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  1. The Islamic World
    1. Overview of Islamic civilization
      1. Meaning of islam and muslim
      2. Geographic setting
      3. The pre-Islamic Arabs
          4. a)   Desert Bedouins
          b)   Urban Arabs
      4. Jewish and Christian neighbors
    2. History of Islam
      1. Life and teachings of Muhammad
          2. a)   The Quraish tribe
          b)   The cities of Mecca and Medina
          c)   Jihad and the expansion of Islam
          d)   The purification of the Kaaba
      2. The Islamic Empire and Muhammad's successors
          3. a)   Theocracy and the role of the Caliph
          b)   The Abbasid dynasty, the golden age of Islam, 754-1258
          c)   Collapse of the caliphate and the rise of mutually hostile Islamic states
    3. Islamic religious and cultural developments
      1. Brilliance of Islamic civilization
          2. a)   Brief survey
          b)   Central role of religion in Islamic life
      2. Islamic religion
          3. a)   Two central beliefs
          b)   Relation to Jewish and Christian prophetic tradition
          c)   The Koran
          d)   The Hadith, or the Tradition
          e)   Five Pillars of the Faith
            (1)   The affirmation of faith
            (2)   Prayer
            (3)   Fasting
            (4)   Alms-giving
            (5)   Pilgrimage
          f)   The Shari'a, or holy law
      3. History
          4. a)   Various types
          b)   The pioneering work of Ibn Khaldun
      4. Science
          5. a)   Link between Roman science and medieval Western science
          b)   Original contributions
            (1)   Medicine
            (2)   Mathematics
          c)   Adaptations from Hindu science
      5. Art and architecture
          6. a)   Complex adaptations of sources
            (1)   Greco-Roman influence
            (2)   Byzantine influence
            (3)   Persian influence
            (4)   Impact of the koranic prohibition against figurative art
          b)   Decorative art
            (1)   Arabesques
            (2)   Calligraphy
            (3)   Mosaics
            (4)   Other
          c)   The dominant structure: the mosque
            (1)   A typical mosque
            (2)   The congregational mosque: Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
            (3)   The teaching mosque
            (4)   The Minbar
          d)   Persian miniatures
            (1)   Origins
            (2)   Characteristics

  2. Muhammad, The Prophet
    1. History of Islam
      1. Muhammad's early life
      2. Muhammad's calling
      3. Controversy
      4. The Hegira
      5. The purification of the Kaaba

  3. Imperial Islam
    1. The Post-Muhammad Years
      1. Abu Bakr and the Sunni party
      2. Ali and the Shi'a party
    2. The Umayyad Dynasty
    3. The Abbasid Dynasty
    4. The Seljuk Turk Empire
    5. Imperial Decline

  4. Islam as Religion
    1. Fundamental characteristics
      1. Two central beliefs
          2. a)   There is but one God.
          b)   Muhammad is His Prophet.
      2. Relation to Jewish and Christian prophetic tradition
      3. Sacred texts
          4. a)   The Qur'an
          b)   The Hadith
      4. Five Pillars
          5. a)   The affirmation of faith
          b)   Prayer
          c)   Fasting
          d)   Alms-giving
          e)   Pilgrimage
      5. Jihad
      6. Sharia

  5. Medieval Islamic Culture
    1. Medicine
      1. Superior to Western medicine
      2. Muhammad al-Razi
    2. Philosophy and history
      1. Philosophy
          2. a)   Avicenna
          b)   Averroës
      2. History
          3. a)   Biographies of Muhammad
          b)   Ibn Khaldun
    3. Technology
      1. Papermaking
      2. Hydraulics
      3. Mechanical engineering
    4. Literature
      1. Poetry
          2. a)   Odes
          b)   Elegies
          c)   Ghazal
      2. Prose
          3. a)   Maqaman
          b)   The Thousand and One Nights
          c)   Mirror of Princes
    5. Art and Architecture
      1. Qur'anic influences
          2. a)   Arabesques
          b)   Calligraphy
      2. Architecture
          3. a)   Dome of the Rock
          b)   The mosque
      3. Painting
          4. a)   Persian miniatures
          b)   Illustrated books
    6. Music
      1. Call to prayer
      2. Instrumental music

  6. The Legacy of Medieval Islam






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