THE ANALYSIS AND THE CRmCISM OF WATT'S ARTlCLE NAMED 'CREATED
IN HIS IMAGE" IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS PERCEPTION ON ISLAM AND
HADITH
Abstract
Most of the orientaHsts believe that the Muslim's thought structure developed and
took shape in the first two centurlesı especially after the conquest of Syria an Iraq.
These two counbies were the center of sdences and cultures betare Islam. After the
Islamir conquests, $ome of andent dwellers in these countries preserved their beliet
when some of them adopted Islam in time. There is no doubt that, who adopted Islam
transmitted andent believes in their new lives. Thus, Muslims began to live side by side
varied cultures. According to the Orientalists these men who were more cultivated and
cultured than Muslims, had greatest share in development and taking shape through
basic areas such as lslamic philosophy, mysticism, jurisprudence, theology and hadith.
One of the studies that indude similar evaluations is W. Montgomery Watt's artıele
named "Created in His Image: A Study in Islamie Theology" in whieh he has interpreted
the hadith known as "hadith of Surah". Here, the author in the exampility of the "hadith
of Surah", assumes that some of hadiths were affected by foreign cultures, and even
that they originated from that souree. While establishing his thesis, he has taken the
textual differenees of hadith's various narrations as basic, and has tried to relate
between differences in the narrators and in the textual differenees. In this artiele, we will
try to analyze and erititise Watt's mentioned opinions, the baekground of these opinions
and his evaluatlons eoneerning the "hadith of Surah".
