All About Islamic History ..
 

Hello Chums,

I had Islamic History as one of the optional subjects in CSS 2012 and I must submit that I fell in love with this subject .. Here, I intend to share all my preparation and paper techniques regarding Islamic History learned throughout my prep span ..

[B]First of all let me eradicate some myths:[/B]

[B]1- Islamic History is not a scoring subject ..[/B]
Well, remove this 'not' and you get my answer .. In fact it is highly scoring if properly prepared and attempted .. How, we'll discuss in this thread InshaAllah ..

[B]2- It has a very lengthy syllabus ..[/B]
Well, to some extent it is true, but proper guidance and to the point preparation makes this lengthy syllabus a very brief one .. There are a few main topics which need to be studied extensively, the remaining bulk of topics need just to be gone through and not to be covered with much detail at all ..

[B]3- It is a dry subject and chunks of material makes it boring ..[/B]
Again a wrong perception .. I feel no hesitation in submitting that I fell in love with Islamic History due to its variety and spice, the nobility of its characters, Islamic humour and the fun loving way with which I prepared it ..

Take one example of Islamic humour extract taken from Bernard Lewis' book 'Islam from Prophet Mohammad to the capture of Constantinople':

[B][I]A man announced that he was God. He was brought before the Caliph Mutawakkil who said to him, "Last year there was someone here who claimed to be a prophet. He was executed." "That was well done," said the man, "for I had not sent him."[/I][/B] Kitna barra fankaar tha .. :D

I watched some documentaries to make my preparation joyful .. I gained much knowledge and also some extra-ordinary quotes from those documentaries .. Specially knowledge relating architecture and Islamic boom in education and medicine was superbly described in them .. Here are some that I watched:

[B]1-[/B] [B]Islam - Empire of faith[/B]
[B]2-[/B] [B]The legacy of a Prophet P.B.U.H
[B]3-[/B] When Moors ruled in Europe [/B]

You can download all these movies easily through torrents .. If you find any difficulty let me know and I will post the exact links .. I would recommend all Islamic History aspirants to watch these documentaries .. I got a lot of insight from them .. For example in [B]'When Moors ruled in Europe'[/B] while mentioning the difference in advancement of Muslim physicians in Spain and those of other European doctors, the English Historian [B]Bettany Hughes[/B] notes from the accounts of a Muslim doctor:

[B][I]They brought me a Knight who had an abscess in his leg and a woman suffering from consumption. I made a plaster for the Knight and his swelling opened and improved. For the woman I suggested a diet to regulate metabolism and cure her consumption. But then the Frankish doctor arrived and objected. 'Bring me a strong Knight with a sharp axe' he said. The Knight struck a powerful blow to his leg and wound burst, the Knight died having lost much of his blood. As for the woman he suggested that a devil must have entered her head and he cut her head with a blade in a cross shape and rubbed salt into it. The woman died instantly. 'I returned home, having learned much about the medicine of the Christians'.[/I][/B] (Waisay aaj kal ye sab hamaray mulk mein ho raha hai) ..

Now you can note the way with which Bettany Hughes contrasts the caliber of Muslim and other doctors at the times of Spanish Islam. I used the above mentioned quote in my paper too.
[U]
[B]Book Sources:[/B][/U]

Dear friends, I'm a book lover and I do not personally believe in one book policy. I used as much as 8 or 9 books for Islamic History alone. [B]But I won't recommend you to study that many books, because that might well be a reason for my low score (God forbid) [/B] Here are the books I suggest:

[B][B]1-[/B] A short history of Islam - Mazhar ul Haq
[B]2-[/B] History of Arabs - P.K Hitti
[B]3-[/B] Spanish Islam - Reinhardt Dozy[/B]

Use Mazhar ul Haq's book for pet knowledge and the other two for contrasting views and quotes .. You can add criticizing comments of the above mentioned European writers in your answers but [B]do not forget to defend Islam to the fullest. You have to negate any negative comments from them.[/B] This will show and extra in-depth and will fetch additional marks ..

So friends, do opt for this subject if you got love for it. Prepare by staying on the right track and it will fetch excellent marks for you InshaAllah .. You are free to ask any questions you have .. I'll keep posting remaining points and stuff InshaAllah ..

Best of luck ..

Regards ..

@Stunner

A good thread started by you.

I also opted the subject and studied only one book " Islamic History by K. Ali"

I got 50 in Paper one and 52 in paper two in 2011.

I found it an interesting subject.

My question is that

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="4"]the books which you have mentioned in the thread except Mazhar ul Haq can be found on Net.[/SIZE][/COLOR]
If u know the links so please share with us.

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="4"]What is ur opinion abt Suhail Bhatti's Book?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Assalam o Alaikum again folks,

Let me now make the study of Islamic History easy for you .. We'll discuss the topics or portions of Islamic History to be covered for a Boom-Boom paper ..

Part one of the subject deals with the following topics:

[U][B]1- World at the advent of Islam[/B][/U]

You need a brief study of the social, political, religious and economic aspects of the world at the time of advent of Islam .. You need not to study this topic in much detail, rather bullet points and understanding would do the work .. However, do add some quotes from the renowned books .. It is a frequently asked question and covering this means having covered 20 marks paper.

