Islamic History & Culture

Topics (14)

• 1
  Rise of Islam
• 2
  Rightly-Guided Caliphs
• 3
  Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates
• 4
  Muslim Spain
• 5
  Ottoman Empire
• 6
  Modern Muslim World
• 7
  Pre-Islamic Near East

  Political, social, cultural, religious and economic conditions in the Near East including Arabia before the dawn of Islam.

• 8
  The Dawn of Islam: The Prophetic Age (570-632)

  Biography of the Prophet (PBUH) as motivator, military leader and political head of state.

• 9
  The Pious Caliphate (632-660)

  Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali; abdication of Hasan and establishment of the Umayyad dynasty.

• 10
  Political System under the Prophet (PBUH) and Pious Caliphate

  Nature of the Islamic state, form of government, sovereignty of God, vicegerency of man, Shura.

• 11
  Institutional Development of the Muslim Civilization (622-660)

  Law and judiciary, administration, defense, education, propagation, financial administration.

• 12
  The Crusades against Islam

  Major encounters and actors (1092-1228) and impact on Muslim-Christian relations.

• 13
  Sufism as an Institution of the Muslim Society

  Origin and development; contribution of the Sufis; relationship with political authorities; critical view.

• 14
  Islam and Modernity in Contemporary World

  Emergence of Islamic modernism — intellectual, political, economic, social and educational aspects.

The reading list straight from FPSC's revised Islamic History & Culture syllabus. Build your core preparation around these texts — examiner-favoured references that questions are routinely drawn from.

1. 1

   Discovering Islam — Making Sense of Muslim History and Society

   Akbar Ahmad

2. 2

   Islam: Ideology and Leading Issues

   Anwar Ali

3. 3

   The Spirit of Islam

   Syed Ameer Ali

4. 4

   Aspects of Islamic Civilization: As Depicted in the Original Texts

   A.J. Arberry

5. 5

   The Preaching of Islam — A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith

   T.W. Arnold

6. 6

   The History of Philosophy in Islam

   T.J. De Boer

7. 7

   The History of Islamic Peoples

   Carl Brockelmann (ed.)

8. 8

   Spanish Islam

   R. Dozy

9. 9

   Studies on the Civilization of Islam

   Hamilton A.R. Gibb

10. 10

    The Religion of Islam, Vol. I & II

    Ahmad A. Gaqwash

11. 11

    Classical Islam: A History 600-1258

    G.E. Von Grunebaum

12. 12

    The Cambridge History of Islam

    P.M. Holt, Bernard Lewis, Ann K.S. Lambton

13. 13

    Islam Resurgent: The Islamic World Today

    T.B. Irving

14. 14

    Islam: From the Prophet Mohammad to the Capture of Constantinople

    Bernard Lewis

15. 15

    Islam in History

    Muhammad Munir

16. 16

    Islam and the Modern World

    Abu Hasan Ali Nadvi

17. 17

    The Making of the Past: The Spread of Islam

    Michael Rogers

18. 18

    A History of Medieval Islam

    J.J. Saunders

19. 19

    Introduction to Islamic Civilization

    R.M. Savory (ed.)

20. 20

    The Legacy of Islam

    Joseph Schacht & C.E. Bosworth (eds.)

21. 21

    Islamic History — A New Interpretation AD 750-1055

    M.A. Shaban

22. 22

    The Abbasid Revolution

    M.A. Shaban

23. 23

    A History of Muslim Philosophy

    M.M. Sharif

24. 24

    Muslim Thought: Its Origin and Achievements

    Muhammad Hanif Nadvi

25. 25

    Studies in Islamic History

    Amir Hasan Siddiqi

26. 26

    Sirat un Nabi Vol. I & II

    Shibli Nomani

27. 27

    Rasol-e-Akram ki Siasi Zindagi

    Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah

28. 28

    Khilafat-o-Malokiat

    Syed Abul A'la Maududi

29. 29

    Al-Farooq

    Shibli Nomani

30. 30

    The Cultural Atlas of Islam

    Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi & Lois Lamya' al-Faruqi