Islam

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"Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the

Scriptures and the Prophets."

-- Qur'an 2:177 2

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Introduction

• Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations received by the Prophet

Muhammad in the 7th century,

• which were later recorded in the Qur'an (Koran), Islam's sacred text.

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• The faith spread rapidly and today Islam is the second largest religion in the world.

• About 1 billion adherents

• The Arabic word islam means "submission," reflecting the religion's central tenet of

submitting to the will of God.

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• Islamic practices are defined by the

• Five Pillars of Islam:

• faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and alms.

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History

• The Arabian Peninsula was originally the home of nomadic peoples who coped with

the desert climate by migrating every season

"Arab" roughly translates as "desert dweller”

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• When some began to establish settlements around the fifth century BC, many chose

Mecca, near the west coast of Saudi Arabia, as their home.

• It did not offer a favorable climate or many natural resources, but it was the site of the Ka'ba, a large cubical shrine dedicated to

various deities.

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• The religion of the Arab world before the advent of Islam was an animistic polytheism.

• The desert was populated with fiery spirits called jinn.

• Numerous gods were worshipped, with most towns having their own patron god.

• Tribal Governments

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• Mecca soon became the religious center, with 360 shrines, one for each day in the

lunar year.

• Local merchants depended heavily on pilgrims to these shrines for their livelihood,

a fact which would become significant for Muhammad.

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• Arab polytheism was focused entirely on the earthly life, and religion was not a source of

morality.

• By Muhammad's time, blood feuds, violence, and general immorality abounded.

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• Yet monotheism was not unheard of among the Arabs.

• There was contact with Zoroastrianism, which was the official state religion of Persia from the 3rd century BC to the 8th century

AD and influential on its neighbors.

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• It was a dualistic religion with beliefs in heaven, hell and a final judgment. In

addition, both Judaism and Christianity had established a presence on the Arabian

Peninsula, especially in the south.

• In Yathrib (later renamed Medina), the Jewish population was especially influential.

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• Even among the innumerable deities of Arabian polytheism was a god who was more

impressive than the rest.

• Allah (Arabic for "the god") • Who was the creator, provider and

determiner of human destiny

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• In general, Allah was regarded as the greatest among the many gods deserving

worship,

• .

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• It was into this world of sporadic monotheism and rampant immorality that

Islam was born.

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Early Life of the Prophet

• Muhammad • (whose name means "highly praised")

• was born in Mecca in 570 AD.

• His father died shortly before his birth, and he lost his mother at the age of six.

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• The young orphan was then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a

shepherd.

• At age 9 (some sources say 12), he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria.

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• As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia.

• Soon he established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants.

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• Through his travel first with his uncle and later in his career,

• Muhammad came into contact with people of many nationalities and faiths,

• including Jews, Christians and pagans.

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• At age 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Meccan widow 15 years

his senior.

• The two were married, and by all accounts enjoyed a loving and happy marriage.

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• Early records report that • "God comforted him through her, for she

made his burden light."

• Although polygamy was common practice at the time,

• Muhammad took no other wife than Khadija until her death 24 years later.

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Divine Revelation

• In his late 30s Muhammad took to regularly visiting a cave in Mount Hira,

• on the outskirts of Mecca,

• to seek solitude and contemplation.

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• In 610, at the age of 40,

• Muhammad returned from one such visit telling his wife he had either gone mad or

become a prophet,

• for he had been visited by an angel.

• The initially startled Khadija became his first convert.

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• Muhammad reported that while in a trance-like state,

• the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and said

• “Recite" (Read)

• But like Moses, Muhammad was a reluctant prophet.

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• He replied, "I am not a reciter."

• The angel persisted, and the Prophet repeatedly resisted,

• until the angel finally overwhelmed Muhammad and commanded him:

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• Proclaim in the name of your Lord who created!

Created man from a clot of blood.Proclaim: Your Lord is the Most Generous,

Who teaches by the pen; Teaches man what he knew not.

• (Qur'an 96:1-3)

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• After receiving Khadija's support, and additional angelic visits,

• Muhammad became confident he had indeed been chosen as the messenger of God and

began to proclaim as he had been commanded.

