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Islam = “surrender” or “submission” to God
Muslim = “one who surrenders [to God]”
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Life is submission to God, even birth and death.
 All actions are worship
 All people are born Muslim
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Surrender to God, carry out his commands
 Commands touch nearly every aspect of life
 Extends to politics
 Islam is entwined with Muslim empire
 Islam = theology, culture, law, practice
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Relative isolation
Bedouins = nomadic tribes travelling from oasis to
oasis
 Kinship groups (tribes, clans)
 Personal honor connected to honor of clan
 No central government
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Religion
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One supreme god, many minor gods
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Born into wealthy tribe
Married at 25 to Khadija
Deeply troubled as youth
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Didn’t like tribal conflict and Bedouin religion
Solitary meditation in mountainside caves
 40 years old – early revelations
 Gabriel – angel of revelation
 Collected in Qur’an
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M was commanded to “arise and warn people”
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Undermined dominant tribe in Mecca
Opposition tried to assassinate M
M’s wife and uncle die
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Flight to Medina
Growing community of Islam
Raids against Meccan caravans
First holy war (jihad)
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Jihad = “struggle”
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Stay on path of Allah
Fight injustice and oppression
Create a just society
Military conflict
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Not meant to be aggressor
No justification of forced conversion
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Qur’an
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Eternal words of Allah
 Divine revelation to M
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Hadith
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Narratives of life and deeds of M
Not compiled until 9th or 10th century
Different collections for Sunnis, Shi’as
Monotheism
1.
Absolute unity and uniqueness of Allah
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Cannot represent image
Has no “associates”
Polytheists: deny sovereignty of Allah
Meaning and purpose of human existence
2.
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Fully centered on Allah
Humans are Allah’s representatives (khalifa)
No notion of original sin
Social reform
3.
Serve Allah in relationships with others
Model yourself on Allah
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Compassionate
Protective of weak
Just
Opposed to evil
De-emphasized importance of kinship
Day of Judgment
4.
Dead resurrected
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All life will stand before Allah’s judgment
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Unbelievers, selfish  eternal damnation in hell
Believers  eternal paradise
Body and soul are perishable
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Will be resurrected for afterlife
Allah’s creation is good, but < paradise
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Life is “testing ground” for eternity
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Shahada: profession of faith
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There is no god but Allah, and M is his apostle
“Allahu akbar” – “Greater is Allah”
Declared publicly among believers, many times a
day
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Salat: ritual prayer
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At least 5 times a day
Very specific:
 Face toward Mecca
 Focus attention on Allah
 Full prostration
 Intimate conversation with Allah
Mosque = masjid (“place of prostration”)
 Friday = day of public prayer
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We have seen thee turning thy face about
in the heaven; now We will surely turn thee
to a direction that will satisfy thee.
Turn thy face toward the Holy Mosque [in Mecca];
wherever you are, turn your faces toward it. (2:144)
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Ramadan: fasting
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Celebrates M receiving revelations
Daily fast
 No food, drink, tobacco, sexual activity
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Sympathy for poor
Breaking of the fast – 3 day festival
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Zakat: almsgiving
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Giving worldly wealth to those in need
Gratitude = imitation of Allah
2.5% of total income
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Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
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Pilgrims wear special gown, don’t shave or cut hair
Arrive, bathe, enter Grand Mosque
Ka’bah – black stone in center of sanctuary
 Walk around Ka’bah