A Reader In Muslim Historiography: The Muqaddimah
- Arts
- 800 level
- 2 credit units
- 92 pages
- 13 units
This course provides postgraduate students with a comprehensive understanding of Muslim Historiography, its theories, definitions, and concepts across various periods. Students will analyze the significance of studying history in relation to Muslims and humanity, familiarize themselves with key texts, and internalize inherent ideas. The course explores classical, medieval, and contemporary perspectives, including the Muslims' conception of history, the development of historiography schools, and the contributions of figures like Ibn Khaldun. It aims to equip students with scholarly thinking about Islamic Historiography.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 156 hours
- Maths
- None
- Content
- Theoretical
- Practical work
- No
- Assignments
- Tutor marked assessments
- Final examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of ISL874, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
ISL874 · UNIT 2 MUSLIMS’ CONCEPTION OF HISTORY
It acts as a discipline of knowledge ‘which informs us about hour heritage; which makes us conscious of our links with past; which makes us aware of our origin; and which provides us with a sense of direction for the future’.
What you should be able to do
- Define and differentiate between history and historiography.
- Analyze the Muslims' conception of history based on the Qur'an.
- Evaluate the historical development of historiography among early scholars.
- Compare and contrast schools of historiography in Madinah and Iraq.
- Assess the place of Sirah and Maghazi literature in Islamic scholarship.
- Explain Ibn Khaldun's contribution to historical writing.
- Compare Islamic and Western perspectives on historiography.
What it prepares you for
- Historian
- Archivist
- Islamic Studies Scholar
- Researcher
- Academic
- Academia
- Research Institutions
- Museums
- Historical Preservation
- Religious Organizations
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- Module 1: Starting point: Understanding Islamic Historiography
Unit 1: What is Historiography?
Requires understanding of complex Arabic terminology and historical contexts.
- Module 2: Islamic Historiography in the Medieval Period
Unit 1: Schools of Historiography in Madinah and Iraq
Involves grasping the nuances of Isnad methodology and biographical details of numerous scholars.
- Module 3: Some Selected Muslim Historiographers
Unit 3: Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Requires critical analysis of al-Tabari's methodology and his integration of diverse historical traditions.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 70 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1Module 1: Starting point: Understanding Islamic Historiography
Unit 1: What is Historiography? · 5 hours
Define history and historiography.. Identify definitions of history and Islamic historiography.. Understand the Qur'anic concept of history.. State Ibn Khaldun's views on history..
Unit 2: Muslims' conception of History · 5 hours
Identify scholars' definitions of Muslim Historiography.. State the Muslims' conception of history.. Understand the Qur'anic message concerning past peoples..
- Week 2Module 1: Starting point: Understanding Islamic Historiography
Unit 3: Historical Development of Historiography among the early scholars · 5 hours
State the historical origin of Islamic historiography.. Understand the Muslims' conception of history.. Generate ideas from the Qur'an about past peoples..
- Week 3Module 2: Islamic Historiography in the Medieval Period
Unit 1: Schools of Historiography in Madinah and Iraq · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Distinguish between medieval and classical periods.. Understand the early scholars' position to contemporary situations.. Review schools of historiography..
- Week 4Module 2: Islamic Historiography in the Medieval Period
Unit 2: The place of Sirah and Maghazi literature in Islamic · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Understand the place of Sirah and Maghazi literature.. Distinguish between medieval and classical periods.. Relate early scholars' positions to contemporary situations..
- Week 5Module 2: Islamic Historiography in the Medieval Period
Unit 3: Ibn Khaldun: "Father" of Historical Writing · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Know Ibn Khaldun's role in history.. Apply Ibn Khaldun's theories.. Distinguish between medieval and classical periods..
- Week 6Module 2: Islamic Historiography in the Medieval Period
Unit 4: Historical writings and the 'golden age' of Islam · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Understand the 'golden age' of Islam.. Distinguish between medieval and classical periods.. Relate early scholars' positions to contemporary situations..
- Week 7Module 3: Some Selected Muslim Historiographers
Unit 1: Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151/761) · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Know Ibn Ishaq's role in historiography.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 8Module 3: Some Selected Muslim Historiographers
Unit 2: Intellectual consensus of al-Waqidi (d.207/823) and Ibn Sa'd (d. 230/845) · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Be familiar with al-Waqidi and Ibn Sa'd's achievements.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 9Module 3: Some Selected Muslim Historiographers
Unit 3: Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Be familiar with al-Tabari's achievements.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 10Module 3: Some Selected Muslim Historiographers
Unit 4: The genealogies of al-Baladhuri · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Be familiar with al-Baladhuri's writings.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 11Module 4: Historiography In Islam and Western Culture
Unit 1: What are the sources of history? · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Be familiar with Western and Islamic cultures in history writing.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 12Module 4: Historiography In Islam and Western Culture
Unit 2: Importance of History in the live of Contemporary man · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Understand the importance of history.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
- Week 13Module 4: Historiography In Islam and Western Culture
Unit 3: Muslims versus Western History: Where do we meet? · 5 hours
Appreciate the legacy of early Muslim scholars.. Know the meeting point of Western and Muslim conceptions of history.. Distinguish between medieval and modern periods.. Discuss events of the Abbasid dynasty..
Preparing for the exam
- Review key definitions and concepts from Module 1, focusing on the Qur'anic perspective on history.
- Create a comparative chart outlining the schools of historiography in Madinah and Iraq (Module 2, Unit 1).
- Focus on Ibn Khaldun's key ideas and contributions, especially his cyclical theory of history (Module 2, Unit 3).
- Study the methodologies of selected Muslim historiographers (Module 3), noting their unique approaches and influences.
- Compare and contrast Islamic and Western perspectives on historiography (Module 4), identifying key areas of convergence and divergence.
- Practice essay questions related to the tutor-marked assignments, focusing on clear articulation and evidence-based arguments.
- Create timelines of key events and figures discussed in the course to aid memorization and contextual understanding.
Questions students ask about this course
What is ISL874 about?
This course provides postgraduate students with a comprehensive understanding of Muslim Historiography, its theories, definitions, and concepts across various periods. Students will analyze the significance of studying history in relation to Muslims and humanity, familiarize themselves with key texts, and internalize inherent ideas. The course explores classical, medieval, and contemporary perspectives, including the Muslims' conception of history, the development of historiography schools, and the contributions of figures like Ibn Khaldun. It aims to equip students with scholarly thinking about Islamic Historiography.
How many units does ISL874 have?
ISL874, A Reader In Muslim Historiography: The Muqaddimah, has 13 units across 4 modules, over 92 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is ISL874?
ISL874 carries 2 credit units, at 800 level in Arts.
Is ISL874 hard?
ISL874 is rated intermediate level, with no mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical work.
How long does ISL874 take to study?
About 156 hours of study, spread across its 13 units.
How is ISL874 assessed?
ISL874 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.
What can I do with ISL874?
Historian, Archivist, Islamic Studies Scholar, Researcher and Academic.