[U][B]2- Major incidents of the life of Holy Prophet P.B.U.H[/B][/U]

This is where your in depth study should start from. Topics in this portion are the Call (Revelation), early difficulties of Prophet P.B.U.H, Taif visit, Oaths of Aqaba, Hijrah (Migration), Pact of Madina, Battles like Badr, Ohad, Ahzab, Conquest of Makkah, Khyber and Hawazin, Role of Jews .. After you have covered these topics you'll have sufficient knowledge InshaAllah to answer questions like:
Administration policy of the Prophet P.B.U.H, Prophet as a Judge, Him as a Peacemaker, Political social and economic revolutions brought by the Prophet P.B.U.H and other analytic questions.

A proper study of this portion will ensure covering another 20 or even in some cases 40 marks paper.

[B][U]3- Khulfa e Rashideen[/U][/B]
Khulfa e Rashideen or the Rightly guided Caliphs portion includes the lives and works of Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A, Hazrat Umar R.A, Hazrat Usman R.A and Hazrat Ali R.A .. You'll need to study their elections, conquests during their times, their administration policy, difficulties they faced and problems arisen within Islamic society during their times .. Cover these and you get another 20 marks covered ..

[B][U]4- Umayyads and Abbassids[/U][/B]
Under these topics you need to cover some personalities like Abdul Malik bin Marwan, Walid Bin Abdul Malik and Umar Bin Abdul Azeez .. You need to cover their administrative policy and the reforms they brought .. While in Abbassids you need to cover the scientific, philosophical and educational boom of the Muslims under Abbassids .. This is an important topic, especially the Abbassid part, as it is interlinked with the overall revolution brought by the Muslims. One or even two questions are always expected from this portion of Islamic History and it may even be asked in Paper 2 ..

[B][U]5- Ottoman Empire[/U][/B]
The documentary I mentioned above named [B]'Islam - The Empire of Faith'[/B] has part two entirely focused on the Ottoman Empire .. It is also a two-fold topic and can be asked in Part 2 as well .. I skipped this topic during my preparation but I would suggest you to cover it .. The exam trend has changed and selective study seems to be strongly discouraged by the examiners ..

So folks, above is the whole Islamic History Part 1 mentioned for you .. If you cover these topics you'll be able to answer all 7 questions in exam InshaAllah and even the objective portion .. You can of course pick and choose the topics for a speedy coverage of the syllabus but I would recommend you to go through all the syllabus .. [B]A dedicated and focused study routine will enable you to cover Part 1 in 10 or 15 days at most ..[/B]

Paper 2 and other points to cover and attempt Islamic History well enough will follow soon InshaAllah .. Any queries will be welcomed ..

Regards ..

[QUOTE=Asi01;415971]

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="4"]the books which you have mentioned in the thread except Mazhar ul Haq can be found on Net.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I bought these books, so I'm not sure if they are found on net ..

[QUOTE=Asi01;415971][COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="4"]What is ur opinion abt Suhail Bhatti's Book?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Well you'd find a number of books .. I'm not even a fan of the Mazhar ul Haq book as it contains copy - paste material .. But it is good and bulky enough to provide a fair amount of knowledge on the topics .. So in order to understand the topic properly I would recommend Mazhar ul Haq's book and for additional knowledge and quotes the other two and documentaries .. If you find Sohail Bhatti's book appealing, you can follow that too ..

You do, however, need to skip the unwanted topics and detail mentioned in Mazhar ul Haq's book ..

Regards ..

I think that Mazhar ul Haq's book only covers part one because it comprises on three dynasties i-e From the Holy Prophet (Pbuh) to the Abassids.

So which book will u recommend for paper two?


Now if u look at the papers of 2012, the new trend has been introduced and the papers were totally distinctive from past papers. I mean to say that the paper two was tricky as there were some questions from Pak Affairs and from Sociology and Everyday Science (Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Sina) (Bakhti Movement).:huh::huh::huh:

So what should be done with papers and which strategy should be followed as it was already considered to be a difficult and lengthy paper. Which strategy can be a tool or weapon of getting good marks in paper two?:con:con:con

Regards
Asif Nawaz Abro

@ Asi01

Bro I intended to write all about Islamic History part 2 in my post regarding that paper later .. But I feel obliged to answer your queries first ..

There is another book of Mazhar ul Haq regarding part 2 of Islamic History .. I think its named [B]'A Short History of Muslim Spain'[/B] .. If you get hold of it, you can get much material from it .. However, as I wrote earlier that his books are based on copy - paste material, but they are much better than any other 'desi' books .. I personally used [B]'Spanish Islam' by Dozy[/B] along with Mazhar ul Haq's book and another bulky but awesome 2 volume set written by [B]M.M Sharif named 'A History of Muslim Philosophy' ..[/B]

You are right that the trend changed in the recently concluded exams .. I do not however feel that it will be the same in coming exams .. I am of the view that the exam should be as difficult as it could get, but it should not be in a way that examiner asks Pak-Affair questions in Islamic History .. So my gut feeling is that he will abstain doing that in the future .. But to tell you the trick, even if he does that again .. Keep in mind the exam you are appearing on that particular date ..
For example, in the question that [I]What was the impact of Colonial rule on Muslim society .. I wrote their impact on African, Asian and their rule on Spanish Muslim society after they got hold of the country again .. So, I never went astray and never thought that it was not an Islamic History part 2 paper .. I hope you get my point .. You just need to relate your knowledge to that particular question and paper basically ..
[/I]
You can use the above mentioned strategy to get top marks in Paper 2 .. I personally got a lot benefit from the documentary of [B]Bettany Hughes [/B]I mentioned in above post .. It gave me an insight into Spanish Islam and Paper 2 basically .. The impact of Muslims of Spain on Europe and the World ..

