The conquest of the Middle East by Muslims ultimately resulted in the Islamization of the region. The long process by which this took place awaits clarification. Conversion narratives, permitting us a glimpse into relations between Muslims, non-Muslims, and converts, might serve to elucidate this process. This study examines how different families responded to religious conversion within their ranks. It will show that in early Islam, individuals moved between different spheres, all the while negotiating their roles and commitments. Rather than considering the act of conversion itself, this study engages with the range of responses generated by conversion that were recorded by medieval historians, biographers, and ḥadīth collectors. The present contribution seeks to demonstrate, through anecdotes of conversion, the ways in which kinship ties functioned in the face of shifts in personal status. I also hope to show that boundaries between religious communities (to the extent that they indeed existed) were much more porous, or perceived as such, than has been previously thought. The anecdotes concern the early days of Islam among pagans and shed light on communities’ reception or rejection of Muḥammad’s call.

中文翻译：

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亲属关系、期望和上帝

穆斯林对中东的征服最终导致了该地区的伊斯兰化。发生这种情况的漫长过程有待澄清。皈依叙事让我们得以一瞥穆斯林、非穆斯林和皈依者之间的关系，可能有助于阐明这一过程。这项研究调查了不同家庭对其队伍中的宗教皈依的反应。它将表明，在早期的伊斯兰教中，个人在不同领域之间流动，一直在协商他们的角色和承诺。本研究不考虑皈依行为本身，而是涉及中世纪历史学家、传记作者和 ḥadīth 收藏家记录的皈依产生的一系列反应。本文稿旨在通过皈依的轶事来证明，面对个人地位的变化，亲属关系的运作方式。我还希望表明，宗教社区之间的界限（就它们确实存在而言）比以前认为的要多得多，或者被认为是这样。这些轶事涉及异教徒中伊斯兰教的早期，并阐明了社区对穆罕默德的召唤的接受或拒绝。