For the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, the PredicMO team welcomed Matthew Kuiper, a historian of Islam and an expert on da‘wa. Associate professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies at Hope College (USA), his research focuses on the history of classical and modern Islam, da‘wa, Muslim-Christian relations, and the religious history of South Asia. Three working sessions were held in connection with his work on da‘wa and preaching vocabulary. Below is a brief report on these activities which brought together members of PredicMO as well as other researchers.

23/09/2024 – Roundtable: “Preaching in Context: Interdisciplinary and Connected Approaches” (organized in collaboration with the ReliGIS network)

The roundtable was introduced by Anne Page, Professor of British Studies at Aix-Marseille University and director of the SFR Maison de la Recherche. It revolved around three presentations addressing the concept and models of preaching through different perspectives (historical, literary, anthropological).

1. Raffaele Ruggiero, professor at AMU and specialist in the Italian Renaissance, analyzed the links between preaching and literature in Italian history. He presented three case studies:
   • The role of Franciscan preaching in Dante’s construction of a sociopolitical model in the Commedia. He raised questions about political renewal linked to poverty and property issues, as well as the construction of the Franciscan preaching as a model bearer of revolutionary thought.
   • The case of Savonarola, the “unarmed prophet.” Ruggiero argued that Savonarola’s preaching (who was condemned as a heretic) stands as a countermodel, challenging corruption and moral failure. He also discussed the use of printing in Savonarola’s sermons and how it reflects the professionalization of public speaking.
   • The Jesuits’ preaching, which formed the “army” of the Counter-Reformation and adopted a military protocol. The model of preaching they promoted differed from previous models in that it was no longer « anti-establishment » preaching.

According to Ruggiero, these three examples showcase the rich connections between literature and the history of preaching.

2. Mouhamadou Mbacké Diouf, senior lecturer at the Université Gaston Berger, and associate researcher at IREMAM, discussed the case study of the Mourides in France, labeling it as a “preaching of non-violence.” After mentioning the emergence of the Mouridiyya in Senegal and its ties to colonialism, he asserted that the Mourides promote a “culture of peace.” The Mouride case highlights the connections between diaspora, preaching, and financial flows (significant sums are sent by the Senegalese diaspora to the Holy City of Touba). Preaching in France takes place through the daïras, a kind of of associations: they ensure the construction of social ties and the deployment of active solidarity across various communities in France. Another form of preaching is carried out through the visits of Mouride guides (zyarât), a sort of itinerant diplomacy, which, according to Mbacké Diouf, plays a central role in promoting an Islam “of tolerance and dialogue.”
3. Matthew Kuiper, spoke about his work on da‘wa as a global phenomenon in the modern era. He views preaching as a dynamic and powerful mobilization discourse in the modern world. According to Kuiper, da‘wa constitutes a category of Islamic missionary preaching practice. He highlighted the role of Indian, as well as other places (including Senegal) in the resurgence of Muslim missionary preaching. Kuiper distinguishes between two models of da‘wa, which he terms ‘Meccan’ and ‘Medinan’: two models of Muslim missionary preaching that maintain different relationships with the established power.

The discussion was moderated by Fârès Gillon, associate professor at the AMU and researcher in Islamology, specialising in the Ismaili doctrine of the early Fatimids. The discussion focused on the question of models and structures, as well as the relationship between preaching and established power. He pointed out that the first two models of Jesuit preaching mentioned by Ruggiero are ‘anti-establishment’ models, whereas the Jesuits have become the ‘establishment’. Kuiper’s distinction between Meccans and Medinans echoes these two frameworks. In anti-establishment preaching, the da’wa asserts itself as a discourse of reform, because it represents a form of preaching from a position of weakness: against the establishment/corruption. Ruggiero’s description of Savonarola as an ‘unarmed prophet’ reflects this idea. The debate then turned to attempts at internal reform using external techniques, as well as Islamisation and proselytisation. Violence and non-violence, as well as the ‘preaching of peace’, were notions that recurred in all the presentations. Finally, other issues were addressed, such as transmission and the material conditions of preaching (techniques, styles), as well as the notion of emulation, across time and geography.

