Study Materials – by Paul Brians

Lecture 24: Muslim Culture

Note: This study guide is presented here as a historical document only. Paul Brians is retired and his courses are no longer offered by WSU.

(Duiker 194-201; Brians 218-222)

Questions about Duiker: Describe slavery in the Islamic world. *What does the Qur’an have to say about proper dress for women? In what ways were women not treated as the equals of men? How well did the Muslims know the philosophy of ancient Greece during the period following the rise of the Arab empire? What fields of science and mathmatics were particularly developed by Muslims? Who was Ibn Sina? What is the theme of the poem by Rumi? What is Sufism? What is the Dome of the Rock? *What limitations were placed on art in Islam? What are the main kinds of traditional Islamic art?

Questions about the Sufi verse: *Which lines of Hafiz’ poem emphasize the shortness of life? What is at least one of the images that Rumi uses to express the idea that fasting is good for the soul? *What is the main message of “I was, on the day when the heavens were not?”

Question about Sa’di: What is the moral of this story?

Question about Nizami’s Layla and Majnun: In paragraph 5, Nizami writes “Layla was a lute, Majnun a viola.” Since these are common musical instruments, he means that the two of them belong together. Their love is being compared to harmonious music. *Choose another pair of metaphors (symbols) in paragraphs 6-8 and explain what they tell us about Layla and Majnun and their relationship. .

Lecture topics:

  • Muslim Science and Learning
  • Traditional Islamic education
  • Math, Astronomy, Medicine
  • Muslim culture
  • Poetry: Love, Mysticism
  • Nizami: Layla and Majnun
  • Painting: typical style, techniques, subjects
  • Sufism
  • Its expression in the arts

Supplementary materials:s

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