Episodes
Monday Jun 15, 2020
EP.56--History: From the Umayyads to the Abbasids
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
This episode discusses some elements related to the transition from the first dynasty of the world of Islam, the Banu Umayya, to the highly influential ruling dynasty of the Banu al-Abbas, bringing Muhammad's clan of Banu Hashim back to a leadership role.
Monday Feb 06, 2017
EP.55-The Non-Muslims of the Early Islamic Period (Part II)
Monday Feb 06, 2017
Monday Feb 06, 2017
This episode continues discussing the non-Muslim communities of the early Islamic period. The focus shifts to Christian communities after the Arab conquests.
Thursday Apr 21, 2016
EP.54-The Non-Muslims of the Early Islamic Period (Part I)
Thursday Apr 21, 2016
Thursday Apr 21, 2016
This episode of the World of Islam briefly discusses the non-Muslim communities of the early Islamic period, particularly after the Arab conquests of the Near East and the establishment of an Islamic empire. The focus of this first part is on Judaism and the Jewish communities.
Thursday Dec 31, 2015
Ep.53-Religion: Popular Islam
Thursday Dec 31, 2015
Thursday Dec 31, 2015
This episode seeks to correct a major misconception concerning Islam and Muslim life. The Islam of the masses is not simply a reflection of the intellectual discourses that we have covered so far in the podcast.
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Ep.52-The Brethren of Purity
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Monday Dec 14, 2015
This episode of the World of Islam introduces the so-called Ikhwan al-Safa (The Brethren of Purity), a group of mysterious thinkers that produced a major encyclopedic philosophical work. We touch on Ismailism and the attempt to unify various forms of knowledge in classical Islam.
Tuesday Jul 28, 2015
Ep.51-Al-Farabi and his Philosophy
Tuesday Jul 28, 2015
Tuesday Jul 28, 2015
Al-Farabi (d.950) was one of the most important philosophers of the world of early Islam. This episode briefly introduces part of his contribution to metaphysics and political philosophy.
Thursday Jul 09, 2015
EP.50-Philosophy and Religion between al-Kindi and al-Razi
Thursday Jul 09, 2015
Thursday Jul 09, 2015
This episode highlights two perspectives in early philosophy within Muslim contexts. Al-Kindi (d. 860s) viewed philosophy and religion as compatible and important whereas al-Razi (d.925) was skeptical of revelation and prophets.
Friday Jun 12, 2015
EP.49-Philosophy in Early Islamic Contexts
Friday Jun 12, 2015
Friday Jun 12, 2015
This episode discusses the interaction with Greek philosophy in the early Islamic period. We encounter Plotinus, Neoplatonism, and the important Christian translators of Greek knowledge to Arabic which opened the door to the rise of major Muslim philosophers in later times.
Islamic Philosophy: an Introduction by Oliver Leaman
The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy Edited by P. Adamson/R.C. Taylor
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
EP.48--Religion: The Sufi Worldview
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Today's episode seeks to present a general picture of the Sufi worldview. Some of the questions we briefly deal with include: How do Sufis interpret revelation? And what is the Sufi "Way" or "Path" (tariqa)?
Friday Dec 19, 2014
EP.47--Religion: From Asceticism to Mysticism
Friday Dec 19, 2014
Friday Dec 19, 2014
This episode discusses a further step in the later rise of full-fledged Sufi orientations within the world of Islam. We encounter the concepts of ma`rifa (intuitive knowledge), fana' (annihilation in God), and baqa' (subsistence), as well as the important figures of Bistami (d.875), al-Junayd (d.910), and al-Hallaj (d.922).
Saturday Nov 15, 2014
EP.46--Religion: Early Sufism and Asceticism
Saturday Nov 15, 2014
Saturday Nov 15, 2014
This episode introduces the tradition of Sufism that some also call Islamic mysticism. We are concerned today with the early period and the practice of zuhd (asceticism).
Tuesday Oct 07, 2014
EP.45--History: Jihad in the Modern World
Tuesday Oct 07, 2014
Tuesday Oct 07, 2014
This episode discusses the struggles of modern Muslims to make sense of the concept of Jihad. We consider the impact of European colonialism and attempt to map a number of ways in which Muslims in the modern world have perceived Jihad up to the present.
Friday Sep 26, 2014
EP.44--History: The Jihad Movements
Friday Sep 26, 2014
Friday Sep 26, 2014
This episode briefly discusses the worldview of the Jihad movements that appeared on the Muslim scene around the 17th and 18th centuries AD. Can we view these movements as, in some ways, precursors to contemporary Jihad movements? The episode particularly highlights the attitude of these movements towards the religious practice of their time and also their drive to establish a "caliphate."
Saturday Sep 06, 2014
EP.43--Religion: Jihad, War, and Peace
Saturday Sep 06, 2014
Saturday Sep 06, 2014
What exactly is Jihad? This episode discusses the traditional doctrine of Jihad that Muslim Jurists developed and takes a brief look at related issues of conflict, peace, and pluralism in the Qur'an and some premodern Muslim legal discourses.
Wednesday Jul 30, 2014
Wednesday Jul 30, 2014
What does Ijmāʿ (consensus) mean? How does it function within traditional Islamic Law? In what way do the Sunni concept of “ijmāʿ” and the Shīʿī concept of “imām” parallel each other? What are the political dynamics of ijmāʿ?
Wednesday Jul 23, 2014
EP.41--Religion: Ijtihad and the Intellectual Struggle to Find God's Law in Islam
Wednesday Jul 23, 2014
Wednesday Jul 23, 2014
The episode discusses the concept of ijtihad that has been used by Muslim jurists to derive legal rulings. We particularly focus on what is known as qiyas and that came to be the most dominant interpretative tool that a mujtahid utilizes in this process.
Monday Jul 07, 2014
EP.40--Religion: Hadith Collections
Monday Jul 07, 2014
Monday Jul 07, 2014
The episode introduces some of the different types of Hadith collections that arose in the world of Islam over the centuries. We discuss the role of Hadith in the transition from Qur'anic discourse to Islamic discourses and learn about sahifas, musannafs, musnads, and the Sahih movement.
Friday Jun 06, 2014
EP.39--Religion: Hadith and Sunna
Friday Jun 06, 2014
Friday Jun 06, 2014
Hadith reports attributing sayings and actions to Muhammad came to play a major role in the shaping of the religion of Islam. This episode will discuss some of the classifications of Hadith that Muslim scholars came to adopt after the success of what can be termed the Hadith movement.
Tuesday May 20, 2014
EP.38--Religion: The Solidification of Sunni Legal Schools
Tuesday May 20, 2014
Tuesday May 20, 2014
This
episode deals with the institutionalization of the legal field in Sunni Islam and the rise of the four "orthodox" legal schools or madhabs (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafiʿi, and Hanbali).
Thursday May 08, 2014
EP.37--Religion: The Compromise of al-Shafiʿi and the Slow Birth of Usul al-Fiqh
Thursday May 08, 2014
Thursday May 08, 2014
This episode further discusses the debate between the Ahl al-Ra'y and Ahl al-Hadith as well as the compromise initiated by al-Shafiʿi, who will make the case for hadith as vehicle for Sunna and will establish a rudimentary base of Usul al-Fiqh (Sources/Principles of Jurisprudence).