24/09/2024 -Workshop on the words of preaching with PredicMO members (morning)

The session took the form of a round table discussion on the words of preaching and the emic and etic categories used in the study of preaching. Matthew Kuiper introduced the session by explaining how he has worked with the concept of da‘wa within the framework of his research and how he has appropriated it. He listed and analyzed a few of the many emic categories employed by the actors he studied (notably Tablîgh al Jama‘aat), along with a few etic categories, including:

• Da‘wa: Islamic missionary preaching;
• Internal da‘wa: preaching reform/revival to Muslims;
•  Islâh: reform/re-Christianization/internal preaching within da‘wa;
•  Tajdîd: intra-religious da‘wa, preaching to non-Muslims;
•  Al-amr bi’l-maʿrūf : commanding and forbidding
• External da‘wa: preaching to non-Muslims
• Tablîgh: “communicating” the message of Islam (a preferred term among many South Asian preachers (more centrifugal compared to the centripetal nature of da‘wa);
• “Meccan”  da‘wa: “apolitical” preaching aimed mainly at religious outcomes, such as reform or conversion (on analogy to the Meccan period of the Prophet Muhammad’s ministry, c. 610-622 CE)
• “Medinan” da‘wa: religio-political preaching aimed at both religious and political outcomes (on analogy to the Medinan period of the Prophet’s ministry, c. 622-632 CE)
• Official da‘wa: carried out under the auspices of the state, or by state-sponsored actors, e.g.,under state ministries of religious affairs
• Unofficial/popular da‘wa: carried out by actors or voluntary organizations independent of the state
•  ʿulamāʾ and Sufis, along with other preachers of the khuṭba, have operated in both of the above historically, but popular preachers and storytellers ( wu‘‘āẓ, quṣṣāṣ)”

The members of PredicMO then presented the terms used by those involved in preaching in their fields of research and other terms related to preaching that are significant in the practices they study within PredicMO ( khidma, qawâfil al-kirâziyya, tabshîr, dhikr to name but a few). They also reflected on how emic terms relate to the lexicon of the social sciences. They all emphasised the versatility of the term da’wa, which can be used and interpreted in different ways by those working in the field. The presentations also raised the question of whether emic categories can be effectively used as analytical tools. The discussion also highlighted the issue of language and translation. As Matthew Kuiper pointed out, within the framework of da’wa movements in the Indian subcontinent and other regions, Arabisation practices can be seen as a form of preaching.

24/09/2024 -PredicMO monthly seminar « Missionary Preaching in Islam: A Global and Historical Perspective » (afternoon)

In the afternoon, Matthew Kuiper presented his work during the fourth session of the PredicMO seminar (1:30 PM – 3:30 PM). Titled “Missionary Preaching in Islam: A Global and Historical Perspective,” Kuiper’s presentation focused on the various mechanisms through which Islam has become a global religion, emphasizing the emergence of modern missionary movements. Kuiper outlined his conceptual framework and highlighted key notions, including ‘Dawalogy’ (Islamic missionary theology), and explored the issue of interreligious relations in the study of preaching—specifically, how religions construct themselves in relation to one another.

In his work on modern islam, he has identified two models of da‘wa: The “Meccan Da‘wa”, which originates from a position of relative powerlessness. The “Medinan Da‘wa”, which emerges from a position of relative or growing strength. Kuiper also distinguished two phases in modern history of da‘wa: the colonial modernity (1850-1950) and the postcolonial modernity (1950-present). His presentation focused on the first phase, where he highlighted several examples of the “Meccan Da‘wa” model. He particularly emphasized the simultaneous emergence of various da‘wa movements (such as Muhammadiyya, Jadidism, etc.) across the Muslim world.

In the Indian subcontinent, different movements arose in response to or in relation to Christian and Hindu missionaries. Kuiper posed the question of why all these movements emerged under the banner of da‘wa. He identified several factors contributing to this emergence including, scriptural reform, inter- and intra-religious competition, the impact of colonialism, and the era of “voluntary associations”. As a result, many new religious entrepreneurs appeared, making da‘wa a powerful mobilization discourse.

25/09/2024- Livres&MAM session devoted to the book’s presentation Da‘wa. A Global History of Islamic Missionary Thought and Practice (Edinburgh University Press, 2021).

Finally, on Wednesday 25th, between 10 and 11 am, a session of Livres&MAM was dedicated to the book Da‘wa. A Global History of Islamic Missionary Thought and Practice (Edinburgh University Press, 2021). The interview was conductedby Karène Sanchez Summerer (Professor at Groningen University and coordinator of sub-project 2) and Norig Neveu (CNRS, IREMAM and PI of the PredicMo programme). In his presentation, Matthew J. Kuiper analyzed how Islam became a global religion and a cultural phenomenon of immense scope, remarkable diversity, and global impact. By paying attention to shifting contexts and themes such as the interaction between religion and politics, Islamic relations with other religions, and the transformations of modernity, he presented a nuanced and original portrait of the past, present, and future of Islamic missionary thought and practice.

---

---