EGST 0206 - Introduction to Islamic Studies

Credits: 3

An overview of the history, sources, beliefs and practices of Islam, which begins with biographical sketches of the life of Muhammad, the development of the Muslim community, the early caliphate and successive dynasties, notably of Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman and the beginnings of the modern Muslim era. The course examines the sources of Muslim beliefs with respect to their origins in Semitic revelations central to the Abrahamatic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Special attention is given to the centrality of the Qur'an and the traditions or sunnah of the prophet Muhammad. The course investigates the origin of Islamic Law and its manifestations in the four schools of Islamic thought and practice-Hanabali,Hanifi, Shafi, and Maliki also tracing the root causes of the major sectarian split in Islam between Sunni and Shi'a.


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