Ibn e Khaldun and Ibn e Sina were philosphers and theologians as well .. So they are well worth asked in Islamic History .. They cover both Part 1 and 2, as much of the philosophers came during Abbassid period ..

So get all the knowledge from different sources and use it properly in the exam, and you'll get top marks InshaAllah .. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask ..

Regards ..

JazakALLAH khair for your posts stunner.. I am looking forward to your suggestions and guideline for part 2 paper.. Kindly shade some light over it .

[QUOTE=mir shujaat ali maaz;424526]JazakALLAH khair for your posts stunner.. I am looking forward to your suggestions and guideline for part 2 paper.. Kindly shade some light over it .[/QUOTE]

Bro I'm terribly busy with my law exams .. However, I was collecting Muslim Law notes for CSS aspirants and not left with anytime for Islamic History at the moment .. I shall InshaAllah write all about Islamic History after my exams .. You can cover Part 1 by then .. Do not worry, just wait and after my exams end I shall guide you to Islamic History glory marks InshaAllah .. :)

Regards ..

[QUOTE=mir shujaat ali maaz;424526]JazakALLAH khair for your posts stunner.. I am looking forward to your suggestions and guideline for part 2 paper.. Kindly shade some light over it .[/QUOTE]

Ok bro, I'm free at last from my exams .. You can ask anything about Paper 2 now .. I planned to write all my stuff about Islamic History here but the publisher has stopped me from doing so .. ( I'm in the process of compiling a book for CSS Islamic History and will be ready in 3 to 4 months InshaAllah ) .. However, I can answer here whatever questions you have ..

Regards ..

Kindly recommend me two brief and comprehensive books covering both papers
Need ur guidance
have no time, running fast with my job..
and studies as well
give me guideline to cover this subject as fast as possible
i find it interesting as well
make a plan for me to work on this subject
regards

[QUOTE=Stunner;424832]Bro I'm terribly busy with my law exams .. However, I was collecting Muslim Law notes for CSS aspirants and not left with anytime for Islamic History at the moment .. I shall InshaAllah write all about Islamic History after my exams .. You can cover Part 1 by then .. Do not worry, just wait and after my exams end I shall guide you to Islamic History glory marks InshaAllah .. :)

Regards ..[/QUOTE]
Hmmm Stunner bro.... good job....
Plz tell me from where u'r doing L.L.B ..... I've done it from International Islamic University Islamabad
I'm nowadays preparing International Law ... I'm thinking to quit Psychology n opt for Muslim History? What do u suggest as my other optionals are Arabic, Muslim Law, International Law......:p

[QUOTE=rabya;437877]Kindly recommend me two brief and comprehensive books covering both papers
Need ur guidance
have no time, running fast with my job..
and studies as well
give me guideline to cover this subject as fast as possible
i find it interesting as well
make a plan for me to work on this subject
regards[/QUOTE]

Use Mazahar Ul Haq's 'A short of history of Islam' and P.K Hitti's books at the moment .. Make short notes from them and quote from Hitti's text .. I won't however recommend you to prepare from these two books alone .. But if you cover the topics I mentioned in my earlier post from them within 10 to 12 days for Part 1 and later the same number of days for Part 2, it'll be a great job .. When you're done with that let me know and I'll recommend another one or 2 books to skim and scan and polish your notes .. It'll take 2 days maximum then .. I can think of this plan as best suiting your routine .. Best of luck ..


[QUOTE=Fassi;437891]Hmmm Stunner bro.... good job....
Plz tell me from where u'r doing L.L.B ..... I've done it from International Islamic University Islamabad
I'm nowadays preparing International Law ... I'm thinking to quit Psychology n opt for Muslim History? What do u suggest as my other optionals are Arabic, Muslim Law, International Law......:p[/QUOTE]

Bro I'm doing LLB Hons from University of London as an external student .. So you are a lawyer now, best of luck in practice ..
Regarding Psychology and Islamic History, well, it is a difficult decision to make .. I had both these subjects as optional .. I found Psychology easy and not time consuming .. Islamic History on the other hand was interesting but lengthy .. But, I liked it more .. To me both are excellent subjects .. But the decision has to be made by you .. Explore through syllabus and one or two books and find out which one of these you've got aptitude for and can do justice with .. Best of luck ..

P.S: Islamic History will benefit you a lot in Islamiat and Muslim Law papers ..

Regards ..

ok thnx stunner
nd recommend me about Ameer ali as well

nd how much u have scored in the subject

[QUOTE=rabya;438278]ok thnx stunner
nd recommend me about Ameer ali as well[/QUOTE]

Ameer Ali's 'Spirit of Islam' and 'History of Saracens' are excellent books .. You can use them after you have completed your notes on a particular topic, and then skim and scan through them for additional information or quotes ..

[QUOTE=rabya;438278]nd how much u have scored in the subject[/QUOTE]

I have just appeared in 2012 exams .. I'm not sure of my expected score, but you can score good InshaAllah by following the said pattern of preparation ..

Regards ..

