1. Basic corrections

• extremists vs. "ideal" Islam
• most Muslims not Arab
• fastest growing religion in US
• "Allah" and "God"

3. The situation at the time of Muhammad

• tribal society
• feuds
• chivalry and hospitality
• drunken and sexist
• changing from nomadic to city/trade
• capitalism
• breakdown of tribal values
• exposure to other lands
• Jews, Christians and Hanifs
• poetry

4. Muhammad ibn Abdullah

• orphan
• merchant
• exposure to other peoples
• ummi-- "unlettered"
• al amin-- the "trustworthy"
• marriage
• habit of retreats and contemplation

5. The Revelation

• Iqra!-- the Qur'an
• surprising and unpleasant
• first secret, then public
• persecution and boycott
• Abyssinia
• hijra to Medina
• transcending tribalism
• warfare and victory

6. Muhammad, messenger of God

• the hadith literature and the sunnah
• no miracles other than the Qur'an

7. The Message of Islam

• "islam" and "muslim"
• gradual and episodic
• radical monotheism: tawhid and shirk
• creation and fall, convenant and judgment
• angels and jinn
• the sending of messengers
• Divine law: shari'a
• not faith, but iman

8. The Practice of Islam

• The five pillars
• shahada (witness)
• salat (prayer)
• wudu & du'a
• zakat (charity)
• mawm (fasting)
• hajj (pilgrimage)
• No compulsion in religion
• intention and behavior
• Islamic law: shari'a
• ijtihad: scholars, muftis and mullahs
• fiqh

9. Jesus and Christians

• divinity, crucifixion and vicarious atonement
• Christ and Messiah, Second Coming, Virgin Birth
• doctrine of the trinity
• original sin
• clergy

10. Jews and Torah

• the Qur'anic statements
• Muhammad's expectations of acceptance
• initial treaty for defense and peace
• breaking of treaty
• during the pogroms
• ummah vs nationalism and ethnicity
• the Torah

11. The breaking of the ummah: sects, extremists and post-colonial hangover

• Nation of Islam
• Shi'a and Sunni
• the four madhabs
• taqlid: blind following
• Sufis
• Wahabis
• Khalifites
• the need for modern ijtihad

12. Contemporary Issues

• wine and gambling
• abortion
• sex and gender relations
• crime and punishment
• racism
• warfare
• science
• treatment of animals