Islam

Theme: Order Through Community

Lesson 19

ID & SIG:

• Allah, Five Pillars of Islam, jihad, Mecca, Medina, Muhammad, Quran, Ramadan, sharia, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, umma

Islam and Muslim

• Islam means “submission”– Signifies obedience to the rule and will of

Allah

• A Muslim is one who accepts the Islamic faith– Means “one who has submitted”

Muhammad

• Born in 570 into a reputable family of merchants in Mecca

• Lost both of his parents by the time he was 6 years old

• As a young man, Muhammad worked for Khadija, a wealthy widow who he married around 595– This marriage gained him a position of some

prominence in Meccan society– By the age of 30 Muhammad had established himself

as a merchant

Muhammad

• Muhammad’s status as a merchant undoubtedly brought him in contact with both Jews and Christians and he would have had a basic knowledge of both faiths

• About 610, when he was about 40, Muhammad had a spiritual experience that convinced him that there was only one true deity, Allah (“God”)

Allah

• Elements of Muhammad’s spiritual transformation– Allah rules the universe– Idolatry and the recognition of other gods amounts to

wickedness– Allah would soon bring his judgment on the world

• Muhammad received messages or revelations from Gabriel, the archangel, instructing him to explain his faith to others

Quran (Koran)

• Muhammad originally just shared the message with his family and close friends, but gradually others became interested

• By about 620, a zealous and expanding minority in Mecca had joined Muhammad’s circle

• As the Muslim community grew, Muhammad’s followers began writing down his oral recitations into written texts– During the 650s these writings were issued as the

Quran (“recitation”)

Medina

• The growing popularity of Muhammad’s preaching brought him in conflict with Mecca’s elites

• In 622, Muhammad fled to Medina, some 214 miles north of Mecca

• The move became known as the hijra (“migration”) and marks the starting point of the official Islamic calendar

Reasons for Muhammad’s Conflict in Mecca

• Insistence that Allah was the only true god clashed with many polytheistic Arabs

• Muhammad’s denunciation of greed as a moral weakness that Allah would punish threatened Mecca’s wealthy merchants

• Muhammad’s attack on idolatry represented an economic threat to those who profited from the many shrines to the various deities– Ka’ba was one such shrine

Umma

• In Mecca, Muhammad had lived within an established political framework and therefore concentrated on moral and religious dimensions

• In Medina, the society in exile needed guidance in more than just spiritual matters– Muhammad organized his followers into a

cohesive community called the umma (“community of the faithful”)

Umma

• Muhammad provided a comprehensive legal and social code

• He led the community in prayer and in battle• He provided economic support both by

organizing commercial ventures and by raiding caravans from Mecca

• He provided for the relief of orphans and widows and made almsgiving a prime moral value

Umma

• Individuals belong to a community

• The positive benefits of all who embrace Islam (social justice, solidarity and purpose, and political stability) are enjoyed by all in areas guided by Islamic law (dar al-Islam means the “house of Islam” and refers to lands under Islamic rule)

Mecca

East LondonDetroit

Return to Mecca

• In 630, Muhammad attacked Mecca, conquered it, and forced the elites to adopt the faith

• Destroyed pagan shrines and replaced them with mosques

• Imposed a government dedicated to Allah• Building on the conquest of Mecca, Muhammad

launched other military campaigns and by the time of his death in 632, most of Arabia was under his control

Ka’ba

• Muhammad spared the Ka’ba from destruction and preserved it as a symbol of Mecca’s greatness

• In 632, Muhammad led the first pilgrimage to the Ka’ba– Establishes the hajj

as an example for all devout Muslims

Five Pillars of Islam

• Acknowledge Allah as the only god and Muhammad as his prophet (iman)

• Pray to Allah daily while facing Mecca (salah)• Observe a fast during daylight hours of the

month of Ramadan (sawm)• Contribute alms to the relief of the weak and

poor (zakah)• Those who are physically and financially able

must make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)

Translation of the Adan (Call to Prayer)

God is Great. God is Great. God is Great. God is Great. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God. I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. Come to prayer! Come to prayer! Come to success! Come to success! God is Great! God is Great! There is none worthy of worship except God.