Kindly HELP
 

Thanks Stunner for giving your precious time .. well i have another question here .. i will be completing my 4 years BS program in the coming December and i want to appear in the coming CSS exams of 2013.. but unfortunately i will be issued my degree/transcript in 2013 Jan or Feb expected.. Now will i be able to appear in the exams for 2013 having my papers passed InshaALLAH in Dec but no degree neither transcript.. i have recently asked about my concerns to an individual and he told me that i wont be able to appear in 2013 otherwise i will face some problems when FPSC does the scrutiny of the documents after papers .. Kindly help me in it .. I really need it.. I dont want to wait uptill 2014..

[QUOTE=mir shujaat ali maaz;440079]Thanks Stunner for giving your precious time .. well i have another question here .. i will be completing my 4 years BS program in the coming December and i want to appear in the coming CSS exams of 2013.. but unfortunately i will be issued my degree/transcript in 2013 Jan or Feb expected.. Now will i be able to appear in the exams for 2013 having my papers passed InshaALLAH in Dec but no degree neither transcript.. i have recently asked about my concerns to an individual and he told me that i wont be able to appear in 2013 otherwise i will face some problems when FPSC does the scrutiny of the documents after papers .. Kindly help me in it .. I really need it.. I dont want to wait uptill 2014..[/QUOTE]

Bro this is not the relevant thread for this query .. But in answer to your question, If your result will be announced in December then you can only apply if you get some sort of acknowledgement of your result from your institution, like a result card, transcript or something like that .. However, if your result will be announced after December then you will have to wait for the 2014 attempt ..

Regards ..

[COLOR="Blue"][/COLOR]Study plan according to question analysis of past papers. .

[COLOR="Red"][/COLOR]Study Area - 1 The Ancient Arabia

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main Focus
1- Byzantine empir
2-Babylonian empir
3- Sassanid empir
4- Social, Political, Religious, Economic condition of these Empires
5- Conditions of Arabia before the advent of Islam.
6- Impact of Islam on these civilizations.

[COLOR="Red"][/COLOR]Study Area - 1 the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main Focus
1- Hijra as a turning point in Islamic History.
2-Treaty of Hudaiba
3- Conquest of Makkah
4- Prophet as a social reformer
5- Life and teachings of the Prophet
6- Difficulties faced by the holy prophet .


[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]Study area 3 Orthodox Caliphs

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main Focus
1- Collection and preservation of Holy Quran
2-Expansion of Islamic state
3- Election of Orthodox caliph
4- Character and achievements in general


[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]Study area 5 Hazrat Abubakr (RTA)

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main focus

1-Problems he faced
2-His achievements
3- Military expeditions

[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]Study Area 6 Hazrat Umar(RTA)
[COLOR="Green"][/COLOR]Main focus
1-Administrative reforms
2-Military expeditions
3-Analysis of character and achievements.

[COLOR="Red"][/COLOR]Study area 7 Hazrat Usman Ghani(RTA)
[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main focus

1-Charges against him

[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]Study area 9 Ummayad dynasty

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main focus
1- emergence of ummayads
2-administrative set up
3- expansion of islamic empire
4-character and achievements of
. .abdul malik bin marwan
...walid bin abdul malik
.,umer bin abdul aziz
5- causes of the downfall of ummayads


[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]study area 10 the Abbasid dynesty
[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main focus

1-establishment of Abbasid dynasty
2-development of sciences, arts, philosophy, etc
3-services rendered for educational development
4-prominent caliphs and their achievements
5- causes of downfall


[COLOR="red"][/COLOR]study area 11 general questions. .

[COLOR="green"][/COLOR]Main focus

1-basic systems given by islam
2-islamic schools of Thought (fiqeh)
3-problems faced by Muslims

books for islamic history
 

is ISLAMIC HISTORY by K.Ali enough to cover all course...

help me about islamic history
 

ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM brothers kindly mjay koi easy aur short notes bta dein islamic history and culture k agr kisi k pas hn lahore mn bta dein mn us se collect kr ln ga agr soft form mn hain kindly mjay mail kr dein ALLAH apko iski jza de mn kafi preshan hn q k mjay is k baray mn kuchh nai pta aur na smj aa rhi hai k kahan se tyari krn??????????:sad:

[QUOTE=uneeb;445337]is ISLAMIC HISTORY by K.Ali enough to cover all course...[/QUOTE]

No single book is enough to cover Islamic History fully and in accordance with the recent exam trend .. For relevant books read earlier posts in this thread ..

[QUOTE=shafiqrao;445387]ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM brothers kindly mjay koi easy aur short notes bta dein islamic history and culture k agr kisi k pas hn lahore mn bta dein mn us se collect kr ln ga agr soft form mn hain kindly mjay mail kr dein ALLAH apko iski jza de mn kafi preshan hn q k mjay is k baray mn kuchh nai pta aur na smj aa rhi hai k kahan se tyari krn??????????:sad:[/QUOTE]

Waalaikum Salam .. Brother I would advise you to make your own notes from the books mentioned by my earlier .. Do not go for pre-prepared short and easy notes as they won't fetch you the required marks ..
Aap iss thread ko shuru se aur ghor se parrhain, InshaAllah aapko samajh aa jaaye gi k kahan se aur kaisay tayari karni hai .. Just do not panic .. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to ask ..

Best of luck ..

Regards ..

