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RELS 302 / MEST 302
MUHAMMAD AND THE QUR’AN
Spring 2009
Thursdays 5:00-7:50 p.m., LANGDON 303
Professor: Mahan Mirza
Office Hours: Trinity 233, T/Th 3:00-4:30 p.m. or by appointment
Tel. 530-898-3088
Email: Please use Vista for all course-related communication
Course Overview
This course provides students with an in depth introduction to the twin foundations of
the Islamic religious tradition – Muhammad and the Qur’an. Islamic law, theology, and
spirituality are derived primarily from the text of the Holy Qur’an and the practice of
the messenger and exemplar Muhammad. Students will read a biography of
Muhammad’s life based on the earliest written sources, and study major portions of the
Qur’an. Readings from the Qur’an will be contextualized within narrative of
Muhammad’s prophetic career. By the end of the course students will have a solid
working knowledge of the style and content of the Qur’an and the life of Muhammad.
Students will also develop an understanding of questions and debates surrounding the
critical study of Islamic origins.
Course Objectives
• To become familiar with the general narrative of Muhammad’s life according to
traditional accounts
• To become familiar with the structure, arrangement and content of the Qur’an
• To understand the historical origin of the Islamic religious tradition in Arabia
• To appreciate the relationship between Muhammad and the Qur’an
• To understand the central place of Muhammad and the Qur’an in Islam
• To provide an introduction to the complexities of early Islamic historiography and
Qur’anic exegesis
• To provide a foundation for the academic study of Islam at a higher level
Books (available in bookstore under RELS 302)
Thomas Cleary, The Qur’an: A New Translation, (Starlatch Press, 2004)
Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, (Rochester, VT: Inner
Traditions, 2006)
Neal Robinson, Discovering the Qur’an: A Contemporary Approach to a Veiled Text, 2nd
Edition, (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2003)
Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations, 2nd Edition, (Ashland, OR:
White Cloud Press, 2007)
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Reference Works (library 2nd floor or online through the library’s website)
Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Edition, 10 Volumes, Call No. DS37 E523
Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an, 5 Volumes, Call No. BP133 E53
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, online through Gale Virtual Reference Library
Encyclopaedia of Religion, online through Gale Virtual Reference Library
Websites
We will be working primarily with this work of exegesis: Ma)arif al-Qur’an. It is available
in its entirety in English here http://www.islamibayanaat.com/EMQ.htm.
For additional perspectives on the life of Muhammad, sources, translations, and
exegesis, use this website as a portal http://www.uga.edu/islam/.
Vista
We will be using the university’s online teaching forum, Vista, for all class electronic
communication. Please make sure your computer is properly configured for using
Vista, or you may access it from any of the computers on campus. For help and further
information please contact Student Computing at http://www.csuchico.edu/stcp or
898-HELP.
Requirements
Participation (33%): Attendance is mandatory. Active participation in class is required.
Come to class having read the material and prepared to engage in discussion. You must
bring the texts and your notes to class for discussion.
Final Paper (33%): Students must write one research paper that is due on the last day of
class. Students must develop a topic in consultation with me. Ideally, a topic will be
chosen early and the paper will evolve through multiple stages of drafting over the
course of the semester. One week before the final paper is due, students will present
their research to the rest of the class and get critical feedback to incorporate into the
final draft.
Final Exam (33%): The final exam will be comprehensive and consist of multiple-choice
questions. SCANTRONS will be provided. Students must bring No. 2 lead pencils.
Policies
Attendance: I take attendance very seriously. Your performance will drop as
unexcused absences accrue. There must be a legitimate and documented reason for the
absence according to university policies.
Late Papers: Late papers will be penalized. Students will lose one letter grade for each
extra day.
University Policies
Plagiarism and cheating are grave violations of the academic integrity policy of the
California State University, Chico. This policy (EM 04-36) is posted at
http://www.csuchico.edu/prs/EMs/EM04/em04_36.htm . We view plagiarism and
cheating as serious offenses. The policy of the Department of Religious Studies is that
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anyone found to have blatantly cheated or plagiarized on an assignment will
automatically fail the course and be referred to student judicial affairs for further
disciplinary action. Students are responsible for making themselves familiar with
university policies on academic integrity, cheating, and plagiarism. Please also get
acquainted with the academic integrity policies of Religious Studies via the
department’s website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/rs/pdf/RS_Academic_Integrity_Policy.pdf.
Grading
Participation 33%
Quizzes 33%
Final Exam 33%
Total 100%
A = 95-100%
A- = 90-94%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 84-86%
B- = 80-83%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 74-76%
C- = 70-73%
D = 65-69%
D- = 60-64%
F = 0-59%
Students with Certified Disabilities
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations,
please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic
accommodations. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS
website at http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/. Please notify me of any special need
relating to your disability within the first two weeks of the semester. I will make every
reasonable effort to facilitate your success in this course. Please note that you may be
required to show documentation of your disability.
Schedule
The following schedule is subject to revision during the course. Additional readings or
assignments may come up on an ad-hoc basis depending on discussions, events, or
interest.
THIS SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO REVISION
Week 1
Jamal Elias, Islam, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999), pp. 13-27 – pdf available on Vista
Discovering the Qur’an, pp. 224-255, “Dynamics of Qur’anic Discourse”
Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 161-198, “Hearing the Qur’an”
Topics: Introductions, basic terms and concepts, the Muslim world today
Week 2
Muhammad, pp. 1-45
Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 1-40
Surahs 93, 94, 96, 97, 105, 106
Topics: Pre-Islamic Arabia, early life, first revelations of Qur’an
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Week 3
Muhammad, pp. 47-86
Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 48-141, 199-220
Topics: Early revelations, Abyssinia, Jesus & Mary
Week 4
Muhammad, pp. 87-125
Qur’an, surahs 10, 11, 12, 20, 21 22, 23, 30, 31, 34, 36
Topics: Messengers before Muhammad, Year of Sorrow, Hijrah
Week 5
Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 41-47, 145-158
Discovering the Qur’an, pp. 97-195
Week 6
Muhammad, pp. 126-176
Discovering the Qur’an, pp. 196-223
Qur’an, surahs 2, 8
Topics: Brotherhood, raids and battles, Badr
Week 7
Muhammad, pp. 177-221
Qur’an, surahs 3, 47, 61, 62, 63, 64
Topics: Uhud, hypocrites, jihad
Week 8
Muhammad, pp. 222-254
Qur’an, surahs 4, 24, 33, 60, 65, 66
Topics: Trench, Muhammad’s wives
Week 9
Muhammad, 255-309
Qur’an, surahs 22, 48, 49
Topics: Hudaybiya, Khaybar, Pilgrimage
Week 10
Muhammad, pp. 310-361
Qur’an, surahs 9, 57, 59
Topics: Conquest of Mecca, Tabuk, farewell pilgrimage, burial and succession
Week 11
Harald Motzki, The Biography of Muhammad: The Issue of the Sources – selected readings in pdf format
uploaded on Vista
Topics: Historical sources and method
Week 12
Discovering the Qur’an, pp. 1-96
Harald Motzki, The Collection of the Qur’an – pdf article uploaded on Vista
Topic: Historical sources and method
Week 13
Discovering the Qur’an, pp. 256-286
Qur’an, surah 15
Topics: Arrangement of the Qur’an
Week 14
Paper presentations
Week 15
Review
Film on the life of Muhammad: The Message starring Anthony Quinn