Islam“Submission to God”

Youngest world religion1/4 of world population

Islam

• Muslims believe that Islam is the faith of all God’s prophets from Adam onward, and therefore is the original religion.

• They see the formal creation of a distinct religion in the 7th century C.E. as the final form of the religion, explicitly revealed in the Qur’an

Review Question

• What does the word “Islam” mean?

Terms

• Islam – “to submit”

• Muslim – “one who submits”

• Qur’an (Koran) – Holy Book of Islam, in Arabic, consisting of

114 suras

• Allah– Arabic name for God

Review Question

• The Qur’an is a collection of _____

• What is the language of the Qur’an?

Terms

• Qur’an (Koran) – Holy book of Islam– 114 Suras (chapters)

• Opening chapter (short prayer invoking the name of God)

• 113 chapters arranged in length– Second chapter = longest

– Written and read from right to left– Result of divine dictation, so it cannot be

translated

Terms

• Hadith– Collection of the sayings of Muhammad

• Sunnah (Sunna)– Reports of his actions– Body of social and legal custom and

practice of the Islamic community

• Shariah– Islamic law and moral code

Introduction

• Islam - Arabic word meaning “to submit,” and a Muslim is “one who submits”– that is, one who lives

life in the way God intends

– Islam is a TOTAL way of life, not just concerned with spiritual matters

Introduction

• People of the Book– Monotheistic Religions

• Judaism• Christianity

• Prominent Islam Locations– Middle East– North and West Africa– Southeastern Europe– Malaysia

Islam—the Beginning

• Abraham• Sarah & Hagar • Ishme’al, & Isaac• Abraham &

Ishme’al– Ka’aba Stone

• Mecca

Review Question

• Who is Muhammad?

• Where and when was he born?

• What divine interaction did he have?0

Introduction

• Muhammad – The Last Prophet– Qur’an revealed to Him– “Peace Be Upon Him”– Actions of Muhammad are the 2nd

highest authority (1st is the Qur’an)

Revelation

• The month of Ramadan, 610CE, Mount Hira (near Mecca)– Gabriel, in the form of a man

• Asked him to recite and then embraced him, 3 times

– The Qur’an began to be revealed to him• “Recite in the Name of thy Lord who created”

– In fear, Muhammad fled• “Thou art the messenger of God and I am

Gabriel”

Struggles

• 619 CE– Kadijah (Muhammad’s wife) and Abu Talib

(Muhammad’s uncle and clan leader) both died

• Divine intervention– Muhammad’s supreme spiritual

experience • Nocturnal Ascent (Isra and Mi’raj)

– Mentioned in the Qur’an, Hadith, and nearly every work of Islamic history

– During a nightly visit to the Ka’aba

Gabriel took Muhammad to Jerusalem on a mythical flying creature – Buraq – like Pegasus

From the rock on which Abraham offered the sacrifice of Isaac (site of Solomon’s temple and currently The Dome of the Rock) ascended to the higher states of being to the Divine Presence himself

 Muhammad met various prophets, from Adam to Abraham, from Moses to Jesus, as well as a variety of angels as he passed through the seven heavens. After this Gabriel took him to the heavenly lote-tree on the boundary of the heavens before the throne of Allah.

From 50 to 5 daily prayers – debate with Moses

Review Question

• What event marks the first year of the Islamic calendar?

• When would this event have occurred according to the western calendar?

Muhammad “Peace be upon him”

• God’s Final Prophet – the “Seal” of the prophets

• Hijra– 622 CE– 1 AH (after Hijra)

• 630 CE – Returned to Mecca– Circled Ka’aba 7 times– Destroyed idols in the Ka’aba and

reestablished it as a place of worship• 632 CE – Muhammad died

Review Question

• For each of the sects of Islam, please summarize in one or two sentences the sect’s major beliefs about religious authority:– Sunni– Shia– Sufi

Spread of Islam

• Caliphs (deputy of the Prophet – a political, not religious, position)– 1st Caliph was Abu Bakr -- one of Muhammad’s chief

converts (father of his wife)– 2nd Caliph was Umar – led conquests in Palestine, Syria,

Egypt, N. Africa, Iran, Iraq– 3rd Caliph was Uthman – pious, established standard text of

Qur’an; killed in mosque• Ali – 4th Caliph – Muhammad’s cousin/son-in-

law– Shi’ite (Shi’a) leader– Sunni’s disagreed – wanted democratic election

• Umayyad Caliphate – assassinated Ali

The Spread of Islam

Foundations of the Faith

• The Qur’an

• The Hadith

• The 5 Pillars of Islam

• Oneness of God

Review Question

• What are the 5 pillars?