Aoa bro...although i have taken an attempt and my score in IHC was 138...but still i feel there are certain questions which i were not able to prepare due unavailability of relevant material...so, if you could tell me about books where from i could prepare about
1.Ottoman Empire in full detail
2.Different civilizations at the advent of Islam
3.Conquest and Muslim rule in Africa (not Fatimid)

thanking in advance.....

[QUOTE=Khaliqdad Gondal;446494]Aoa bro...although i have taken an attempt and my score in IHC was 138...but still i feel there are certain questions which i were not able to prepare due unavailability of relevant material...so, if you could tell me about books where from i could prepare about[/QUOTE]

Waalaikum Salam ..

Bro you are right that not much or quality material is available for the topics you mentioned .. I skipped these topics during my preparation .. However, If you want to cover them, here are the sources ..

[QUOTE=Khaliqdad Gondal;446494]1.Ottoman Empire in full detail[/QUOTE]

History of Islam by [B]Sohail Bhatti[/B] covers the topic of Ottoman Empire from page [B]804 to 852[/B] .. I doubt the quality of this book so I would recommend to go through other sources as well .. A very good video documentary is available, if you can download it through Torrent .. You can add quality quotes and other dimensions of the Ottoman Empire from that documentary .. Its name is [B]'Islam: Empire of Faith'[/B] and part 3 of this documentary deals fully with the Ottoman Empire .. You can also study the more contemporary version of Ottoman Empire from [B]P.K Hitti's 'History of The Arabs'[/B] ..Part 4 of the book deals with Ottoman Rule from page 709 ..

[QUOTE=Khaliqdad Gondal;446494]2.Different civilizations at the advent of Islam[/QUOTE]

I personally studied only the Arab part of this topic .. I couldn't find satisfactory material on other civilizations even on internet .. So, I skipped it .. If you find any good material on this topic then please share it here for the benefit of all ..

[QUOTE=Khaliqdad Gondal;446494]3.Conquest and Muslim rule in Africa (not Fatimid)[/QUOTE]

The book [B]'The Preaching of Islam' by Sir Thomas Arnold[/B] covers the conquest and Muslim rule in Africa part in different chapters .. This book is easily and cheaply available in market .. [B]Chapter 4[/B] of this book deals with the topic 'The spread of Islam among the Christian Nations of Africa' and also [B]Chapter 10 [/B]'The Spread of Islam in Africa .. You'll get much insight from this book InshaAllah ..

Regards ..

i think this thread will heelp regarding

2.Different civilizations at the advent of Islam

[u][url]http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-subjects/group-e-history-subjects/islamic-history-culture/41919-major-worldcivilizations-dawn-islam.html[/url][/u]

@Stunner
Bro, i shall, definitely, try to get benefit from the sources you have pointed out...
if i find any helpful material i shall share here for sure...
thanks dear and jazakallah

@Maria
thread mentioned by you is indeed helpful for that particular question...thanks dear

@stunner

I am really impressed from your marks in Islamic history. 166 is a recording breaking score. As you mentioned that you fell in love with this subject, I have the same feelings but in my two previous attempts, I secured 139 in first and just 71 in second attempt. But seeing your impressive score this time makes me hopeful that I will have a good score too.

I had studied almost all the material you suggested above, yet securing good score is an art not everybody knows. Therefore, I attempted questions with great care taking all the precautionary measures hitting the main points giving my analytical and critical analysis where required.

Please share your strategy how you attempted this paper.

I Dont have any knowledge of history before .. is islamic history is good for me? is ialmic history is scoring in 2013.. please tell how to perpare it .. in what duration it will take to perpare beacuse i have very short time...

Need guidance
 

AoA, Stunner. I am doing job as well as preparing for 2013. Please guide me how to fetch marks upto 80's in each papaer of IHC. How i can differentiate my question. n most important, little time is left behind so guide for smart study.

[QUOTE=sajidnuml;492750]@stunner
Please share your strategy how you attempted this paper.[/QUOTE]

Bro although I have already stated some techniques in this thread .. There are however some which I can remember now .. One thing most aspirants cannot do in examination is to quote in their answers writers like Sohail Bhatti, K Ali and others who tend to provide copy-paste material to aspirants .. One can only quote authentic writers and the best of them are those mentioned by FPSC itself .. Quoting sources and writers depicts to the examiner that one has read widely and grasped right concepts ..

As for the paper, I can remember the first thought that appeared to me when I saw the paper was that it did not require straight forward answers, rather it required a scholarly application of everything that I ever learnt on Islamic History .. Although I wrote to the point, I also made diagrams, for example, of mathematical explanation for the perfection of Al-Hambra, of devices like Astrolobe to show advancement of Muslim scientists and that even lead to advancement in navigation for ships .. It was the paper asking not for right or wrong answers, rather for a complex mixture of issues that would substantiate your understanding .. I hope it helps


[QUOTE=shaguftaurooj;493249]I Dont have any knowledge of history before .. is islamic history is good for me? is ialmic history is scoring in 2013.. please tell how to perpare it .. in what duration it will take to perpare beacuse i have very short time...[/QUOTE]

Read the thread from start and you'll get all your answers InshaAllah ..

