1. Pages of Perfection: Online Gallery of Islamic Manuscripts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "With over 200 Persian and Indian miniatures, examples of calligraphy, rare books and manuscripts, the exhibition chronologically spans over 1000 years, from some of the earliest known fragments of the Qur'an datable to the 8th century to the extravagance of 16-18th century miniatures."
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2. Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and The Middle East: Read through this series of short web-essays for an extensive and comprehensive overview of the history of the rise of Islam in the 7th century C.E. and its subsequent spread around the world. You'll especially want to read through the essays on: the Holy Qur'an, Arabic Writing, Arabic Literature and Arabic Numerals, all of which include pictures and graphics that illustrate the arguments of the essays.
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3. Introduction to Early Islam: Read through Muhammad I. Hussain's online essay available through the EACW Early Islam web site for an introductory overview of the Five Pillars of Islam. Included at the end of this essay is a useful bibliography for further study. You'll also find a useful Chronology of Early Islam here.
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4. The Holy Qur'an: If you'd like to read through the 114 Surahs (chapters) of the Koran, check out the site sponsored by the Muslim Student Association at USC. Here you'll find, not only English translations, but also a brief history of the compilation of the Qur'an, in addition to a brief introduction to each Surah by Syed Abu-Ala' Maududi.
Below you'll find the 5 surahs selected by Prof. Hayes for your readings:
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5. Glimpses of Islamic Civilization: An extensive listing of www resources on Islamic cultures around the world. You'll find the links to information on the Moorish Civilization in Spain and Portugal of particular interest, as well as the short essay on the Islamic Influences on the Western Renaissance.
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6. Biography of The Prophet: Read through Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq's biographical sketch of Muhammad (570-632 C.E.), known to his contemporaries and followers as "al-Ameen"--the Honest.
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7. The Other 1492: An essay by Greg Noakes recounting the fall of Gharnatah (Granada, Spain) and its significance in bringing to a close eight centuries of Islamic culture on the Iberian Peninsula. Of related interest are essays on Andalusia, Cordoba, and Toledo during the Moorish Conquest of modern-day Spain from the 8th to 15th centuries of the Common Era.
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8. Islamic & Arabic Arts & Architecture: Visit Islamic Art.Com's online gallery featuring the arts of the Islamic world. You'll find exhibits highlighting Calligraphic Art, Coins, Rugs & Tapestries and Architecture. Additionally, you'll find the Historic Events segment a useful review of important historical events in the Arab/Islamic World.
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9. Mosques Around the World: Visit this online Gallery of Mosques to view the many places of worship the Faithful have erected in praise of Allah as Islam has spread across the globe. You won't want to miss taking a glimpse at the mosques in Makkah (Mecca), Madinah (Medina) and Jerusalem.
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10. Islamic Art Collection: Visit the Detroit Institute of Art's online Gallery of Ancient Art for a sampling of Early Islamic Art from the Arabian Peninsula to South Asia. Don't forget to take a look at the illuminated manuscripts of the Qur'an and other artifacts of Islamic material culture.
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11. A Brief Chronology of Muslim History: A chronological listing of important events in the history of Islam from the 6th to 20th centuries C.E.
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12. Glossary of Islamic Terms: If you've run across some Islamic terms you don't know, try looking them up in this concise glossary. If you don't find the term you're looking for, at least you'll learn some new words.
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13. Sheherazade: Biography of legendary heroine/narrator of the A Thousand and One Nights from the History of Women through Art site. To better understand Sheherzade's role in the 1001 Nights tale cycle, you might want to read through Tsuyoshi Hasegawa's essay on "Narrative Structures and the Narratee's Functions."
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14. The Islam Page: An extensive and comprehensive listing of online resources on Islamic culture and religion, with special sections covering topics such as Women & Islam, The Qur'an, Islamic History and Arabic Dictionaries.
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15 Ma'shallah!! : Huma Ahmad's extensive list of Islamic links on the World Wide Web.
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