Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history of the Islamic world through its religion, thinkers, poetry, empire and rulers'An ever-growing library of wisdom' The EconomistSince 1998, In Our Time has been the go-to radio programme for knowledge seekers and inquiring minds. Tackling big topics with a light touch, it has introduced weekly audiences of over 2 million to subjects ranging from Romulus and Remus to the Renaissance.This special themed collection provides a focussed, wide-ranging introduction to 25 of the ideas and events that shaped the Islamic world, highlighting the numerous connections between Islamdom and the West throughout history. We learn the origins of Sharia law, and how prophets became important to Islam, Judaism and Christianity alike; discover how the Translation Movement introduced the Arabic world to Greek philosophy, medicine, engineering and maths; and find out how settlers and invaders from both East and West transformed and refashioned the civilisations they touched, from the Arab Conquest, Muslim Spain and the Volga Vikings to the Third Crusade and the Siege of Vienna.Here, too, are key scholars and writers, among them al-Kindi, the first significant thinker to reconcile philosophy and Islam; Averroes, who worked to integrate Islamic theology with the rationality of Aristotle; Maimonides, a titan of Jewish intellectual history who was much influenced by the Islamic world; and Rumi, the Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose work transcends borders of time, faith, language and geography.Hosted by Melvyn Bragg with a panel of experts including Mona Siddiqui, Jim Al-Khalili, Tariq Ali and Amira Bennison, these enlightening, accessible discussions will illuminate, inspire and surprise.Production creditsPresented by Melvyn BraggProduced by Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Victoria BrignellFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:Part I: ReligionIslamic Law and its Origins 5 May 2011Sunni and Shia Islam 25 June 2009Prophecy 13 June 2013Part II: History of IdeasMaths in the Early Islamic World 16 February 2017The Translation Movement 2 October 2008Al-Kindi 28 June 2012al-Biruni 10 June 2010Avicenna 8 November 2007Al-Ghazali 19 March 2015Averroes 5 October 2006Maimonides 17 February 2011Ibn Khaldun 4 February 2010Part III: LiteratureAntarah ibn Shaddad 28 February 2019Rumi's Poetry 11 February 2016Part IV: EmpireThe Sassanid Empire 13 December 2007The Arab Conquests 26 June 2008Muslim Spain 21 November 2002The Battle of Tours