The Beginnings of Islam

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will cover the first 150 years of Islamic history, beginning with the Prophet Muhammad's (d. 632) prophetic mission until the demise of the Umayyad dynasty in 749. Initially the focus will be on the Prophet's life as portrayed in the work of the 8th century compiler Ibn Ishaq (d. 767) as well as in modern biographies. In the second part, the focus will move to the Islamic conquests and the age of the Rashidun caliphs, who ruled for three decades (632-661) after the Prophet's death. The third and final part of the course will introduce the first Muslim dynasty, the Umayyads, under whose rule (661-750) the early Islamic community was transformed into a fully-fledged state. We will discuss several different topics, such as state formation in early Islam, ideas about religious vs. political leadership, the development of new religious identities, the emergence of a new ruling elite, formation of Muslim scholarly circles, the first examples of Islamic art and architecture, as well as inner-Muslim conflicts and rebellions.