Al Balagh Academy is offering this advanced course on Islamic history from the beginning of Islam until the end of the Mamluk period 500-1500. It will cover the expansion of Islam, the rise, fitan, futuhat, key figures, movements and issues faced by the Umayyads, the Abbasids and successor states. It will further provide an in-depth study on the emergence of classical Islamic societies and material culture (including architecture, arts, literature), the threats, invasions and Muslim societies’ response to it. This comprehensive course will explore the trade and exchange in the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans, the Ottoman/Safavid/Mughal empires, and the anti-colonial intellectual and political responses of new Muslim nation-states.

Students who have taken a prior course in Islamic history will be guided through this advanced course that will cover the in-depth progression of Islamic history with attention to the primary sources, problems and debates in Islamic as well as secular scholarship, and deeper theological meaning and message of Islamic history. The course will specifically focus on the great leaders, scholars, warriors, and men and women of Islam by looking closely at their biographies. In short, it will guide you through the story of Allah’s final message through the lens of the heirs of the prophets.

The course will cover the various political events in chronological order, namely the 6th century to the Mamluk period in the Middle East at the beginning of the 16th century. It will delve into the social and cultural norms of the medieval Middle East. The course covers a thorough study of Medieval Islamic history, providing an advanced understanding of the history in relation to contemporary Muslim societies and transnational Islam.