to maintain
their boycott against the Hashimites. The Sira traditions generally agree in
showing the destitute situation of the Hashimites resultant to the boycott,^176
and that the first impulse to end their suffering was human. A^177 lthough
traditions describing the supernatural destruction of the boycott document
report that all but the words "in the name of Allah" were consumed, they
contradict one another in the finer points of how this occurred. One of the^178
real reasons for the repeal of the boycott may have actually been the
Satanically inspired verses, which would have moved the Quraysh to
accommodate this concession.
The news of the Meccans’ conversion may well have been sent by
Muhammad himself, since the emigrants had now decided to return to
Mecca, but had previously refused to return with the envoys of the Quraysh.
Although in contradiction of Sira traditions, it is, however, possible that the
return of the emigrants affected Muhammad's later decision to withdraw the
verses of Satanic inspiration, since Muhammad's message of Monotheism
was earlier reported to have been the cause of increased Meccan opposition
and persecution which drove them to Abyssinia in the first place.^179
Sura 38Sura 38Sura 38Sura 38 begins with a mysterious letter, following which apparent dialogues
with the Meccans are given (vv. 1f). In the vv. 11f Muhammad is compared
with the earlier messengers and the vv. 16f are among the earliest passages
containing a narrative about David. The descriptions of the mountains
praising with David (v. 17), and of birds coming to him (v. 18) seems to
have been a distortion of Ps. 148:7-10. Muhammad also appear^180 s to have
understood the prophet Nathan's parable (cf. II Sam. 12:1-5) as a real event
(vv. 20f), in which two men (or angels) brought their case to Da^181 vid for a
judgment. In the vv. 30f one of the first narratives about Solo^182 mon is
given. Solomon is shown as having loved horses (vv. 30f), and as then
repenting and asking for a kingdom (v. 34), rather than as having