Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 7

ISLAMIC STUDIES

COURSE OUTLINE
Instructors: Dr. Iftikhar Zaman
Asif Iftikhar
Basic objectives:
Along with learning facts and figures, an undergraduate education in Islam should develop the
ability in students to understand different points of view and come to their own decisions
regarding them. To develop this ability in the students, this course will proceed in two streams of
class sections: a hundred minute section and a fifty-minute section.
Stream 1:
The students will learn about Islam through English language sources, most of which have been
penned by Orientalist scholars or have been written with their scholarship in mind. The first part
of the course, until the Mid-term exams, will prepare the students to understand the concerns that
are in the background to Orientalist scholarship.
The second part of the course will focus on the ways in which Muslims have understood Islam.
The section on Islamic history will provide the students with a perspective on the way in which
the body of knowledge and attitudes that are known as Islam have come to us. This will help
understand the sources for diversity in the Muslim World, both in their practice of Islam and in
their approach toward the "Islamic Project". After this, there is a section on the way in which
Muslims have approached the issues raised by economics and social sciences in the modern
world. Finally, there is a section on what the morality of a Muslim means in the modern world.
Stream 2:
It is essential that any student of Islam read the basic text of this religion: the Quran. This is
especially so since the Quran is only about 400 pages or so in translation. The students will read
through the book quickly, with attention to broad themes and topics. They will not be asked to
look at any exegesis or secondary works: the idea is to just familiarize them with the broad
demands the Quran makes of humanity and the manner in which it makes them.

-1-

Islamic Studies Readings


Three kinds of readings are listed below:
Readings preceded by an arrow (as in the beginning of this line) are mandatory. Every
lecture will be based on the assumption that students have read them carefully.

Readings preceded by a dot (as in the beginning of this line) are recommended. Their
contents will be summarized in class. However, the students will find it useful to read
them.

For those who may be interested, optional readings listed as Additional will very useful
but usually a little difficult.
The required readings and the recommended readings are included in the photocopied readings
package for this class. The additional readings are available for download from the class
website.
Students may use any translation of the Quran, in Urdu or English for the Quran readings. For
the sake of being consistent in class we will refer to the translation of M. A. S. Abdel Haleem
so each student should purchase this one.
All the readingsincluding the readings package and the Quran translation are available for
download from the same place. But please note: these downloadable materials are for
students study during this class only: they are not to be reproduced or distributed in any
form.
The Page numbers in the Readings by Lecture are page numbers as in the originally published
books. These original page numbers are recorded in this reading package between square
brackets: [xx]. The Table of Contents following that section refers to the continuous page
numbers in this reading package.

-2-

Readings by Lecture
09/02 History of Islam: The Narrative on the Life of the Prophet
R. G. Collingwood The Idea of History Who Killed John Doe? pp. 266-268.
Bernard Lewis The Arabs in History Muhammad pp. 36-48
H A R Gibb Mohammadenism Muhammad pp.27-35
Fred Donner The Early Islamic Conquests Introduction pp. 3-9
Additional Reading:
Carl G. Hempel Philosophy of Natural Science
09/03 Quran Readings: Introductory Lecture
Additional Reading:
Mustafa Azami The Text of the Quran. This book is easy reading and very useful and every
student should read it. But, since there are already enough readings for the class, only a small
portion of it has been selected for the required and recommended readings.
09/09 History of Islamic Textual Sources: The Preservation of the Quran
In Mustafa Azami The Text of the Quran

Preface xv-xxii,

Introduction 3-13,

Pt III An Appraisal of Orientalist Research


Ch 18: The Orientalist and the Quran 303320

Ch 19: Orientalist Motivations: A study of subjectivity 321-339

Ch 20: Closing Remarks 341--344

09/10 Quran Reading: suras 1-4


Suras 1-4

09/16 History of Islamic Textual Sources: Hadith 5 pgs + spreadsheet


Joseph Schacht Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence pp. 172-174, pg. 161
Malik ibn Anas Muwatta (tr Tarjumana and Johnson, pp 324-5)
Handout: Spreadsheet of hadiths with chains of narration

