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Home , Iblis

The Basics of

 Youngest  ––profitprofit  Largest who received the best and final  Middle East, Africa, Asia revelation  One life to live  Only one –– .  Believers submit to the will of Allah  Same God worshipped by  (those and who submit to God) . follow Islam  Islam began with the Arabian Desert  7 century A.D.  Already influenced by other religions.  Which ones? people.

Christianity

 Many cities and rulers who were close in proximity were Christians.  Influence weakened by:  Beliefs about the nature of Christ and the relationship between God and .  Arab Christians treated badly; many wanted a new Arab religion. Judaism’s influence

 Arabian people were familiar with Judaism.  When Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, entered in 622 BC many of the residents were Jewish. ’s influence

 Muhammad and some disciples may have been in contact with Persian Zoroastrians. Influences of Other Religions Cont.d’  Major religious force grew, and reacted against, was the native religion of the Arab people.  What is know about them is found in the Muslim Scripture, Qur’an.  Discuss on page 330, Pre - Islamic religion  Practiced animism  became important because of animism. What was found?  Meteor stone  Enclosure built around it called the Ka’ba  Qur’an (Muslim Scripture) is critical of the early native religions (moon, , fairies worshiped).  Pre-Islamic religions practiced animism: places and spirits found  Mecca became a holy place due to the Ka’ba. Constant struggle among clans for control of Mecca.

Ka’ba

 Ka’ba filled with images, relics and paintings, possibly even Jesus and Mary  Islamic legend says what?  fell from heaven during the time of and and and his son built the Ka’ba  Each year, a period of several months were set aside as a time of truce between fighting tribes so pilgrims could travel to Mecca to worship.  It is an object of and profit to Meccan's.

Mohammed as a child (in blue) at a marketplace in Mecca.

 An Iranian woman artist Orampis (who is a Muslim and lives in Tehran) created this iconic painting of a young Muhammad and is selling it online. Though this would seem to violate Islamic and Iranian law, some suggest that this particular painting is not forbidden because it depicts a young Muhammad before he was visited by the , which means that at this stage in his life he is not yet the Prophet. Life of Muhammad • Born 570 C.E. In the Hashim Clan, tribe of Quraish. – They controlled the Ka’ba in Mecca • Dad died before born, mother before 6. • Lived with uncle, chief of Quraish tribe. • Difficult life, no formal education, illiterate.

Middle years

 Worked and traveled with caravans, met many people of different religions.  These religions had many similarities such as what?  Concerned for his people who worshipped many gods and idols.  Met his wealthy wife Khadija.  Six kids, only Fatima survived.

Middle Years Cont.d’

 After being married to a wealthy women, Muhammad had time to meditate.  He considered theological questions .  Gabrial (angel) visited him, stated command: page 332  Muhammad continued to receive these revelations; they became written down in the Qur’an  1928 German advertisement for bouillon extract shows Gabriel guiding Mohammed up to Allah.

Revelations

 Only one God = Allah  He believed he was last of Gods prophets.  Other prophets had incomplete revelations. Muhammad had complete and final revelation.  Did not deny the validity of other religions, but sees Islam as the completions of what the others began  He preached in Mecca but received little support. Why?

Followers

 Wife; Ali, cousin; Zayd, slave boy, abu- Bakr, friend; young and poorer classes.  Opposition: older, richer clan leaders in Mecca.  Uncle would protect him but some followers had to leave to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)  Muhammad remained in Mecca and faced persecution  Meccans boycotted Muhammad  619 Uncle and wife die. 

Another Shriners' painting showing Mohammed (in the red robe on the right) being comforted by his uncle as he hides from Meccans during his flight to Medina. Chronology of Events

Mohammed preaching to early converts . 620 C.E.

 Six men traveled from Yathrib (Medina), a city with problems (clans) to Mecca to talk with Muhammad.  They believed he would be impartial and settle disputes.  He was chosen to become the ruler of the city but was unable to leave Mecca until 622.  The journey to Yathrib was called the Hijrah .  There, the Muslims were a clan along with the other clans. His religion wasn’t widely accepted. Mohammed arriving at the walls of Medina. Chronology Cont.d’

 He was granted political authority under the Median Charter.  However, religious freedom still existed. There was a Christian community and three Jewish tribes.  Previously Muhammad only dealt with polytheists of Mecca, now he must deal with Jewish monotheists.  Division develops between the Muhammad and the Jews.  Muhammad first commands Muslims to pray toward but changed it to Mecca. (Holy cities)  Muhammad remarries.  Conflict arises between the Medians and the Meccan’s; and the Muslims and Jewish tribes.  Jews supported the Meccan’s against Muhammad.  Jews were given the choice of conversion or exile (poison lamb)

Chronology Cont.d’

 Meccans attack Medina; failed to take the city.  Muhammad attempts pilgrimage to Mecca but stopped. This drawing is titled "Muhammad Riding into Medina," but it's more likely that it depicts his triumphant return into Mecca. 629

 Peace treaty made.  Muhammad makes first pilgrimage, and with so many Muslims no one stops them. 630

 Muhammad conquered Mecca.  Destroys the Ka’ba.  Muhammad becomes the sole leader of the Arabian people.  Muhammad dies.  No successor, Abu-Bakr chosen.