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• Muhammad's message to his countrymen was to convert from

• pagan polytheism, immorality and materialism,

• repent from evil and worship Allah, the only true God.

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• He was always careful to clarify his role in God's work –

• He was only a prophet.

• He was not an angel,

• He did not know the mind of God• He did not work miracles.

• He simply preached what he had received.

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• In the first three years of his ministry, Muhammad gained only 40 followers.

• And as his teachings threatened the Meccan way of life, both moral and economic,

• he and his followers experienced heavy persecution.

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• It first took the form of mockery, but soon turned into open violence.

• Members of the small movement were

• stoned, covered in dirt as they prayed, beat with sticks, thrown into prison and refused

service by merchants.

• Persecution continued to increase

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Hijira

• The city of Yathrib, 280 miles north of Meccahad continuing conflict between factions

within the city

• The city was in need of a strong leader, and a delegation from Yathrib proposed that

Muhammad take the job.

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• Muhammad has developed a reputation of being

• Honest• Good Leader

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• Allah revealed to Muhammed his approval of this arrangement, and Muhammad made

plans to escape to Yathrib.

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• The leaders in Mecca heard of the planned escape, and attempted to prevent it.

• But Muhammad and his close friend Abu Bakr managed to make a narrow escape

north out of the city,

• evading a Meccan search party and arriving safely in Yathrib.

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• This event is celebrated by Muslims as the Hijira.

• The year in which it occurred, 622, is the date at which the Muslim calendar begins.

• Yathrib was renamed Medinat al-Nabi, "the City of the Prophet," and is now known

simply as Medina, "the City."

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• In Medina,

• Muhammad proved himself an able politician and statesman as well as a prophet.

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• Exercising his political skills• he united the five conflicting tribes of the

city

• His reputation spread

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Battle for Mecca

• After establishing himself in Medina and accomplishing the job he had been invited to

do,

• the people of Medina began several years of battle with Muhammad's former home city.

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• In 624, the Muslims won their first battle against the Meccans.

• As the latter had a much larger army, the former took the victory as a sign that God

was on their side.

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• However, a subsequent battle was not victorious, and Muhammad himself was

wounded.

• But in 627, the Meccans attacked Medina, and Medina defeated them.

• The Prophet was not to lose again.

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• In 630, Muhammad and his forces marched to Mecca and conquered it.

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• The Prophet rededicated the Kaaba temple to Allah,

• witnessed the conversion to Islam of nearly the entire Meccan population,

• then returned to Medina.

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• Muhammad died in 632,

• having conquered nearly all of Arabia for Islam.

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The Spread of Islam

• By 634, Islam had taken over the entire Arabian peninsula.

• Within 100 years of Muhammad's death,

• it had reached the Atlantic in to the west and borders of China on the east.

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• This success was due in large part to the military and political abilities of

Muhammad's successors, the caliphs.

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The 5 Pillars of Islam

• Represent the core and common denominator that unite all Muslims

• and distinguish from others religions

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• The Pillars of Islam involves a Muslim’s

• Mind• Body• Time• Energy• Wealth

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• Meeting the obligations required by the pillars reinforces an

• ongoing sense of God’s existence and presence and

• reminds Muslims of their membership in a worldwide community of believers

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1. The Creed

• “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”

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• Allah is the Arabic word for God

• Just as Yahweh is the Hebrew word for God

• To be a Muslim one need only make this simple proclamation or confession of faith

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• Affirms Islam’s absolute monotheism

• The oneness of God

• Anything else is idolatry

• The one unforgivable sin

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• Confession also affirms that Muhammad is not only a prophet

• But also the messenger of God

• The one to whom God has sent a book for a community

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• Muhammad is the vehicle for the final and complete revelation

• The Quran

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• Muhammad serves as the preeminent role model through his life example for the

believer

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• Muhammad’s example reflects the emphasis of Islam on practice and action

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• This practical orientation is reflected in the remaining four pillars of Islam

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2. Prayer

• Muslims pray or worship 5 times throughout the day

• Daybreak• Noon

• Mid-afternoon• Sunset• Evening

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• The prayers consist of

• recitations from the Quran in Arabic and

• glorification of God

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• Muslims can pray alone or together anywhere