[QUOTE=zindagi20;493865]AoA, Stunner. I am doing job as well as preparing for 2013. Please guide me how to fetch marks upto 80's in each papaer of IHC. How i can differentiate my question. n most important, little time is left behind so guide for smart study.[/QUOTE]

The only short cut for you is to make bullet points and not complete notes, that will save a lot of time .. You can also use Microsoft Word and type speedily instead of writing on paper .. This will be the smart part .. Hard work will be required in reading original texts and other sources .. A combination of both will lead to you to good marks InshaAllah .. Watch the documentaries mentioned in earlier posts, they will save time and provide a good understanding ..

P.S: My CSS journey is over, I'll not be able to concentrate on this forum as I used to do, owing to my final year law studies and family commitments .. Advance apologies to all for any delay in answering posts .. I wish best of luck to all future aspirants ..

Regards ..

Stunner, may i have your e-mail id or some other source of contact. I have some other queries too. i have attempted some questions in outline form so want your expert opinion about them.

stunner ji part 2 ke important topics btaen please as in 2012 paper pattern is changed please sir and i read sohail bhatti,s book i have pk hitti but not k.ali,s book sir

jazakALLAH.. stunner bro, u have done a fabulous job, keep it up.. i could score 117 in 2011 and jst 110 in 2012 with studying little bit of Mazarul Haq's short history.. i m going for my last attempt in 2013 with islamic history with an optional which is hindering my way from going to the top.. wel, this time i have changed the strategy, i'm studying Ameer Ali's short history of saracens and a bit of spirit of islam by Ameer ali along with above mentioned 2 books.. i agree what u have said of just preparing it with specific areas on finger tips and the whole course by just going through it in order to have a general idea..

so what do u say about Ameer Ali's short history of saracens and spirit of islam, should i continue studying them or u think he has written so biased??

[QUOTE=zindagi20;494221]Stunner, may i have your e-mail id or some other source of contact. I have some other queries too. i have attempted some questions in outline form so want your expert opinion about them.[/QUOTE]

Check your reputation points ..

[QUOTE=usman qureshi;499525]stunner ji part 2 ke important topics btaen please as in 2012 paper pattern is changed please sir and i read sohail bhatti,s book i have pk hitti but not k.ali,s book sir[/QUOTE]

After 31st InshaAllah ..

[QUOTE=Shanisar;500846]jazakALLAH.. stunner bro, u have done a fabulous job, keep it up.. i could score 117 in 2011 and jst 110 in 2012 with studying little bit of Mazarul Haq's short history.. i m going for my last attempt in 2013 with islamic history with an optional which is hindering my way from going to the top.. wel, this time i have changed the strategy, i'm studying Ameer Ali's short history of saracens and a bit of spirit of islam by Ameer ali along with above mentioned 2 books.. i agree what u have said of just preparing it with specific areas on finger tips and the whole course by just going through it in order to have a general idea..

so what do u say about Ameer Ali's short history of saracens and spirit of islam, should i continue studying them or u think he has written so biased??[/QUOTE]

Combine knowledge from Ameer Ali's books with Mazhar ul Haq and P.K Hitti .. Watch the documentaries I mentioned, incorporate relevant information in your notes and you'll score well this time InshaAllah ..

Ameer Ali wasn't biased, he's written true accounts and defended Islam by negating Western biased writers .. This should be your approach in examination as well .. Quote them, negate them and present your reasons for doing so by 'Rebuttal Knowledge' ..

Regards ..

[QUOTE=Stunner;500860]After 31st InshaAllah .. [/QUOTE]

First of all piles of thanx for almost done such a laborious job for aspirants and I'll wait 31st for your post regarding 2nd Paper of Islamic History...:cr

STUNNER how can i contact you my advocate bhaiya for help regarding Islamic History and other subjects please mail me your cell number or explore my profile and drop me a message I'll contact you InshALLAH?

Moreover, please take another chance and do prepare this year InshALLAH you'll achieve your desired goal my prayers and Duas are with you. You are really co-operative and a darling mate...;)

Mr, stunner i am going to appear in 2014 inshaALLAH.I want to read maximum books on islamic history.normally people read mazarhulq or K.Ali.I dont want read them,tell me something else.
thanx

plz guide me about paper 2 of islamic history from which book we get the proper material.plz tell me.

[QUOTE=Stunner;415733]Hello Chums,

I had Islamic History as one of the optional subjects in CSS 2012 and I must submit that I fell in love with this subject .. Here, I intend to share all my preparation and paper techniques regarding Islamic History learned throughout my prep span ..

[B]First of all let me eradicate some myths:[/B]

[B]1- Islamic History is not a scoring subject ..[/B]
Well, remove this 'not' and you get my answer .. In fact it is highly scoring if properly prepared and attempted .. How, we'll discuss in this thread InshaAllah ..

[B]2- It has a very lengthy syllabus ..[/B]
Well, to some extent it is true, but proper guidance and to the point preparation makes this lengthy syllabus a very brief one .. There are a few main topics which need to be studied extensively, the remaining bulk of topics need just to be gone through and not to be covered with much detail at all ..

[B]3- It is a dry subject and chunks of material makes it boring ..[/B]
Again a wrong perception .. I feel no hesitation in submitting that I fell in love with Islamic History due to its variety and spice, the nobility of its characters, Islamic humour and the fun loving way with which I prepared it ..