Death of Mahomet; photograph of a page in the book The History of the , Including the Life of Mohammed , by William Mavor (published in New York in 1804). (Hat tip: little old lady.)

Qur’an (Scripture of Islam)

 Very influential. No  (1st and last words other book read or you hear…) committed to  Said to hold the memory as much exact worlds of as it is. Allah to Muhammad  Anyone who from first revelation memorizes it to Muhammad’s completely called a death. hafiz.  Zayd wrote  It is believed to be Muhammad’s God’s last word to memorized humanity. messages. Qur’an Cont.d’

 Third caliph and Zayd  Arranged according to the developed the length of the surahs in descending order. authorized version of (Longest surha is 287 the Qur’an pages, shortest 3 pages)  114 chapters called surahs .

 Surahs contain 6,000 verses called ayas .

 No topical or chronological arrangement. The Nature of God

 Qur’an is: 1. Descriptive : the message is simply describing what  the word of God happened.  tells you how God 2. Prescriptive: the things expects people to live that we should do for all time.  eternal destiny of  Ex): Love each other, humankind worship God, etc  Islam is strict , Muslims do not believe that any part of the believe only Judaism is also. Qur’an is descriptive.  Children begin to memorize The Qur’an is the Qur’an at a very young interpreted as a age. prescriptive message.  There are two ways one can  When passages refer to interpret the Christian bible. “slaying idolaters,” this is interpreted prescriptively. Cont.d’

 Allah can be described with 99 different names:  The Guardian.  The Creator.  Just and merciful.  Father is not one of them  To have a paternal relationship with Allah would be blasphemy. Allah is so sovereign and mighty that a humanistic relationship with sinners would disgrace him as God. Quran Cont.d’

 Allah has the characteristics of:  power  sovereignty  majesty  He also is characterized by justice and mercy.  He will repay the evil with justice and the righteous with mercy. Quran Cont.d’

 Heavenly figures  Evil = non believers, do assist Allah: and are lead by Iblis angles and 's. (he is like )  Muslim tradition,  Jinn's are ½ way Iblis was between angles responsible for The and fall of Adam.  Some are guardian , some are demons  Good jinn's = Muslims The Nature of Allah

 Concepts of 3 people:

 Allah:  Allah is the Creator God, he is the Lord of the worlds, the master of the worlds; there is only one God, he is Allah.

 Believers:  Those who are Muslims are the only one’s on the right path; they have earned God’s favor because of their faith.

 Unbelievers:  Allah has predestined all humans to either heaven or . Those who are predestined for heaven will be beneficent and happy; those who are predestined for hell (who are not Muslim) are to live in fear. Predestination

 Humans are the creation of Allah and must be obedient to him  Whether one does good or evil or enjoys success or suffers failure is entirely in the hands of the God who rules the world and who has planned each event in advance.  When the idea is carried to this extreme, people do not possess freedom of choice, therefore they are not responsible for their acts.  God is all and people are put his puppets. Eschatology

 The judgment of humanity by Allah at the conclusion of time is one of the basic beliefs of Islam.  The Qur'an says that when a person dies, the body returns to the earth and the soul goes into a state of sleep until resurrections day. Eschatology Continued…

 On this day the angel of Allah will sound his trumpet, the earth will split, and the bodies will rejoin their souls .  The resurrected are then judged by Allah.  Those who have been faithful and virtuous will be rewarded; those who have been evil will be punished . Eschatology Continued…

 All people are judged on the basis of the record of deeds in a book kept for the purpose.  According to the Qur’an, what does heaven and hell look like? Religious Institutions The

 Not a temple-oriented religion  Free to worship Allah everyday, where they might be  Friday is a special day of Muslim worship  Saturday for Jewish religions  Sunday for Christians  Not a day of rest  Only day of the week when the Muslim is required to pray at a mosque with fellow Muslims  Prayer led by an imam  Not a a community leader  Five obligations

Shahada Salat Zakzt Sawm

Declaration of faith Prayer Almsgiving or Fasting during Pilgrimage to in Allah towards welfare Mecca Mecca five contribution times daily 1. Repetition of the Creed (shahadah)

