The Caliph al-Mahdi and Patriarch Timothy I had a famous debate at the height of the Abbasid Caliphate about the differences between Christianity and Islam, over a thousand years ago. It stands as one of the greatest examples of mutual understanding and respect between the two faiths.By David DiMeo

One of the first Christian writers to write about Islam was the Orthodox monk, St. John of Damascus. Writing from the center of the Umayyad Caliphate, he offered harsh warnings about Islam in his book of heresies. It was the first of many attempts of Christian Europe to deal with the coming of Islam, but John is still quoted today as an authority.…

In this episode, we look at the early biographies of The Prophet Muhammad from his origins to the beginning of his prophetic ministry.By David DiMeo

On the eve of Islam, Arabia was a mixture of hundreds of competing tribal gods, monotheism, Christianity and Judaism. Sorting the history from the legends of this pre-Islamic past remains a challenging task.By David DiMeo

Like any religion, Islam was shaped by the culture in which it emerged. The rules and values of the Bedouin - from the treatment of women to concepts of honor and leadership - would impact the Islamic society that grew out of Arabia. In this episode, we take a look at that culture to understand what Islam preserved and what it changed.…

In this episode, we look at the third of the founding sultans of the Ottoman empire, Murad I, whose victory over the Serbs at Kosovo would be invoked 600 years later as a cause for war.By David DiMeo

As a divided Europe fights among itself, the Ottoman state continues to establish itself as the new power of the age. In this episode, we discuss Orkhan I, second of the three founding sultans of the Ottoman Empire.By David DiMeo

The great empire that would rule from North Africa to Arabia and threaten the gates of Vienna started from the most humble origins. The leader of a small Turkish tribe escaping the Mongol advance, Osman the First would lay the foundations of the last great empire of the Golden Age of Islam.By David DiMeo

The richest merchant of Mecca and the first person to convert to Islam, Khadija was one of the most important people in the early history of Islam.By David DiMeo

In 1492, seven centuries of Muslim rule in Spain come to an end and History takes a very sharp turn. Today we discuss the reasons for the fall of Granada and its implications on all sides.By David DiMeo

Despite the constant threat of the Christian Reconquista from the north, the last Muslim foothold in Spain, the Emirate of Granada, managed not only to survive, but to flourish for over two centuries, leaving some of the greatest symbols of Muslim culture in Europe. Hear how skillful leadership managed to defy the odds and sustain a mini-Golden Age…

The fighting in Spain and Portugal turns into a bona fide Crusade, with both sides seeing themselves appointed by God to save the true religion. In this episode, we look at the lesser known, but at times, higher priority crusade against Islam: the battle for Iberia.By David DiMeo

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.By David DiMeo

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.By David DiMeo

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 se…

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.By David DiMeo

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 RabbihBy David DiMeo

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.…

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 directi…

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 M…

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.…

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.By David DiMeo

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.By David DiMeo

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.…

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 I…