-3-

09/17 Quran Reading: suras 5-9


Suras 5-9

09/23 The Context of the Western Narratives on Islamic Textual Sources


Barbara Tuchman March Of Folly
Martin Luther Disputation of Dr Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of
Indulgences
Additional Readings
Edward Said Orientalism
The Crime of Galileo Giorgio Santillana
09/24 Quran Readings: suras 10-16
Suras 10-16
MIDTERM EXAM
09/30 Islamic Hist: How the Prophets Knowledge comes to us
Ahmad Mujtaba Hasan Bukhari (selections)
Additonal Readings
Shah Waliullah The Conclusive Argument (tr. Marcia Hermansen) pp. 437-450
Ali ibn al-Madini Kitab al-Ilal
10/01 Quran Readings: suras 17-25
Suras 17-25

10/14 Diversity in the Muslim World: Madhahib and Sects


Madhahib and salafis:

Fazlur Rahman Islam pp. 203-219 Sectarian Developments

In Sherman Jackson Introduction: Part I to his translation of al-Ghazalis Faysal al-Tafriqa


(On the Boundaries ofTheological Tolerance in Islam)
Theology Between Tolerance and Exclusivity pp 3-8
Theology Between Religion and History pp. 8-16

Theology Between Traditionalism and Rationalism pp16-29

Theology Between Orthodoxy and Heresy pp. 29-35

Additional Readings

-4-

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali Faysal al-Tafriqa (On the Boundaries ofTheological Tolerance in
Islam) tr. Sherman Jackson (translated text from pp. 85-132).
10/15 Quran Readings: suras 26-36
Suras 26-36

10/21 Diversity in the Muslim World: The Islamic Project


Iftikhar Zaman Towards Islamic Ways of Islamization
10/22 Quran Readings: suras 37-49
Suras 37-49

10/28 Living in the World: Economics and Social Science


Mufti Muhammad Shafi Islam kaa nizaam ma`ishat tr. As Distribution of Wealth in
Islam
Arthur Lewis The Theory of Economic Growth Appendix: Is Economic Growth
Desirable?
Additional Readings
Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanavi Tariq al-Qalandar
10/29 Quran Readings: suras 50-end
Suras 50-end

11/04 The Moral Individual in an Immoral World: Demands of God and


Man
Additional Reading:
Michael Harrington ThePolitics at Gods Funeral
11/05 Quran Readings: Overview and Summary

-5-

Table of Contents

R. G. Collingwood The Idea Of History Who Killed John Doe?..........................................


Bernard Lewis The Arabs in History. Ch 2 Muhammad and the Rise of Islam.......................
H. A. R. Gibb Mohammedanism: An Historical Survey Ch.2 Mohammed............................
Fred Mcgraw Donner The Early Islamic Conquests Introduction..........................................
Muhammad Mustafa Al-A'zami The History Of The Qur'anic Text..............................................
Ch 18 The Orientalist And The Qur'an..................................................................................

Ch 19 Orientalist Motivations: A Study Of Subjectivity................................................

C H . 20 Closing Remarks........................................................................................................

Joseph Schacht The Origins Of Muhammadan Jurisprudence (selections)..........................


Malik ibn Anas Muwatta (selection).......................................................................................
Barbara Tuchman The March of Folly Ch. 3 The Renaissance Popes Provoke the
Protestant Secession 1470-1530....................................................................................................
Martin Luther 95 Theses: Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and
Efficacy of Indulgences..................................................................................................................
Ahmad Mujtaba Hasan Bukhari Ch. 4 Discovering Practice: Textual and non-Textual
Sources...........................................................................................................................................
Fazlur Rahman Islam Sectarian Developments....................................................................
Sherman A. Jackson On The Boundaries Of Theological Tolerance In Islam............................

PREFACE..............................................................................................................................

A. Theology: Between Tolerance And Exclusivity...............................................................


B. Theology Between Religion And History........................................................................

C. Theology Between Traditionalism And Rationalism.......................................................

D. Theology Between Orthodoxy And Heresy.....................................................................


-6-

Maulvi Iftikhar Zaman Towards Islamic Ways of Islamization.............................................

Mufti Muhammad Shafi Distribution of Wealth in Islam (selection)........................

W. Arthur Lewis Theory of Economic Growth Appendix: Is Economic Growth


Desirable?................................................................................................................................................................

Grading Plan:
Quizzes: 20 %
Assignment: 20%
Mid-term Exam: 25%
Final: 35%

-7-

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi