EP.22--History: Abu Bakr, Umar, and the Arab Conquests

EP.6--Religion: Sira I "Muhammad in Mecca": This episode of the podcast presents a summary of what the traditional sira tells us about Muhammad's life in Mecca, including his early life, the start of his mission as a prophet, and the difficulties he encounters in this environment. Twitter: F... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

26 min listen

EP.2--Religion: The Pre-Islamic Environment I (Late Antique Near East, Empires, Judaism): This episode of the World of Islam starts a historical survey of Islamic thought by looking into the world in which the religion of Islam would eventually develop. We will briefly discuss the Near East in late antiquity in general as well as introduce Ju... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

20 min listen

EP.1--Introduction: This is my introduction to the World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics podcast. Why a podcast on this subject? Why now? by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

7 min listen

EP.13--Culture: Other Influences on Rai Music: We continue our journey through the history of Rai Music. After considering the streams of music from which modern Rai music emerges in a previous episode, we take a brief look at less direct, yet significant musical influences on modern Rai like Andalus... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

19 min listen

EP.5--Religion: Approaching Muhammad (Challenges; Sources: Qur'an, Hadith, Sira): In this episode of the World of Islam, we continue our survey of the history of Islamic thought, by looking at some of the difficulties inherent in approaching the life and career of Muhammad. We consider what Muslim sources tell a modern historian abo... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

29 min listen

EP.17--Culture: Rai Music in Morocco and France: This episode takes a look at the history of Rai music outside Oran and its region. We pay particular attention to the Moroccan and French Rai musical scenes. The episode contains musical excerpts from Chebba Maria, Cheb Akil, Mohamed Lamine, Cheb Hassen,... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

55 min listen

EP.11--Religion: Prophets and Prophecy in the Qur'an: This episode briefly introduces the concept of prophecy, its history in the Near East (including the well-developed tradition of Biblical prophets), and the way the Qur'an positions itself vis-à-vis this history. We also discuss the terms nabi and rasul ... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

19 min listen

EP.7--Religion: Sira II "Muhammad in Medina": Episode 7 of the podcast considers what the traditional sira literature says about Muhammad's life and career after the hijra from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. Among the topics discussed are the military conflicts between Muhammad's followers and their Mec... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

26 min listen

EP.14--Culture: Rai Music in Post-independence Algeria: We continue discussing the story of Rai Music. Among the topics of this episode are the influence of Algerian independence on the development of Rai, the rise of Pop-Rai in Wahrane in the 1970's, and the clash between the Islamist vision and the Rai scen... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

46 min listen

EP.3--Religion: The Pre-Islamic Environment II (Christianity, Zoroastrianism): This episode of the World of Islam continues looking into the world in which the religion of Islam would eventually develop. We will take a brief look at Christianity and Zoroastrianism in the Near East of late antiquity. by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

21 min listen

EP.12--Culture: Precursors of Rai Music: This is the first episode in a multiple-episode series on a musical style from North Africa that came to be a strong player on the World Music scene in the last two decades. It is called Rai. This series will consider the development of Rai music within ... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

26 min listen

EP.31--Religion: Leadership, Faith, and Free Will: This episode elaborates on three early theological debates in early Islam, namely the leadership of the religious community, the relation of sinful actions to faith, and free will vs. determinism. Among other things, we encounter the Murji'a, the Jabriyy... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

18 min listen

EP.15--Culture: Cheb Khaled and the Transformation of Rai Music: We continue looking at Rai Music. This episode presents the career of Khaled Hadj Brahim as emblematic in the way Pop-Rai develops from the 1970's to today. Cheb Khaled is arguably the best Rai singer of his generation. His impact on the direction and th... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

40 min listen

EP.4--Religion: The Pre-Islamic Environment III (Arabia): This episode of the World of Islam provides a short introduction to Arabia on the eve of the movement of Muhammad. Among other things, we discuss the problem of sources for the modern historian, the characteristics of Arab life, the religious perspective... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

21 min listen

EP.9--Religion: What is the Qur'an?: This episode of the podcast is the first part of a short introduction to the scripture of Islam known as the Qur'an (Koran). Where does the term Qur'an come from? What is a Mus-haf? How is the Qur'an organized? What are the contents of the Qur'an? So... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

