Afgespeeld
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Almost immediately after the Muslims conquered Iberia, the long fight for control began. What would be called by Europeans a "Reconquest" would take nearly eight centuries and leave lasting marks on both sides. In this episode, we look at the beginnings of this long battle.
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A thousand years ago, the mysterious philosophical group Ikhwan al-Safa' imagined humankind put on trial for its treatment of the animals. Far ahead of their time in thinking about rights and compassion, the Ikhwan remain controversial and inspiring.
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The Brethren of Purity, or Ikhwan al-Safa' were one of the most mysterious, yet influential groups of philosophers. A secret society of eclectic thinkers, they attempted to reconcile all the world's knowledge--from Greek, Hindu, Persian, pagan, Christian and Muslim sources--into a single system that explained everything. How did they do? We will see in this episode.
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Before Dante and long before Bill and Ted, the great Arab writer Abu 'Alaa' al-Ma'arri described a mythical journey into Heaven and Hell that challenged the views of religious officials of his day. He remains as popular and controversial today as ever.
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Proper values and behavior of the elite in the Golden Age capitals of Baghdad and Cordoba was not just a matter of trial and error. Detailed manuals of adab taught what was expected in respectable society. Today we look at one of the greatest of these, The Unique Necklace of Ibn Abd Rabbih
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In the conflict between philosophers and religious writers of the Golden Age, no question was more divisive than the eternity of the world. Although it may seem abstract today, this was the ultimate litmus test back then. In this episode, we look at how both sides lined up on this issue and why they considered the others infidels.
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In this episode, we look at the conflict between religious traditionalists and rationalist philosophers for the upper hand in Islamic society. What was at stake in the heated debates about the role of religion vs. science, revelation vs. logic and the philosophers against the traditionalists? How would the outcome of that conflict shape the direction of society in the future?
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The battle between Philosophy and Religion; Reason and Revelation; it has been at the heart of debate within Muslim circles throughout the Golden Age. This episode looks at one of the last, and most influential voices on this subject: the Andalusian intellectual Ibn Rushd. He is one of the few Muslim thinkers to be as famous in the West as in the Muslim world. Known as Averroes in Latin, he was a major influence on European philosophy, but managed to get himself declared a heretic by the Pope.
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The mighty Almoravid dynasty lasted only a century before it was overthrown by another another great Berber dynasty- the Almohads. In this episode, we look at the fearless and determined founder of the dynasty, the controversial Ibn Tumart, who would change the face of North Africa and Spain for centuries.
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The Amoravid Berber dynasty established an empire that stretched from Ghana to the north of Spain. For centuries they would fight against the Christian conquest from the North and leave a lasting impression on Spain and the Western Muslim World.
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The continuation of the influential philosophical work Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan, in which the hero discovers the deepest truths of the universe while on a desert island, without the aid of teachers or language.
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One of the most influential Arabic works of the Middle Ages, Ibn Tufayl's "philosophical novel" Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan has influenced Western literature from Rousseau to Tarzan. An allegory for Classical Muslim Rationalist ideas about education, freedom, religion and philosophy, the classic work finds echoes in Robinson Crusoe and the Jungle Book.
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In the 800s, Baghdad sat at the center of an international trading empire stretching from Europe to China. In this episode, we look at how travelers saw the countries of the Indian Ocean and Far East and how they viewed their own culture in relation to those. From exotic animals, strange rituals, the universal acknowledgment of the superiority of Islam and, of course, the opportunity to make vast fortunes.
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In the continuing disagreements over the role of ethnicity in the Muslim Empire, the 9th Century classic "The Excellence of the Arabs" was seen as a definitive word. This book, by a renown Baghdad scholar lays out the case for what makes Arabs special, traits that have continued to be admired until this day.
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While Arab pride was growing in the Abbasid empire, similar movements of ethnic and cultural pride among Persians and other groups were also emerging. This episode looks at the reaction to expressions of Arab superiority and the competition to determine the cultural direction of the empire.
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Arab culture and Islam are often associated in our minds, but has this always been so? In this episode we look at the emergence of the "Arab" identity in early Islam and the reaction of other peoples in the empire.
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A popular Sufi teacher was executed in eighth century Baghdad for publicly declaring "I am the Truth!" Yet today, many consider him a visionary with knowledge beyond normal understanding. Mansour al-Hallaj was but one of the early Sufi masters who challenged established systems of knowledge, power and social order. In this episode, we look at those who pushed, and came to define, the boundaries of spiritual experience.
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The best-selling poet in the United States is the 13th century Islamic mystic, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, who taught a path of devotion to God leading to merging of one's self with God. Centuries later, he has become an inspiration to seekers from all religions, from Zen Buddhists to New Age spiritualists. But do the modern interpretations of his verses that adorn bumper sticker and coffee mugs reflect the true nature of his teachings?
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Ibn Khaldun is one of the rare Muslim intellectuals who is famous in the West, cited by everyone from Arnold Toynbee to Ronald Reagan. He has been called the father of the modern discipline of History, as well as the Social Sciences in general. All these claims have been disputed. Nonetheless, Ibn Khaldun gave the world a theory about the rise and fall of empires that did not depend on mystical or religious explanations, and has become a part of our understanding of History today.
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UPDATE: This episode is now complete! It was partially cut off when it was originally published. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Moroccan born Ibn Battuta traveled over 75,000 miles, to 44 countries in the 14th century, greatly exceeding the record of any European traveler. Yet he was not an explorer by profession; he was an Islamic jurist who traveled the length and breadth of the Muslim world on business, serving as a soldier in Spain, judge in India and ambassador to China. Ibn Battuta was a man of his times and his life reflects what was possible in the Muslim world of his day.
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