• It is considered preferable and more meritorious to pray with others

demonstrating brotherhood, equality and solidarity

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• Pray facing Mecca

• The holy city that has the Kaaba

• The house of God believed to have been built by Abraham and his son Ismail

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• Once a week on Friday

• The Muslim equivalent of the Sabbath

• The noon prayer is a congregational prayer

• At a mosque or Islamic center

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3. Almsgiving

• The Tithe

• Purification

• Individual and communal responsibility

• expressing worship of and thanksgiving to God by supporting the poor

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• Annual contribution of 2.5% of an individual’s wealth and assets not merely income

• Not viewed as charity

• But an obligation to respond to the needs of the less fortunate members of the community

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• Functions as a form of social security in a Muslim society

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4. The Fast of Ramadan

• Once each year during the month of Ramadan

• 9th month of the Islamic calendar

• First revelation of Quran to Muhammad

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• Month long fast from dawn to sunset

• Not simply an act of self-denial

• It is a discipline intended to stimulate religious reflection on human frailty and

dependence on God

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• Many go to the Mosque for the evening prayer

• Followed by special prayers recited only during Ramadan

• Meal eaten after sunset

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• 27th day of Ramadan Muslims commemorate

• the “Night of Power”

• when Muhammad first received God’s revelation

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• The Month of Ramadan ends with a celebration

• Special celebration• Gift Giving

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5. Pilgrimage to Mecca

• Hajj

• At least once in lifetime

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• 2 million believers per year

• From all over the world go to Mecca

• Wear simple garments the symbolize purity, unity, equality

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Jihad

• “To strive or struggle”

• Sometimes referred to as the 6th Pillar of Islam

• Although it has no official status

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• Refers to the obligation to strugle (jihad) to:

• Realize God’s will• Lead a virtuous life

• Fulfill the universal mission of Islam• Spread the Islamic community

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• Also means the struggle for or defense of Islam

• Holy War

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• Despite the fact that jihad is not supposed to include aggressive, offensive warfare,

• as distinct from defensive warfare,

• this has occurred throughout history

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Sacred Texts

• The Qur’an

• The Hadith

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The Qur’an

• The Qur'an is the most sacred text, as it is believed to be the literal word of God as

revealed to Muhammad.

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The Hadith

• The Hadith is a secondary text that records sayings of Muhammad and his followers.

• These two texts form the basis for all Islamic theology, practice and Sharia (Islamic law).

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The Qur’an

• The Qur'an, whose name means "recitation" in Arabic,

• is the sacred text of Islam and the highest authority in both religious and legal matters.

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• Muslims believe the Qur'an to be a flawless record of the Angel Gabriel's revelations to

Muhammad

• from 610 until his death in 632 AD.

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• It is also believed to be a perfect copy of a heavenly Qur'an that has existed eternally

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• The Qur'an's name is derived from the Gabriel's initial command to Muhammad to

“Recite!“

• Recitation is a fundamental concept associated with the Qur'an.

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• The first followers of the Prophet memorized his recitation in order to recite it to others,

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• The revelation was put in writing shortly after Muhammad's death to preserve the

content from corruption,

• but it is still regarded as most authentic when recited aloud.

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• Professional reciters of the Qur'an (qurra') are held in very high esteem,

• and have often been influential in deciding matters of doctrine or policy.

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• The Qur'an is roughly the length of the Christian New Testament.

• It is divided into 114 surahs (chapters) of widely varying length, which, with the

exception of the opening chapter,

• are generally arranged from longest to shortest.

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• As the shortest chapters seem to date from the earlier period of Muhammad's

revelation,

• this arrangement results in a reverse chronological order.

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• Each chapter has a heading, which usually incorporates the following elements:

• A title (e.g. "The Bee," "The Cow") taken from a prominent word in the chapter,

• but one that does not usually represent its overall contents.

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• A formula prayer

• (e.g. "In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate")

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• An indication as to whether it was received at Mecca or Medina

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• Most of the Qur'an is written in the first person plural (We), with God as the speaker.

• When Muhammad himself speaks,

• his words are introduced by "Say," to clarify he is being commanded by Allah to speak.

