Course information and syllabus for The Life of the Prophet Muhammad

The Prophet Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the final prophet of God and the model for their lives as individuals and communities. Through translated selections of original historical sources, the course will survey interpretations of the personality and achievement of the Prophet made by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars. Muslim emulation of the Prophet will be examined with reference to the Hadith literature and devotional prayers.

Meeting Day, Time and Dates:
Tuesdays, 4:30-6:50 p.m.

Ingrid Mattson
Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

Contact Information:
phone: (860) 509-9531
email: imattson@hartsem.edu

Course Syllabus

The Prophet Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the final prophet of God and the model for their lives as individuals and communities. Through translations of original sources and selected studies, this course will survey interpretations of the personality and achievements of the Prophet made by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars. Muslim emulation of the Prophet will be examined with reference to the Hadith literature and devotional prayers.

The final grade will be calculated as follows:

Participation                                    30%
Mid-term exam                                30%
Research Essay                              40%

Course Texts and Readings:

The main text for this course is Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, translated as The Life of Muhammad by A. Guillaume. Other sources will be available on reserve in the Hartford Seminary Library; some of these sources are available for purchase in the Hartford Seminary Bookstore.

**Please note: the readings may be adjusted during the semester according to circumstances.

Class One (Sept. 9)
The Prophet in the Qur’an: student search; Zarabozo, 103-147.
Class Two (Sept. 16)

Pre-Islamic Arabia: Ibn Ishaq, 3-28; Donner 11-49; Shahid, 3-29; Watt, Mecca, 16-30; Hodgson, 129, 152, 168.

Class Three (Sept. 23)

Beginning of Revelation: Ibn Ishaq, 111-145.
Meccan Opposition; Abyssinia; Boycott: Ibn Ishaq 143-194.

Class Four (Sept. 30)

Pledges of Aqaba; Hijra: Tabari, v. 6, 112-152.

The Constitution of Medina and the Position of Muhammad as Head of State: Watt, Medina, 221-238.

Class Five (Oct. 7)

Badr, Uhud: Qur’an (Badr 3:13, 3:123; Uhud 3:121-128, 152-155, 165-168); Lings, 135-154; Ibn Ishaq, 370-390.

Class Six (Oct. 14)

Khandaq, The Prophet’s wives and relationship with women: Ibn Ishaq, bottom 493-487 (Slander against Aisha); Quran 24:11-34; 33:6, 33:28-35; Kahf, 147-171; Armstrong, 164-210.

Class Seven (Oct. 21)

Treaty of Hudaybiyah: Ibn Ishaq, 504-507.
The Return to Mecca: Ibn Ishaq, 546-555; film: The Message.

Class Eight (Oct. 28)
Battle of Hunayn: Ibn Ishaq 566-597 (skip the poetry).
Final years in Medina; Farewell Pilgrimage: Lings, 317-345.
Class Nine (Nov. 4)

Midterm exam

Class Ten (Nov. 11)

The Prophet in the Hadith and Spiritual Life of Muslims: Al-Ghazali, “The Book of the Conduct of Life as Exemplified by the Prophetic Character,” Book XX of the Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din or Al-Muwatta, 437-492 or, Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fada’al [my edition: v. 4, 1230-1272]; Schimmel, And Muhammad is His Messenger, 3-55. (Mawlids; Sufi music).

Class Eleven (Nov. 18)
Medieval Christian and Orientalist Image of the Prophet: Norman Daniel, Islam and the West: the making of an image (Oxford: Oneworld, 1993), 35-129.
Nov. 25: No class (Eid al-Fitr; Reading week).

Class Twelve (Dec. 2)

Comparative Studies on the Prophet: Rodinson, 23-85; Fueck, 86-98.

Class Thirteen (Dec. 3)

Film: Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet.

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