Parts of Islamic Studies (7): Study of the Apocalypse in Western Islamic Studies

During the past century, beyond the body of the western Islamic studies on the subject of the Prophet’s Sīre (Prophet’s way of living) and the history of Islam, the Apocalypse and the advent of the Promised One is one of the key issues which can be considered as a distinguishing feature. In other words, paying attention to or ignoring the Apocalypse has divided the studies of the scholars of Islamic studies into two groups. The author of this paper has tried to present a short history of the process of Islamic studies regarding the issue of the Apocalypse, and talks of the cause and the quality of western scholars’ dealing with this issue as well. Regarding this, he explains about the western scholars’ first efforts to understand the concept of Apocalypse, and its effect on Islamic events.