Islam: Civilization and Institutions
IMES 104a
Fall 2014
M, W, Th 12:00-12:50 p.m.
Location: Lown 301
Instructor:Prof. Carl Sharif El-TobguiTeaching Fellows:
Office: Lown 206 Elias Abrar ()
Phone:(781) 736-2071 office hours: Thurs., 11:00-12:00
E-mail: Alaa Murad ()
Office Hours:Tuesdays, 11:00-12:00 and office hours: Wed., 2:00-3:00
Thursdays, 9:00-10:00(or by appointment)TF Office Location:Lown 115
Course Description: This course explores the main constituent elements of the Islamic religion, the characteristic worldview, value system and form of living it has engendered, and the main contours of the worldwide civilization constructed upon and inspired by the Islamic vision. The first part of the course will look at the rise of Islam in 7th-century Arabia, with particular emphasis on the Qur’an: its genesis, preservation and transmission, its major themes, and its role in Muslim life and worship. An overview of the fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam will then be followed, in the second part of the course, by a more detailed exploration of Islamic law, theology, philosophy, and Sufism. Having mastered the fundamentals of Islamic religion, we will then briefly explore the crowning achievements of Islamic civilization in the realms of science, art, calligraphy and architecture. Both of the aforementioned segments of the course will be interspersed with individual historical lectures covering the main watershed events of Islamic history, including the initial period of conquest, the Golden Age, the Crusades, the Mongol invasions, the later imperial empires, and the rise of the modern period.The third and final segment of the course will look at Islam in the modern context, exploring issues of Islamic law, state and government in the modern period,the question of human rights, and the contemporary relationship between Islam and the West.The purpose of the course is to provide students with an integrated understanding of the ideals and realities of Islam as a religion, as well as the dynamics of Islamic civilization both past and present.
Readings: You are required to complete all of the readings assigned for a given day before coming to class on that day. The lectures will expand upon and complement the readings, not merely outline or paraphrase them, and will be conducted on the assumption that the assigned readings have been completed and assimilated by students beforehand. You should come to class prepared to engageactively the materialsyou have read and to participate intelligently in class discussions on them. The specific reading assignments for the entire semester are given below, so you may plan your reading schedule ahead of time for periods when you anticipate greater demands on your time due to exams and projects in other courses.You will be responsible (on exams and papers) for demonstrating familiarity with the content of both the readings and the lectures.
Lectures & Attendance Policy: This course covers a lot of ground, and a number of the topics we will be dealing with are rather subtle and, on occasion, complex. We will be exploring concepts, ideas, ways of thinking and experiencing the world that do not always line up with the categories and assumptions we may take for granted. True comprehension of the material will therefore require a willingness, as well as a patient and systematic effort, on the part of students to build new conceptual tools for conceiving of things in hitherto unfamiliar ways. Although the course readings have been carefully selected to help you do this, the lectures are nonetheless vital for drawing the materials together and crystallizing them for you in ameaningful and digestible form. For this reason, daily attendance is obligatory. Students will be allowed no more than two unexcused absences during the semester, after which each additional unexcused absence will result in the subtraction of one point from the Attendance & Participation component of your final grade. Please communicate with me beforehand regarding any anticipated absences you may incur for valid reasons (such as participation in off-campus academic tournaments and the like).
Required Readings:
1. Waines, David, An Introduction to Islam, Second Edition
2. Mattson, Ingrid, The Story of the Qur’an, Second Edition
3. Rahman, Fazlur, Major Themes of the Qur’an, Second Edition
4. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein,The Heart of Islam
5. IMES 104a Reading Packet (available for purchase at university bookstore)
*All readings that do not come from one of the required books listed above are to be found in the IMES
104a Reading Packet (with occasional additional items posted on LATTE as need requires). All videos
assigned are available on YouTube.
Course Evaluation:
Attendance & Participation 10%
First Paper20%
Midterm Exam20%
Second Paper20%
Final Exam30%_____
Total 100%
Papers: The first paper, due in early October, is a 5- to 6-page essay meant primarily to gauge your absorption of the class readings as they pertain to a discrete topic. The final paper, due on December 8, is a 7- to 8-page position paper in which you are asked to develop your own engaged and critical perspective as pertains to one of the major themes of the course.
