This course will explore the development of Islamic civilization and the institutions characteristic of it: political, social, educational, economic, welfare, and military. After a brief overview of Islamic political history, the course will turn to understanding the ways in which Muslim society was organized by tracing the different ways society was structured around its institutions.

A few of the institutions that will be explored are the iqṭāᶜ, the waqf, the madrasah, the ghulām soldiers, and the qāḍī courts. We will explore the ways in which these institutions adapted to their environment while also maintaining their core features. By exploring not only the political, but the social and economic institutions that defined Islamic civilization. We hope to explore what it is that Muslims prioritized as central to their civilizational ideals.