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  2. HDS 3351

The House of Allāh: Origin and History of the Meccan Sanctuary
HDS 3351

Course Information

Description

The Meccan Sanctuary, also known as the Kaʿba, is a focal point of worship for Muslims, who pray towards it daily and strive to make a pilgrimage to it at least once in their lifetime. This course is an advanced graduate seminar centered on a host of primary sources (in Arabic) which provide information about Mecca and its shrine in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods. We will read sources in the genres of historiography, geography, exegesis, law, hadith, and poetry. We will also engage with secondary academic literature on Mecca, the Kaʿba, and West Arabia's other sacred spaces and festivals. 

Requirement: advanced knowledge of classical Arabic (3 years).

Offered jointly with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as RELIGION XXXX.

School Harvard Divinity School
Credits 4
Cross Reg

Available for BTI Cross Registration

Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Course Component Seminar
Instruction Mode In Person
Grading Basis HDS Student Option (LG/SUS)
MTS/ThM Area of Focus Islamic Studies
Arts of Ministry Preaching and Worship
MDiv Histories, Theologies, and Practices Islam
Language Course Type N/A
Language Taught N/A
MDiv Scriptural Interpretation Islam
Course Level N/A