Exams:Both the midterm and the final are in-class exams. Each will have identifications and essay questions. All identifications on the final exam will come from the material covered after the midterm exam. The essays for the final exam will, however, be comprehensive.
Policy on Late Work and Incompletes: Late work will be penalized half a letter grade for each day overdue (including weekends and holidays). Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances, and in no case after the original deadline for completion has passed. Students who anticipate difficulty in meeting deadlines should contact me as far in advance of the due date as possible. A course grade of incomplete will only be granted for highly compelling reasons.
University Statement on Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Each student is expected to turn in work completed independently, except when assignments specifically authorize collaborative effort. It is not acceptable to use the words or ideas of another person—be it a world-class philosopher or your lab partner—without proper acknowledgement of that source. This means that you must use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the source of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ideas found in published volumes, on the internet, or created by another student. Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section Three of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, or in suspension or dismissal from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in this course, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification.
Disabilities: A student who requires accommodation for a documented disability of any type should see me immediately to discuss modifications to course requirements.
Grading Scale:To avoid any misunderstandings, I will share with you what is expected in order to obtain good marks in this course:
A: Outstanding Work: a firm and active grasp of the material in lectures and readings and an ability to
offer sound and insightful analysis.
B: Solid Work: a good grasp of the material in lectures and readings and significant effort to interpret the
material in an analytical fashion.
C: Decent work: a fair grasp of the material in lectures and readings, but analysis and effort are lacking.
D: Poor work: a simplistic understanding of the material with little or no effort towards analysis.
F: Unacceptable work:little grasp of the subject matter and no attempt to engage the material or respect
the parameters of the course and assignments.
Schedule of Lectures and Assigned Readings
Aug. 28:Introduction: Arabia before Islam
Readings (to be done after first lecture): → (Brown and Lapidus readings are posted on LATTE.)
“The Pre-Islamic Near East,” Daniel Brown, A New Introduction to Islam, pp. 21-34. (recommended)
“Arabia,” Ira Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies, 2nd ed., pp. 10-17. (recommended)
“The Islamic Vision in Religion and Civilization,” Marshall Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, Vol. 1, pp. 71-99.
“Islamic History as Concept,” Wilfred Cantwell Smith, On Understanding Islam: Selected Studies,
pp. 3-25. ▼
Ingrid Mattson, The Story of the Qur’an, pp. 4-16.
“The Wanderer-King”(mu‘allaqa of Imru’ al-Qays), in A. J. Arberry, The Seven Odes: The First Chapter in Arabic Literature, pp. 31-66.
Sep. 3: The Prophet Muhammad at Mecca
Readings:
Mattson, pp. 27-34 (on historical issues related to the sources of the prophetic biography)
Mattson, pp. 16-22 (early life up to the Call) and pp. 34-61 (up to the hijra)
Video: Islam: Empire of Faith – Part 1: The Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam (up to 29:13)
Sep. 4: The Prophet Muhammad at Medina ; The Status and Function of the Prophet in Islam
Readings:
Mattson, pp. 61-74
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Heart of Islam, pp. 27-39.
“The Hilye of the Prophet Muhammad,” Mohamed Zakariya, Seasons: The Journal of Zaytuna Institute, Autumn-Winter, 2003-4, pp. 13-22.
Video: Islam: Empire of Faith – Part 1 (28:50 to 42:53)
[Read after class “Muhammad the Man of al-Llah,” in Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A
Biography of the Prophet, pp. 45-54 for a review of the main events of the prophetic sira.]
Sep. 8: The Qur’an: God & Nature
Readings: Fazlur Rahman, Major Themes of the Qur’an, Introduction, Chs. 1 & 4.
Sep. 10: The Qur’an: Man
Readings: Rahman, Chs. 2 & 3
Sep. 11: The Qur’an: Prophethood & Revelation
Readings: Rahman, Ch. 5
Sep. 15: The Qur’an: Eschatology
Readings:
Rahman, Ch. 6
“Stages of Life and Death,” Sachiko Murata and William Chittick,The Vision of Islam, pp. 193-213.