Take one example of Islamic humour extract taken from Bernard Lewis' book 'Islam from Prophet Mohammad to the capture of Constantinople':

[B][I]A man announced that he was God. He was brought before the Caliph Mutawakkil who said to him, "Last year there was someone here who claimed to be a prophet. He was executed." "That was well done," said the man, "for I had not sent him."[/I][/B] Kitna barra fankaar tha .. :D

I watched some documentaries to make my preparation joyful .. I gained much knowledge and also some extra-ordinary quotes from those documentaries .. Specially knowledge relating architecture and Islamic boom in education and medicine was superbly described in them .. Here are some that I watched:

[B]1-[/B] [B]Islam - Empire of faith[/B]
[B]2-[/B] [B]The legacy of a Prophet P.B.U.H
[B]3-[/B] When Moors ruled in Europe [/B]

You can download all these movies easily through torrents .. If you find any difficulty let me know and I will post the exact links .. I would recommend all Islamic History aspirants to watch these documentaries .. I got a lot of insight from them .. For example in [B]'When Moors ruled in Europe'[/B] while mentioning the difference in advancement of Muslim physicians in Spain and those of other European doctors, the English Historian [B]Bettany Hughes[/B] notes from the accounts of a Muslim doctor:

[B][I]They brought me a Knight who had an abscess in his leg and a woman suffering from consumption. I made a plaster for the Knight and his swelling opened and improved. For the woman I suggested a diet to regulate metabolism and cure her consumption. But then the Frankish doctor arrived and objected. 'Bring me a strong Knight with a sharp axe' he said. The Knight struck a powerful blow to his leg and wound burst, the Knight died having lost much of his blood. As for the woman he suggested that a devil must have entered her head and he cut her head with a blade in a cross shape and rubbed salt into it. The woman died instantly. 'I returned home, having learned much about the medicine of the Christians'.[/I][/B] (Waisay aaj kal ye sab hamaray mulk mein ho raha hai) ..

Now you can note the way with which Bettany Hughes contrasts the caliber of Muslim and other doctors at the times of Spanish Islam. I used the above mentioned quote in my paper too.
[U]
[B]Book Sources:[/B][/U]

Dear friends, I'm a book lover and I do not personally believe in one book policy. I used as much as 8 or 9 books for Islamic History alone. [B]But I won't recommend you to study that many books, because that might well be a reason for my low score (God forbid) [/B] Here are the books I suggest:

[B][B]1-[/B] A short history of Islam - Mazhar ul Haq
[B]2-[/B] History of Arabs - P.K Hitti
[B]3-[/B] Spanish Islam - Reinhardt Dozy[/B]

Use Mazhar ul Haq's book for pet knowledge and the other two for contrasting views and quotes .. You can add criticizing comments of the above mentioned European writers in your answers but [B]do not forget to defend Islam to the fullest. You have to negate any negative comments from them.[/B] This will show and extra in-depth and will fetch additional marks ..

So friends, do opt for this subject if you got love for it. Prepare by staying on the right track and it will fetch excellent marks for you InshaAllah .. You are free to ask any questions you have .. I'll keep posting remaining points and stuff InshaAllah ..

Best of luck ..

Regards ..[/QUOTE]
Dear i need those links plzzzzzzzzz

Respected Sir! Salute you for your fabulous effort...

Kindly tell me....
1-Is it compulsory to make notes?? I don't have time to make notes in fact i am much stressed now a days as v short time left and i have to pass inshaALLAH B/c its a (DO OR DIE) for me.I am not good at "cramming" i love to understand topic as a whole and then to memorize it.

2-Muslim law by Atir rizvi (JBD) + Dr Liqat Niazi (JBD) + D.F Mullah Are these well enough?and for better understanding i am going through "Elm-ul-fiqah" (dar-ul-Ash'at)

it'll be so grateful of u to post the links of those documentaries her... :)

[QUOTE=Fassi;500872]First of all piles of thanx for almost done such a laborious job for aspirants and I'll wait 31st for your post regarding 2nd Paper of Islamic History...:cr

STUNNER how can i contact you my advocate bhaiya for help regarding Islamic History and other subjects please mail me your cell number or explore my profile and drop me a message I'll contact you InshALLAH?

Moreover, please take another chance and do prepare this year InshALLAH you'll achieve your desired goal my prayers and Duas are with you. You are really co-operative and a darling mate...;)[/QUOTE]

Please see your reputation points for my email ..
CE 2012 was my first and last chance as I'm 28 now, so that's pretty much it for my CSS journey .. Thanks a lot for all your prayers

[QUOTE=MUHAMMAD LUQMAN GUJAR;500883]Mr, stunner i am going to appear in 2014 inshaALLAH.I want to read maximum books on islamic history.normally people read mazarhulq or K.Ali.I dont want read them,tell me something else.
thanx[/QUOTE]

Its a great idea to study the original and maximum texts for Islamic History as no single book has mastered its content to the extent that one gets fair knowledge and analytic mindset to produce top answers in exam .. My suggestion would be to study P.K Hitti, Lewis Bernard and Ameer Ali for Paper 1 and Reinhardt Dozy + selected relevant portions from 'The preaching of Islam' by Sir Thomas Arnold for Paper 2 .. Watching the mentioned documentaries will be a good aid to knowledge and notes too ..

I'm not by any means suggesting to study it as a P.H.D thesis .. Rather 'Flirt with the books', as I was told by Sir Humayun, my very respected law teacher .. Means, study only the relevant portions but from a number of books .. Do not be bothered with the the number, study them wisely and be qualitative ..

Best of luck ..