Ramadan

• Ninth month of the Islamic calendar – A time for inner reflection, devotion to God,

and self-control

• Daily period of fasting from dawn to dusk– Observers totally abstain from food, drink,

smoking, and sex

• Ramadan ends with a joyous celebration called ’Eid-ul-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking)

Anticipated Days for Ramadan

• First Day 2005: 10/04/2005             Last Day 2005: 11/02/2005

• First Day 2006: 09/23/2006            Last Day 2006: 10/22/2006

• First Day 2007:  09/12/2007  Last Day 2007: 10/11/2007

• Muslims use the lunar calendar which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar

• Takes about 35 years to go through the entire cycle

Jihad

• Sometimes called the sixth pillar• Jihad is more than a “holy war”

– It is an exertion or struggle in achieving the ways of Allah

– It requires a vigilance “against all that distracts us from God and exertion to do His will within ourselves as well as preserving and reestablishing the order and harmony that He has willed for Islamic society and the world about us.”

• Seyyed Nasr in Our Religions, ed. Arvind Sharma, 475

Jihad

• In the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, extremists began using the concept of jihad to rationalize and legitimize terrorism and revolution

• “… in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa [a legal pronouncement issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue] to all Muslims: – The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and

military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, ‘and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,’ and ‘fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.’”

• World Islamic Front Statement, 23 February 1998

Islamic Ethics

• Islam values practice over belief• Of the Five Pillars, four concern practice (acts,

deeds or endeavors) that adherents must fulfill– Prayer– Fasting– Almsgiving– Pilgrimage

• Living correctly takes precedence over creeds and doctrines

Sharia

• After the death of Muhammad, the sharia, Islamic holy law, emerged to give detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost every aspect of daily life

• Drew its inspiration from the Quran and historical accounts of Muhammad’s life and teachings

• Through the sharia, Islam became more than a religious doctrine– It developed into a way of life complete with social

and ethical values derived from Islamic religious doctrine.

Expansion of Islam

• Muhammad made no provisions for a successor after his death– Serious divisions arose

• Within a short time however, the Islamic community launched a series of military campaigns that extended its influence far beyond the boundaries of Arabia

Caliphs

• Since Muhammad was “the seal of the prophets,” no one could succeed him as another prophet

• Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad’s closest friend’s and disciples followed him as caliph (“deputy”)

• Caliphs would lead the umma as lieutenants or substitutes for Muhammad, rather than as prophets

Expansion and Problems

• Islamic warriors gained remarkable victories over the Byzantine and Sasanid empires which were exhausted from fighting each other and besieged by internal problems

Expansion of Islam to 750

Expansion and Problems

• As Islam expanded, it was faced with problems of governance and administration

• One problem was selecting the caliphs– Political ambitions, personal differences, and

clan loyalties complicated the process

• Disagreements over succession led to the emergence of the Shia sect

Shia

• Shia (“party”) are the most important alternative to the majority Muslim group, the Sunni (“traditionalists”)

• Shiites favored Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son in law, as caliph instead of Abu Bakr

• Ali did become the fourth caliph (656-661) but was assassinated and his killers imposed their own caliph

• Shiites vigorously resisted and struggled to return the caliphate to the line of Ali

Shia

• Shiites strengthened their identity by adopting doctrines and rituals distinct from the Sunnis – Observed holy days in honor of their leaders

and martyrs– Taught that the descendants of Ali were

infallible, sinless, and divinely appointed to rule

Differences Between Shia and Sunni

• Shiites – About 15% of all

Muslims– Islam’s leader should

be a descendant of Mohammad

– Qualified religious leaders have the authority to interpret the sharia (Islamic law)

• Sunnis – About 85% of all

Muslims– Leaders should be

chosen through ijma, or consensus

– The sharia was codified and closed by the 10th century

Iraq

• Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was 60-65% Shia and 32-37% Sunni (CIA World Factbook) but Sunnis dominated the government and economy

The Sunni Triangle

Sufi

• Sufi is a third Muslim group – Encourages a personal,

emotional, devotional approach to Islam; has a very mystical and spiritual component

– Do not insist on fine points of doctrine or formal religious teachings; instead work to deepen spiritual awareness

– Most lead pious and ascetic lives

– Very effective as missionaries, brought Islam to India

Representation of Sufi theologian al-Ghazali (1058-1111)

Islam in Africa

• Contact with Muslim merchants encouraged sub-Sahara west Africans and coastal east Africans to adopt Islam

• It served as a cultural foundation for business relationships– Yet African ruling elites and merchants did not

convert for purely mercenary reasons; they took their new faith seriously

Major World ReligionsSource: About, Inc

http://christianity.about.com/library/weekly/blreligiontop.htm

Religion Members

Christianity 2 BillionIslam 1.2 Billion Hinduism 785 Million Buddhism 360 Million Judaism 17 Million Sikhism 16 MillionBaha‘i 5 MillionConfucianism 5 MillionJainism 4 MillionShintoism 3 MillionWicca .7 MillionZoroastrianism .2 Million

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