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The Hadith

• Hadith (Arabic for "narrative" or "report") is Islamic tradition:

• it is a record of the words and deeds of the Prophet, his family, and his companions.

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• Although not regarded as the spoken Word of God like the Qur’an,

• Hadith is an important source of doctrine, law, and practice.

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• Each Hadith consists of two parts:

• the tradition itself, • (for instance, the words of the Prophet)

• and the chain of authorities.

• This indicates the human transmitters through which the tradition was relayed.

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• Collections of Hadith were compiled in the first three centuries of Islamic history,

• with the above literary form taking shape early in the second Islamic century (c. 720

CE).

• As might be expected, many Hadiths arose, with varying degrees of authenticity.

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Beliefs

• There is no official creed to which one must adhere to be considered a Muslim.

• All that is required is to believe and recite the Shahada:

• "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet."

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• Beyond this core belief, however, Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles

of Faith."

• Many Muslims believe that one must adhere to the six articles to be considered a Muslim.

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6 Articles of Faith

• Muslim doctrine is often summarized in

• "Six Articles of Faith."

• According to this list, to be a Muslim one must believe in:

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• 1. One God;

• 2. The angels of God;

• 3. The books of God, especially the Qur'an;

• 4. The prophets of God, especially Muhammad;

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• 5. The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife);

• 6. The supremacy of God's will (or predestination).

• This list is sometimes shortened to Five Articles of Faith,

• which leaves off belief in the supremacy of God's will

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Muslim Beliefs about God

• The single most important belief in Islam,

• and arguably the central theme of Islam,

• is that there is one God.

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• The Muslim name for God is Allah,

• which is simply Arabic for "the (al) God (Ilah)."

• The term is related to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God.

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• Muslims believe that God is the all-powerful Creator of a perfect, ordered universe.

• He is transcendent and not a part of his creation,

• and is most often referred to in terms and with names that emphasize his majesty and

superiority.

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• Although the God of Islam has revealed his will through the prophets, his actual nature

remains ultimately unknowable.

• According to one Islamic scholar, God's will "is all we have, and we have it in perfection

in the Qur'an.”

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• But Islam does not equate the Qur'an with the nature or essence of God.

• It is the Word of God, • the Commandment of God,

• the Will of God.

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• Despite God's transcendence and ultimate unknowability,

• the Qur'an does not teach that God does not know us,

• nor that he remains aloof in some distant heaven.

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• Quite the contrary:

• He is present everywhere

• close to a man

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• The one thing that is made abundantly clear, however,

• is that Allah is One.

• He is unique and indivisible.

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• The Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes strict monotheism,

• explicitly rejecting both polytheism and

• the Christian concept of the Trinity.

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• Along with Judaism and Christianity,

• Islam belongs to the religious category of

• "ethical monotheism."

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• Allah is a God of justice,

• who expects righteous behavior and submission to the divine will

• (the word Islam means "submission,"

• and a Muslim is literally "one who submits")

• and punishes unrighteousness. 118

• Yet divine mercy is not absent from the Qur'an.

• It teaches that God will respond to anyone who cries out to him in distress and

• that he mercifully provides guidance to humanity so they can follow "the straight

path."

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The primary way God has done this is through his prophets or messengers,

the last and most important of which is the Prophet Muhammad.

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Beliefs about Human Nature

• According to the Qur'an, Allah "created man from a clot of blood"

• Humans are the greatest of all creatures, created with free will for the purpose of

obeying and serving God.

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• The Qur'an includes a version of the biblical story of the fall of Adam (Qur'an 7),

• but it does not conclude from it the doctrine of original sin as some Christian theologians

have.

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• In the Quranic version of the story, Adam and Eve begged God's forgiveness (7:23)

• and he punished them with a mortal life on earth but added,

• "from it [earth] you will be taken out at last" (7:25).

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• Since Allah forgave the sins of the first pair, Muslims believe, all are born in Al-Fitra,

• a natural state of submission to Allah.

• True repentance from sin returns a person to this original sinless state.

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• According to Muslim theology, mankind's chief failing is pride and rebellion.