17 min listen

EP.10--Religion: Muslims and the Qur'an/God in the Qur'an: We continue talking about the Qur'an. We take a look at how Professor Mohammed Arkoun defined the Qur'an, at the way that most Muslims have related to the Qur'an, and at what the attributes of God in the Qur'an can tell us about its message. Sources a... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

19 min listen

EP.8--Religion: Controversial Elements in the Sira of Muhammad: Episode 8 of the World of Islam Podcast takes a look at some seemingly controversial elements contained in the Sira literature. The elements that are briefly discussed include the so-called Satanic Verses, the marriages of Muhammad to Aisha and Zaynab, t... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

27 min listen

EP.27--History: Husayn, Ibn al-Zubayr, and the Second Civil War: This episode highlights another round of internal strife within the early community (680-692). Umayyad rule is challenged from many corners. The grandson of Muhammad, Husayn and a number of his followers are massacred at Karbala, the Kharijites dominate ... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

8 min listen

EP.22--History: Abu Bakr, Umar, and the Arab Conquests: After Muhammad's death in 632 CE, the question of the leadership of the community will prove to be a serious challenge for Muhammad's followers. Nevertheless, within a few decades, the Arab armies will be in control of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, North Afr... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

21 min listen

EP.19--Religion: The Qur'an from Oral Discourse to Closed Codex: Today's podcast briefly discusses the transition of the Qur'an from an oral message into a closed codex through political decisions of the community leaders after Muhammad's death. The episode also quickly highlights the difficulties that face mo... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

12 min listen

EP.36--Religion: The Partisans of Reason and the Partisans of Prophetic Reports: This episode discusses the rise of legal study circles in early Islam. We encounter Ahl al-Ra'y (Partisans of reason), Ahl al-Hadith (Partisans of prophetic reports), Abu Hanifa (d.767) and Malik (d.795). by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

9 min listen

EP.28--History: The Dome of the Rock and the Solidification of Muslim Identity in the Near East: The period in which Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ruled the early Arab empire (685-705) was an important moment in the cementing of a unique Muslim identity. Among the many significant actions taken at this time was the establishment of the Dome... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

9 min listen

EP.23--History: The Turbulent Times of the Third Caliph Uthman: This episode discusses the rule of Uthman ibn Affan (644-656). While continuing to be successful on the external front, Uthman faced dissent and rebellion on the internal side. Sources and Further Reading: The History of al-TabariThe Venture of Islam ... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

8 min listen

EP.18--Mohammed Arkoun: Rethinking Islam: Today's podcast provides an English translation of part of a conversation with the late professor Mohammed Arkoun (d. 2010) on Belgian TV*. For most of his prestigious academic career, Mohammed Arkoun was professor of the history... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

45 min listen

EP.16--Culture: Cheb Hasni and the Birth and Death of Love Rai: This episode presents some of the major Rai singers of the 1990's. We encounter Cheb Mami, Cheb Sahraoui, Chebba Fadela, Chebba Zahouania, Cheb Nasro, and Cheb Bilal. We pay particular attention to Cheb Hasni who was considered the King of Love Rai and w... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

44 min listen

EP.24--History: Ali and the First Civil War: This episode discusses the rule of Ali ibn Abi Talib (656-661), which is also the time of the First Civil War, a traumatic event in the life of the early Muslim community. Sources and Further Reading:The History of al-TabariThe Venture of Islam b... by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

11 min listen

EP.30--Religion: Early Theological Debates in Islam: This episode starts introducing some early theological debates within Islam. What can these debates tell us about early Islam? And how should we look at the relation between "orthodox" views and "heretical" ones? by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

16 min listen

EP.34--Religion: Introduction to Islamic Law: What is Sharia? What is Fiqh? Is there a relation between law and theology? by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

11 min listen

EP.25--In Memory of Professor Mohammed Arkoun: This week marks the anniversary of the passing of Mohammed Arkoun (1928-2010) who was a professor of the history of Islamic thought at the Sorbonne in Paris. This is a tribute to this unique thinker and scholar. by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

19 min listen

EP.21--Religion: The Construction of Islam: After introducing the Qur'an, its contents, and its formation in previous episodes, the podcast discusses the transition from Qur'anic discourse to various Islamic discourses, a process that can be termed, "the construction of Islam." by The World of Islam: Culture, Religion, and Politics

15 min listen

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EP.22--History: Abu Bakr, Umar, and the Arab Conquests

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