Sep. 18: Catch-Up Day (finishing up theology):
Please make sure to be fully caught up with ALL readings through “The Qur’an: Eschatology,”
originally assigned for Sep. 15 (see above)
Sep. 22: Collection, Codification, and Transmission of the Qur’an; Qur’an Interpretation and
Related Disciplines
Readings: Mattson, Ch. 3 (pp. 79-135)
Mattson, pp. 193-215
Audio: Listen – in their entirety – to the various examples of Qur’an recitation sent as links by e-mail
Sep. 23 & 24: Pillars of Faith (iman) & Pillars of Practice (islam)
Readings:
“The Shahadah as Symbolic Representation of Muslims’ Faith,” W. C. Smith, On Understanding Islam: Selected Studies, pp. 26-37.
“Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge: the Relationship between Faith and Practice in Islam,” Vincent J. Cornell (in The Oxford History of Islam), pp. 63-90 & 95-105.
Nasr, pp. 130-142
Sep. 29: The Expansion of Islam, the Early Muslim State, and the Early Coalescence of the
Tradition
“The Arab Conquests and Islamic Rule: The Struggle for a Unified Umma,” Frederick Denny,
Introduction to Islam, 4th Edition, pp. 74-96.
David Waines, An Introduction to Islam, pp. 33-47.
Mattson, pp. 185-193
Video: Islam: Empire of Faith – Part 1 (41:58 – end)
Oct. 1: Sunna and Hadith:
Readings:
“The Prophet’s Sunna as Preserved in Hadith,” Frederick Denny, Introduction to Islam,4th Edition, pp. 150-163.
“Hadith Literature – II: Collection and Transmission of Hadith,” Nabia Abbott, in The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, I: Arabic Literature to the End of the Umayyad Period, pp. 289-98.
“The Role of Traditionalism in Islam,” J. Fueck, in Merlin L. Swartz (tr. and ed.), Studies on Islam,
pp. 99-120.
Oct. 2: Islamic Law: Formation, Theoretical Foundations, and Sources
Readings: Bernard Weiss, The Spirit of Islamic Law, pp. 1-52.
Oct. 6: How the Law Works: Jurists, Muftis, Qadis, and the Schools of Law
Readings:
Waines, pp. 63-88
Nasr, 126-129
Mattson, pp. 215-225
Oct. 8: Content and Priorities of the Law ; The Structure of Islamic Society
Readings: Nasr, 129-183
Oct. 13: Women and the Family ; Women’s Role in Hadith Scholarship and the Law
Readings:
Nasr, 183-199
“Women,” in Wael B. Hallaq, Introduction to Islamic Law, pp. 64-71. ▼
Read the following sections from al-Muhaddithat: the women scholars in Islam, by Mohammad
Akram Nadwi:
(a) Preface; (b) Introduction; (c) “The Manners of the Women Scholars” (pp. 149-155);
and (d) Ch. 10, “Fiqh and ‘amal ” (pp. 273-290).
“What Do Women Want?” Ch. 4 in John L. Esposito & Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam?: What
a Billion Muslims Really Think, pp. 99-133.
Oct. 22: ** Midterm Exam **
Oct. 27: Peace, Justice & the Question of War: Classical Jihad and Modern-Day Terrorism
Readings:
Nasr, pp. 239-256
Jihad and the Islamic Law of War, The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan.
“The Economics of Terrorism: How bin Laden has Changed the Rules of the Game,” Waleed
El-Ansary, in Joseph E. B. Lumbard (ed.), Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition
(revised and expanded),pp. 197-228.
Oct. 29: Jihad (continued)
Readings:
“Islamic Statements Against Terrorism” (in response to 9/11) [on LATTE] required
Open Letter by top Muslim scholars to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of ISIS [on LATTE] required
Oct. 30: Overview of Shi‘ism
Readings:
Nasr, pp. 65-76
Waines, Ch. 6 (pp. 155-172)
“The Spirituality of Shi‘ism,” Carl W. Ernst, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in
the Contemporary World, pp. 168-174.
Nov. 3: Sufism I: Rectifying the Character & Purifying the Soul
Readings:
Waines, pp. 133-141
“Goodness and Human Action,” in Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Garden of Truth, pp. 81-102.
