010133 VO Islamic History I (2025W)

This course offers an in-depth and critical examination of the formative period of Islam, focusing on the political, religious, and intellectual dynamics that shaped early Islamic identity and institutional development. Rather than treating the rise of Islam as a linear or inevitable process, the course approaches it as the result of contested negotiations within a complex and evolving late antique world.

The course begins with an analysis of the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula, exploring local religious traditions, henotheistic practices, and the phenomenon of “pagan monotheism” associated with the Ḥanīfs. These elements are not viewed in isolation but are examined as part of the broader socio-political and economic landscape that framed the emergence of Muḥammad’s prophetic mission. The concept of jāhiliyya is critically assessed not simply as a historical period but as a polemical construct central to early Islamic discourses of otherness and renewal.

A major component of the course is the life of the Prophet Muḥammad (Sīra), divided into the Meccan and Medinan phases. Here, the focus lies not only on biographical events but on the political and theological implications of his message, the formation of the first Muslim community, and the Prophet’s engagement with Jewish and Christian groups. Special attention is given to the interplay between spiritual authority and pragmatic governance.

The course then turns to the early post-Prophetic period, highlighting the contested issue of succession, the governance of the four "Rightly Guided" Caliphs, and the emergence of intra-Muslim conflicts that culminated in the first Fitna (civil war). This formative period is analyzed as a battleground of competing visions of religious and political authority, laying the groundwork for later Sunni and Shi‘i positions.

The rise of the Umayyad dynasty marks a significant transition toward dynastic rule. The course examines the institutionalization of monarchical governance, the Umayyads’ strategies for legitimation, and the religious-political opposition they faced. This section also explores shifts in theological thinking and the emergence of early Islamic historiography and cultural identity.

The Abbasid Revolution introduces a new phase of ideological and political transformation. Under the Abbasids, competing theological narratives sharpened the distinction between Sunni orthodoxy and Shi‘i dissent. The course investigates how these discourses developed within the broader reconfiguration of authority, memory, and sacred history.

The final part of the course addresses two thematic case studies that illustrate the geographic and intellectual expansion of Islam: the history of Jerusalem as a contested sacred space and the development of Islam in al-Andalus as a zone of cultural interaction, conflict, and innovation.

Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the critical reading of historical sources and the historiographical traditions that shaped Muslim self-understanding. Students are encouraged to interrogate how Islamic historical consciousness was constructed, contested, and transmitted — and how foundational tensions between revelation, power, and memory continue to inform Islamic thought.