Drs. Scott Kugle and Roxani Margariti of Emory’s Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies present their recent research on the foundational legend of Islam's arrival in India. The legend includes the miracle of the splitting of the moon (inshiqaq al-qamar), first alluded to in the Qur’an as a divine sign and developed as a miracle of the Prophet Muhammad in the exegetical tradition. They will discuss how the interplay between the legend and the miracle story forms the subject of a fascinating 18th-century Indian painting that draws on the Mughal painting tradition on view in the exhibition Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place.