 There is no God but Allah; Muhammed is the messenger of Allah  Shahadah is a confession of faith  First worlds a Muslim child hears, and likely the last words  Here is the written in . (Like Hebrew, Arabic is written from right to left.) 2. Daily Prayer (salaht)  Pray five times a day  Dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nightfall  Muezzins (mu·ez·zin, strong- voiced men) climb minarets (towers) and cry out that it is time of prayer  Wash hands, feet and face  May cleanse self with sand  Men and women may not pray together  Improper contact may occur  Some only for men, some mosques are divided The Bowing Positions of Salat

3. Almsgiving (zakaht, zuh-kaht )

 Poor, widows, and orphans  2.5 and 10 percent of one’s wealth  Begging is not dishonorable  Receiving as well as giving alms is considered a source of God’s blessing 4. Fasting (sawm)

 Ramadan  Abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and engaging in sexual relations during the daylight hours  Daylight hours is determined when there is enough light in the morning to distinguish a black thread from a white thread  Kept in remembrance of the month when Prophet first received his revelation  Sick, travelers, nursing infants and small children excluded  Muslims celebrate with a feast that lasts three days  Allah will pardon the of all those believers who complete the fast 5. Pilgrimage (hajj)

The Route of the Hajj  Occurs during the calendar month of Dhu al-hijah  Elderly and ill may not return home – this is a blessed way to die  Outside of Mecca, leave mode of transportation and walk in  Pilgrim’s garments, no head coverings and briefest sandals  Zamzam Well is visited which is believed to have been established by Hagar and Ishmael  Walk around Ka’ba seven times and kiss black stone  Visit Median to pay respects to Muhammad’s grave and mosque  Title haji may be attached to their names

Islam and Women

 The position of women in pre-Islamic Arabia was very low  Female infanticide was common  Women were property  Muhammad did raise the status of women significantly  Practices of murdering females babies was forbidden  Number of wives limited to 4  Seen as a benefit for the women Islam and Women Cont.d’

 Divorce was easy  Woman still would have a dowry  Women have a legal right to demand a divorce if their husband treats them unjustly or cruelly Islam and Women Cont.d’

 Still today, women are expected to be subordinate to men – however this varies depending upon the area  Men are infinitely greater than their wives. Women need to know their status relative to men.  Allah will not hear the prayers of a woman who’s husband is displeased with her. Saudi Arabia

 Strict regulations  Dress  Public behavior  Not allowed to work or study with men  Not permitted to drive Islamic Taboos

 Similar traditions as found in the Hebrew Bible  Foods allowed to eat (halal)  Foods forbidden to be eaten ()  Same slaughtering method  Cannot eat pork and dogs, seen as unclean  Cannot drink alcohol in any form or gamble  Definition: struggle in the path of God  It can mean struggle in the physical sense, which can include building mosques or leaving home to work of the or to avoid religious persecuting, as well as armed struggle. It can also mean struggle against the passions and instincts that can prevent people from acting in accordance with the commandments of the faith. Muslim tradition teaches that Allah rewards both types of struggle.  Muslim scholars teach that only defensive wars are truly  Muslim leaders have, however, often used the concept of “holy war” to justify their actions, usually with mixed results…discuss what the book states Jihad Cont.d’

 There are two forms of Jihad  Greater Jihad:  The battle against Satan and the evil life in your own heart.  This is an Internal Struggle.  Lesser Jihad:  A war waged as an instrument of Islamic righteousness.  This is an External Struggle , known as “Holy War.”

The Spread of Islam

 Reasons why rapid and massive expansion 1. Islam is a universal religion 2. Islam is a religion with wide appeal 3. The world that surrounded the early Muslims was confused and corrupt The Caliph

 Khalifa : “deputy” or “representative.  Islam is not structured  Can be practiced privately  Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death.  Much confusion on who should rule.  Abu-Bakr chosen caliph for tempral matters  Quran spiritual rule  At first, caliphs were friends of the Prophet. Then it became hereditary. Finally it was ruled by Umayyad caliphs who wanted to rule as kings Variations Within Islam

 There is major division in the Islamic faith caused  About the debate over the rightful Caliph. Variations Within Islam

 The Sunnis  The Shi’ites  85% of all Muslim’s  They believe that the today are Sunni. true successor should  Most traditional: they be someone who is want to follow related to Muhammed. Muhammad’s traditions.  Imam : one who leads  They would have with the authority of accepted as God. the new Caliph.  Different factions arose over disagreement on the number of Imams.  Many believe that some Imams did not die and are waiting to return to earth. Islam in the Modern World

 A period of isolation from the world.  Isolation ends with the advancement of technology and the end of World War I.  The demand for Middle Eastern oil dramatically increases Muslim power and wealth. Muslim Calendar and Holy Days

 Own calendar  Feast of Fast-Breaking  Feast of Sacrifice  New Year  Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad Islam Today

 Biggest change is Islamic fundamentalism…discuss