The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics Amine Tais

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. 

This episode continues discussing the non-Muslim communities of the early Islamic period. The focus shifts to Christian communities after the Arab conquests. 

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.  

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. 

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.  A History of Islamic Philosophy           by Majid FakhryIslamic Philosophy A-Z                          by Peter S. GroffIslamic Philosophy: an Introduction   by Oliver LeamanThe Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy   Edited by P. Adamson/R.C. Taylor

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. Sources and further readings:A History of Islamic Philosophy           by Majid FakhryIslamic Philosophy A-Z                          by Peter S. GroffIslamic Philosophy: an Introduction   by Oliver LeamanThe Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy   Edited by P. Adamson/R.C. Taylor