The Five Pillars of Islam

• Shahada (The Declaration of Faith)– There is only one God; Muhammad is His

messenger• Salat (Prayer)

– Obligation to pray 5 times/day, facing Mecca• Sawm (Fasting)

– During the month of Ramadan• Zakat (Charity)

– Donation of surplus of wealth (2.5%)• Hajj (Pilgrimage)

– To Mecca, once in lifetime

The 6th pillar? – Shi’a

• Jihad = Arabic for "struggle" or "effort," or "to strive," "to exert," "to fight," depending on the context.

• In the West, the word is generally understood to mean "holy war”• The Qur’an does call for "jihad" as a military struggle on behalf of

Islam. However, the Qur’an also refers to jihad as an internal, individual, spiritual struggle toward self-improvement, moral cleansing and intellectual effort.

• Muhammad’s definition: – Little jihad = armed holy war– Greater jihad = spiritual struggle

ShahadaDeclaration of Faith

• There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet

Salat

•All Muslims must pray 5 times daily facing the holy city of Mecca– Fajr (dawn)– Dhuhr (noon)– Aṣr (afternoon)– Maghrib (evening)– Ishāʾ (night)

A Translation of the Call to Prayer:

• Adhan – performed by Meuzzin

Allahu AkbarAshadu anna la ilaha illa

AllahAshadu anna Muhammadan

rasul AllahHaiya 'ala al-salatHaiya 'ala al-falah

Al-salat khayrun min al-nawm

Allahu AkbarLa ilaha illa Allah

God is most greatI bear witness there is no god but

GodI bear witness Muhammad is the

prophet of GodCome to prayer

Come to wellbeingPrayer is better than sleep

God is most greatThere is no God but God

Sawn

•All Muslims must fast during the daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan– 29-30 days, based on visual sightings of the

crescent moon– Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or

ar-ramad (“scorching heat” or “dryness”)– Obligatory, except for those who are ill,

traveling, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, or going through menstrual bleeding

Zakat

•Giving Charity–Recommended 2.5% of income

Review Question

• What is the holiest pilgrimage site in the Islamic faith?

• What is the pilgrimage called?

Hajj

•All Muslims are expected to take a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life if physically and financially able

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Ihram – humility and cleansing

Review Question

• What is the Ka’bah?

Sacred sanctuary – HaramForbidden to all but Muslims

Mecca’s population increases from 376,000 to over 2 million.

500,000 fit inside…

The Tawaf

• Circumambulation– Walk around the Ka’aba 7 times

• Counter-clockwise

Ka’aba

Ka’aba

Ka’aba

• Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque – Built around the Ka’aba

• Direction facing the Ka’aba = Oibla

Ka’aba

Ka’aba

Ka’aba

Ka’aba

The Black Stone – Hagar al Aswad

Zamzam Well

• Miraculously-generated source of water from God– Gave water to Ishmael when he was banished

and crying for water– Visited by pilgrims during the Hajj– Contemporary miracle – never gone dry

Zamzam Well

Day 9Mt. Arafat – Mount of Mercy

Muhammad’s farewell sermon in 632

Plain of Arafat

Plain of Arafat

Pillars of Mina7 stones thrown at Satan – rejection of evil/temptation of

Abraham to disobey sacrifice orders

Qur’an

This opening chapter of The Quran, the Fatiah, is central in Islamic prayer. It contains the essence of The Quran and is recited during every prayer.

Review Question

• What is a Minaret?

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Review Question

• What is a Mihrab?

Mihrab – on Qibla wall

Mihrab in the Dome of the Chain, Temple Mount, Jerusalem.

Mihrab in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

La Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain

Review Question

• What is a Minbar?

Minbar – pulpit for the Imam

Minbar of the Molla Çelebi Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Minbar of the Great Mosque of Kairouan (Mosque of Uqba); in Kairouan, Tunisia.

Terms

• Muhammad – The Prophet of Islam

• Mecca (Mekkah)– Holy city of Islam

• Hijra (Hegira) – Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to

Medina

• Medina – City of the Prophet (formerly Yathrib)

Terms

• Sunni – “majority” 80% of Muslims – Caliph

chosen by majority consensus

• Shi’ite – “partisans” 12% of Muslims – Caliph

must be a descendant of Muhammad

• Sufi – Mystical Islam; Inner Spirit

• Shari’a – “the clear path” Islamic Laws