The Seven Dimensions of Islam
Ritual:
 Holidays
o Ramadan
 Month in which the Qur’an was revealed
 Fasting throughout whole month
 Emphasis on developing self-control
o Eid ul-Fitr
 End of Ramadan
 Celebration
 Thanking God for self-control throughout previous month
o Eid ul-Adha
 Commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son
 Sacrifice a cow
 Hajj
o Pilgrimage once in a lifetime to Mecca
 Prayer
 Mosque attendance
o Fridays
o Prayer toward the
o Separation of men and women
Narrative and Mythic:
 The Story of Islam
o In 570, Mohammad was born in Mecca. As a young boy, he was
orphaned and was raised by his uncle. Managing caravans for merchants,
Muhammad was exposed to Christians, Jews, and Pagans. In 610, while
in isolation for contemplation, the Angel Gabriel came to Mohammad and
told him to spread the word of Allah. Mohammad agreed and was
persecuted for trying to spread Islam. He escaped to the city of Medina
which means “the city of the prophet.” Non- Muslims from Mecca and
Muslims in Medina fought a series of wars; eventually, the Muslims won.
The Muslims from Medina reclaimed Mecca and most non-Muslims there
converted. The Ka’ba (in Mecca), the holiest shrine in Islam, where all
Muslims face during prayer, was rededicated to Allah, and Islam spread
throughout the Arab peninsula in a short period of time.
 Interfaith in Qur’an
o Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and
the Sabians -- whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good,
they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for
them, nor shall they grieve (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).
Experiential and emotional:
Ask a friend!
Social and Institutional:
 Sufism
o Mystical approach to Islam
o Direct, personal experience of God
o Belief in teachers, not just book learning
o Grew out of an early ascetic movement within Islam to counteract
worldliness that came with rapid Muslim expansion (661-749)
o Change from asceticism to mysticism with emphasis on love (pure love of
God)
o Orthodox Islam (though some are monism/pantheism)
o Absolute trust in God (tawakkul) and the truth that there is no deity but
God (tawhid)
o Purify the self from selfishness
o Ritual prayer--rosary with 33 beads
o Whirling, teachings of Rumi, form of meditation in which they seek to
abandon the self and contemplate God, sometimes achieving an ecstatic
state
 Shi’a/ Sunni
o Difference in who would follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) as leader of Muslim community
o Abu Bakr, companion of Prophet as political not spiritual leader
(appointed Caliph, the ruler of the Islamic Community)—they were called
Sunni Muslims
o Others wanted son-in-law Ali as Caliph, and both political and spiritual
leader—called Shi’a Muslims
o Now: Shi’a is hierarchical, and only 10-15% of Muslims (mostly found in
Iran)
o Sunni doesn’t have hierarchy, and 85-90% of Muslims
o The two sects are different historically, ethnically, politically and socially.
o Shi’a has fixed ecclesiastical body; Sunnis do not.
o Shi’a Muslims believe in “Imams,” figures that appeared historically that
were leaders of the Shi’as (the number of historical Imams differs among
Shiism); these figures were not prophets in the sense that Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is--they did not have revelation from God; however,
they had the authority, a God-granted protection from error, that allowed
them to give binding rulings.
o Current conflicts are not theologically based, they are politically based
under guises of religion
Ethical and legal:
 All people should try to follow in the ways of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
because he was the most perfect of human beings
 Five Pillars
o Belief or Faith in One God and Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a
messenger of God
o Prayer occurs five times a day
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o Concern for charity, obligatory (2.5% of your savings)
o Fasting during the month of Ramadan
o Pilgrimage to Mecca
Day of Judgment: A time when God will assess every human and whether he/she
will go to heaven or hell
Jihad
o Translation- struggle or effort
o struggle to be a good Muslim
o struggle to defend Islam
Halal
o Similar to Kosher diet
o Animal must be ritually slaughtered prior to being eaten
o No pork
Doctrinal and philosophical:
 Qur’an
o Translation: “the recitation;” traditionally, a literal recitation of the text
o The holy book that was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) by
Allah (God) by the Angel Gabriel over 23 years
o The Old and New Testament are to be respected, but are incorrect
 Sunna:
o The normative practices of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him)
life, meant for transmission to the community
o Translation: a well-trodden path
o Words, habits and practices for living a life in accordance with God’s will
 Hadith
o Individual reports of the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by those
who were in his life, or those who knew people in his life
 People of the Book
o Believe in the Tawrat (Torah from Moses), Zaboor (Psalms of David), and
Injil (Gospels of Jesus)
Material:
 Hijab
o Head scarf, used by many Muslim women (esp. in Muslim countries)
o Contested requirement
 Ka’ba
o Muslims face this in prayer, because it is the holiest shrine in Islam (house
of God)
o Central place of pilgrimage
 Prophet’s Mosque in Medina
o In respect to the Prophet
 Dome of the Rock
o In Jerusalem, place from which the Prophet ascended to Heaven to meet
God
 Islamic Art
o Calligraphy
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o Geometrical shapes
o Lack of human forms, spiritual representation of objects and beings
o Begins with and centers on Allah
Islamic Architecture
o Minaret
 Tower used by the criers of the call to prayer
 Today, mostly decorative
o Minbar
 Pulpit from which the Friday sermon is given