• In their pride, humans attempt to partner themselves with God and thereby damage

the unity of God.

• Thus pride is Islam's cardinal sin.

• The cardinal virtue, then, is submission, or islam.

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Life and Salvation

• For a Muslim, the purpose of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to Allah

• so that one may gain Paradise.

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• The Muslim doctrine of salvation is that unbelievers ("those who are ungrateful")

• and sinners will be condemned,

• but genuine repentance results in Allah's forgiveness and entrance into Paradise upon

death.

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• The Qur'an teaches the necessity of both faith and good works for salvation:

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The Afterlife

• Like Christianity, Islam teaches the continued existence of the soul and a transformed

physical existence after death.

• Muslims believe there will be a day of judgment when all humans will be divided

between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell.

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• A central doctrine of the Qur’an is the Last Day,

• on which the world will be destroyed and

• Allah will raise all people from the dead to be judged.

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• Until the Day of Judgment, deceased souls remain in their graves awaiting the

resurrection.

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• Those bound for hell will suffer in their graves,

• while those bound for heaven will be in peace until that time.

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• The resurrection that will take place on the Last Day is physical,

• and is explained by suggesting that God will re-create the decayed body

• (17:100: "Could they not see that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to

create the like of them"?).

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• On the Last Day, resurrected humans will be judged by Allah according to their deeds.

• One's eternal destination depends on balance of good to bad deeds in life.

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• They are either granted admission to Paradise,

• where they will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever,

• or condemned to Hell to suffer spiritual and physical torment for eternity.

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• The day of judgment is described as passing over Hell on a narrow bridge in order to

enter Paradise.

• Those who fall, weighted by their bad deeds, will remain in Hell forever.

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• The Qur'an specifies two exceptions to this general rule:

• Warriors who die fighting in the cause of God are ushered immediately to God's presence

(2:159 and 3:169); and

• "Enemies of Islam" are sentenced immediately to Hell upon death.

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Paradise

• Paradise, also called "The Garden“, is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure, with lofty

mansions (39:20, 29:58-59),

• delicious food and drink (52:22, 52:19, 38:51), and

• virgin companions (56:17-19, 52:24-25, 76:19, 56:35-38, 37:48-49, 38:52-54, 44:51-56,

52:20-21).

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Hell

• Hell is mentioned frequently in the Qur’an using a variety of imagery.

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• It has seven doors (Qur'an 39:71; 15:43) leading to a fiery crater of various levels,

• the lowest of which contains the tree Zaqqum and a cauldron of boiling pitch.

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• The level of hell depends on the degree of offenses.

• Suffering is both physical and spiritual.

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• Being a Muslim does not keep one out of Hell, but it is not clear whether Muslims

remain in Hell forever.

• Non-Muslims, however, will be punished eternally.

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The Prophets

• Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is revered as "the Seal of the Prophets"

• the last and greatest of the messengers of God.

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• He is not divine in any way, for the strict monotheism that characterizes Islam does

not allow for such an interpretation.

• Other prophets (nabi in Arabic) are important in Islam as well,

• all of which are shared with the Jews or the Christians.

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The Five Prophets

• Noah • Abraham • Moses• Jesus

• Muhammad

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• Muslims trace their heritage to the Hebrew people and prophets.

• The term "Semite" derives from Shem, the son of Noah, and both Jews and Arabs consider themselves Semitic people.

• In particular, they trace their ancestry to Ishmael, the firstborn son of Abraham.

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• In the Hebrew Scriptures, Abraham and Sarah, approaching old age, had difficulty

bearing a child.

• This problem was made even more serious by the fact that God had promised Abraham

that he would become the father of many nations

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• So, with Sarah seemingly barren, Abraham took Hagar as a second wife.

• Hagar bore Abraham a son, named Ishmael.

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• Shortly thereafter, however, Sarah also bore Abraham a son, named Isaac.

• Having fulfilled her marital duty and God's promise,

• Sarah demanded that Abraham reject Hagar and Ishmael.

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• Abraham did so, and from this point,

• the Qur'an departs from the biblical story to follow the story of Ishmael.

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• According to the Qur'an,

• Ishmael went to the place that would later be known as Mecca.

