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
Detroit
East London
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 FastBreaking)
Anticipated Days for Ramadan
• First Day 2005:
Last Day 2005:
10/04/2005
11/02/2005
• First Day 2006:
Last Day 2006:
09/23/2006
10/22/2006
• First Day 2007:
Last Day 2007:
09/12/2007
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 6065% Shia and 3237% 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 Religions
Source: About, Inc
http://christianity.about.com/library/weekly/blreligiontop.htm
Religion
Members
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
Sikhism
Baha‘i
Confucianism
Jainism
Shintoism
Wicca
Zoroastrianism
2 Billion
1.2 Billion
785 Million
360 Million
17 Million
16 Million
5 Million
5 Million
4 Million
3 Million
.7 Million
.2 Million
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