Sufism and Good Character: Prophetic Guidance on the Spiritual Path, Imam Zafar Uthmani,
pp. 1-4 and 25-48.
Al-Ghazali, Deliverer from Error, “The Avoidance of Sins” in W. Montgomery Watt, The Faith and
Practice of al-Ghazali, pp. 131-152.
Nov. 5: Sufism II: Knowledge & Enlightenment
Readings:
Waines, 141-154
Al-Ghazali, “The Elaboration of the Marvels of the Heart,” in John Renard, Knowledge of God in
Classical Sufism, pp. 298-326.
“The Tradition of Theoretical Sufism and Gnosis,” in S. H. Nasr, The Garden of Truth, pp. 209-234.
Nov. 6: Islamic Theology as a Discipline
Readings:
Mattson, pp. 141-147
Waines, pp. 103-124
Nov. 10: Philosophical Speculation
Readings:
Waines, pp. 124-132
“Speculation: Falsafah and Kalâm,” Marshall Hodgson,The Venture of Islam, Vol. 1, pp. 410-443.
William Chittick, “The Worldview of Islamic Philosophy,” in The Heart of Islamic Philosophy: The
Quest for Self-Knowledge in the Teachings of Afdal al-Din al-Kashani, pp. 29-67.
Nov. 12: Islam’s Artistic Signature: Calligraphy & Architecture
Readings:
Nasr, pp. 227-236
Mattson, 147-154
Waines, 196-201
“Arabesque and Aesthetics,” John Renard, from Ch. 4 of Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality
and the Religious Life of Muslims, pp. 125-141
Video: Paradise Found: Islamic Architecture and Arts (entire video) : submit a 1.5-2 page summary
(double spaced) of the main principles of Islamic architecture (i.e., what makes architecture
“Islamic”), as well as your personal thoughts on and reactions to the video.
Nov. 13: Science in Classical Islamic Civilization I
Video: Islam and Science (BBC), Part I : watch and summarize in 1.5-2 double-spaced pages.
(Watch and summarize Parts II & III as a homework assignment over the weekend)
Nov. 17: The Crusades and the Mongol Invasions
Readings:
“Havoc,” Ch. 9 in Tamim Ansary, Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes,
pp. 133-158.
Ibn al-Athir (d. 1223), “On the Tatars, 1220-1221 CE,” in Edward G. Browne,A Literary History of
Persia – Volume II: From Firdawsi to Sa‘di, pp. 427-431.
Ata-Malik Juvaini, Genghis Khan: The History of the World-Conqueror, J. A. Boyle (tr. and ed.), pp.
16-34.
Video: Islam: Empire of Faith – Part 2: The Awakening (from 22:48 – end)
Nov. 19: The World of Ibn Battuta and the Later Empires
Readings:
Waines, pp. 175-196 ▼
Nasr, pp. 87-100
Video: Islam: Empire of Faith – Part 3: The Ottomans
Nov. 20: Pre-Modern Reform Movements and the Rise of Modernity
Readings:
Waines, 201-210
“The Transmutation in Islamdom,” Marshall Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, Vol. 3, pp. 200-219
Nov. 24: 19th- and 20th-Century Responses to Modernity
Readings:
Waines, 211-243
Nasr, 100-112
Dec. 1: Contemporary Issues I: Islamic Law, the Modern State & Secularism
Readings:
Waines, 243-257
Ira Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies, 2nd ed., from “Conclusion: Secularized Islam and Islamic
Revival,” pp. 835-872.
Dec. 3: Contemporary Issues II: Human Rights, Human Responsibilities
Readings:
Nasr, Ch. 7 (pp. 275-306)
“The Clash of Unprovable Universalisms – International Human Rights and Islamic Law,” Neville
Cox, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion (2013) 2 (2), pp. 307-329.
Dec. 4: Contemporary Issues III: Islam & the West
Readings:
Waines, 257-297
“Roots of Misconception: Euro-American Perceptions of Islam Before and After September 11,”
Ibrahim Kalin, in Joseph E. B. Lumbard (ed.), Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition
(revised and expanded), pp. 149-185.
Dec. 8: Concluding Lecture (attendance required!)
Readings:
Mattson, 247-264)
Nasr, Epilogue (pp. 309-316)
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