• His descendents would be the Muslims, while Isaac's descendents became the Jews.

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Islamic Sects

• Sunni 85%

• Shia 10%

• Sufism 5%

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Sunni Islam

• With 940 million adherents out of about 1.1 billion Muslims,

• Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic sect.

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• Sunnis have their historical roots in the majority group who followed Abu Bakr, an

effective leader,

• as Muhammad's successor instead of the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law Ali.

• The Sunnis are so named because they believe themselves to follow the sunnah ("custom" or "tradition") of the Prophet.

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• Some general statistics: • Algeria is nearly 99% Sunni (Sunni Islam is

the state religion), • Kuwait is 70%

• Afghanistan is 80%.

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• Sunnis also outnumber Shi'ites in • Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Somalia, Uzbekistan,

Sudan (70%), • Syria (80%),

• Tajikistan (85%), • Libya (97%), • Jordan (92%)

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• Contrastingly, Iraq is only about 45-60% Sunni, who are concentrated mostly in the central and northern parts of the country.

• Sunni Muslims are a smaller minority in Iran (10%) and Bahrain (30%).

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• Sunnis base their religion on the Quran and

• the Sunnah

• four schools of religious law.

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Shi’a Islam

• Shia Islam encompasses most Muslims who are not counted among the Sunni.

• The division between Sunni and Shi'a, dates to the death of the Prophet Muhammad when his followers were faced with the

decision of who would be his successor as the leader of Islam.

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• Shi'ites are those who followed Ali, his son-in-law and the closest relative of

Muhammad, as Muhammad's successor.

• Today there are approximately 120 million Shi'ite Muslims in the world.

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• The distinctive dogma and institution of Shia Islam is the Imam,

• which includes the idea that the successor of Muhammad be more than merely a political

leader.

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• The Imam must also be a spiritual leader,

• which means that he must have the ability to interpret the inner mysteries of the Quran

and the sharia.

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• The Shias further believe that the

• Twelve Imams who succeeded the Prophet

• were sinless and free from error and had been chosen by God through Muhammad.

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• The Imamate began with Ali,

• who is also accepted by Sunni Muslims as the fourth of the "rightly guided caliphs" to

succeed the Prophet.

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• Shias revere Ali as the First Imam,

• and his descendants, beginning with his sons continue the line of the Imams until the

Twelfth,

• who is believed to have ascended into a supernatural state to return to earth on

judgment day.

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• Shias point to the close lifetime association of Muhammad with Ali.

• When Ali was six years old, he was invited by the Prophet to live with him,

• and Shias believe Ali was the first person to make the declaration of faith in Islam.

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• Ali also slept in Muhammad's bed on the night of the hijra, or migration from Mecca to

Medina,

• when it was feared that the house would be attacked by unbelievers and the Prophet

stabbed to death.

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• He fought in all the battles Muhammad did except one,

• and the Prophet chose him to be the husband of his favorite daughter, Fatima.

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• In Sunni Islam an imam is the leader of congregational prayer.

• Among the Shias of Iran the term imam traditionally has been used only for Ali and

his eleven descendants.

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• None of the Twelve Imams,

• with the exception of Ali,

• ever ruled an Islamic government.

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• During their lifetimes,

• their followers hoped that they would assume the rulership of the Islamic

community,

• a rule that was believed to have been wrongfully usurped.

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Sufism

• Sufism is less an Islamic sect than a mystical way of approaching the Islamic faith.

• It has been defined as "mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find

the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God.”

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• Sufism has been a prominent movement within Islam throughout most of its history.

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• It grew out of an early ascetic movement within Islam, which,

• like its Christian monastic counterpart,

• sought to counteract the worldliness that came with the rapid expansion of the Muslim

community.

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• These early Sufis led a life of strict obedience to Islamic scripture and tradition and were

known for their night prayers.

• Many of them concentrated their efforts upon absolute trust in God, which became a

central concept of Sufism.

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• The core principles of Sufism are

• absolute trust in God and

• the truth that there is no deity but God.

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• The love of God for man and the love of man for God are also very central to Sufism,

• and are the subjects of most Islamic mystical poetry and hymns.

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