[QUOTE=DC Naeem;500894]plz guide me about paper 2 of islamic history from which book we get the proper material.plz tell me.[/QUOTE]

Bro I would need some more time and in a few days I'll post all about Paper 2 InshaAllah .. My material is away and I need to gather it, study it and then I'll be able to suggest the best possible way to cater Paper 2 .. My apologies for a further delay

[QUOTE=mano khan;500930]Dear i need those links plzzzzzzzzz[/QUOTE]

Download Bit Torrent on your computer and then google the documentary titles with words 'Bit Torrent' added .. Example: Write 'When Moors Ruled In Europe Documentary Bit Torrent' .. Choose one from the options given and it will start downloading in Bit Torrent ..

[QUOTE=jillia89;504353]Respected Sir! Salute you for your fabulous effort...

Kindly tell me....
1-Is it compulsory to make notes?? I don't have time to make notes in fact i am much stressed now a days as v short time left and i have to pass inshaALLAH B/c its a (DO OR DIE) for me.I am not good at "cramming" i love to understand topic as a whole and then to memorize it.

2-Muslim law by Atir rizvi (JBD) + Dr Liqat Niazi (JBD) + D.F Mullah Are these well enough?and for better understanding i am going through "Elm-ul-fiqah" (dar-ul-Ash'at)[/QUOTE]

Your query is regarding Muslim Law and Jurisprudence .. I did not have it as an optional subject, I just found some notes for it and shared in its thread .. This thread, however, is regarding Islamic History and Culture .. Please search thoroughly in Muslim Law thread and you'll find your answers InshaAllah .. Best of luck

[QUOTE=venomous sophie;504406]it'll be so grateful of u to post the links of those documentaries her... :)[/QUOTE]

Please follow the pattern I wrote to mano khan above .. If you people still find it difficult then let me know and we'll see what I can do about it ..

PS for all: I'm sorry for a delay in posting Paper 2 stuff which has been long due, but I'll try my best to complete it by the end of next week InshaAllah ..

Best of luck to all of you ..

Regards ..

[QUOTE=Stunner;415979]Assalam o Alaikum again folks,

Let me now make the study of Islamic History easy for you .. We'll discuss the topics or portions of Islamic History to be covered for a Boom-Boom paper ..

Part one of the subject deals with the following topics:

[U][B]1- World at the advent of Islam[/B][/U]

You need a brief study of the social, political, religious and economic aspects of the world at the time of advent of Islam .. You need not to study this topic in much detail, rather bullet points and understanding would do the work .. However, do add some quotes from the renowned books .. It is a frequently asked question and covering this means having covered 20 marks paper.

[U][B]2- Major incidents of the life of Holy Prophet P.B.U.H[/B][/U]

This is where your in depth study should start from. Topics in this portion are the Call (Revelation), early difficulties of Prophet P.B.U.H, Taif visit, Oaths of Aqaba, Hijrah (Migration), Pact of Madina, Battles like Badr, Ohad, Ahzab, Conquest of Makkah, Khyber and Hawazin, Role of Jews .. After you have covered these topics you'll have sufficient knowledge InshaAllah to answer questions like:
Administration policy of the Prophet P.B.U.H, Prophet as a Judge, Him as a Peacemaker, Political social and economic revolutions brought by the Prophet P.B.U.H and other analytic questions.

A proper study of this portion will ensure covering another 20 or even in some cases 40 marks paper.

[B][U]3- Khulfa e Rashideen[/U][/B]
Khulfa e Rashideen or the Rightly guided Caliphs portion includes the lives and works of Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A, Hazrat Umar R.A, Hazrat Usman R.A and Hazrat Ali R.A .. You'll need to study their elections, conquests during their times, their administration policy, difficulties they faced and problems arisen within Islamic society during their times .. Cover these and you get another 20 marks covered ..

[B][U]4- Umayyads and Abbassids[/U][/B]
Under these topics you need to cover some personalities like Abdul Malik bin Marwan, Walid Bin Abdul Malik and Umar Bin Abdul Azeez .. You need to cover their administrative policy and the reforms they brought .. While in Abbassids you need to cover the scientific, philosophical and educational boom of the Muslims under Abbassids .. This is an important topic, especially the Abbassid part, as it is interlinked with the overall revolution brought by the Muslims. One or even two questions are always expected from this portion of Islamic History and it may even be asked in Paper 2 ..

[B][U]5- Ottoman Empire[/U][/B]
The documentary I mentioned above named [B]'Islam - The Empire of Faith'[/B] has part two entirely focused on the Ottoman Empire .. It is also a two-fold topic and can be asked in Part 2 as well .. I skipped this topic during my preparation but I would suggest you to cover it .. The exam trend has changed and selective study seems to be strongly discouraged by the examiners ..

So folks, above is the whole Islamic History Part 1 mentioned for you .. If you cover these topics you'll be able to answer all 7 questions in exam InshaAllah and even the objective portion .. You can of course pick and choose the topics for a speedy coverage of the syllabus but I would recommend you to go through all the syllabus .. [B]A dedicated and focused study routine will enable you to cover Part 1 in 10 or 15 days at most ..[/B]

Paper 2 and other points to cover and attempt Islamic History well enough will follow soon InshaAllah .. Any queries will be welcomed ..

Regards ..[/QUOTE]
plz continue it.... m in a dire need of study plan of islamic history n culture.. so plz let us guide regarding paper 2 as wel....