Introduction to Islam

Mohammed M. Hafez, Ph.D.National Security Affairs Department

Naval Postgraduate SchoolNS3330 Middle East

2009

Islam – Definitions and Demographics Islam - Submission to Allah, which is Arabic for God Approximately 1.1 to 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide

Most Muslims Are Not Arabs

Islam – Demographics

85-90% of Muslims are Sunnis

10-15% are Shiites

Origins of Islam - Muhammad Pre-Islamic Arabia - Jahiliyyah

Social inequality Internecine fighting among tribes Polytheistic (idol worshiping) society

570 A.D. - Ordinary man, Muhammad, was born

610 A.D. - Muhammad receives a revelation from God

632 A.D. - Muhammad dies after spreading Islam to Arabia

After Muhammad’s death, he was succeeded by four leaders:

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Umar Ibn al-Khattab

Uthman Bin `Afan

Ali Bin Abi Talib

Sunnis consider these to be Al-Khulafa al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

Majority of Shiites (Twelver) only see Ali as the legitimate leader

Origins of Islam - Successors

Origins of Islam – Five Pillars

Shahada ~ Confession of faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet”

Salaat ~ Prayer toward Mecca observed five times a day

Zakat ~ Almsgiving or purification tax (approximately 2.5 percent of one’s wealth) for the poor

Siyaam ~ Fasting from food, water, and all other pleasures of life from sunrise till sunset observed during the holy month of Ramadan

Hajj ~ Pilgrimage to Mecca once during a lifetime

Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs Monotheism - In line with the Judeo-Christian tradition,

Islam is a monotheistic creed that believe there is only one God. The unity of God (tawhid) is central to Islam

People of the Book - Muslims recognize the divine origins of Jewish and Christian doctrines, but believe the

original message has been subverted by Jews and Christians. Islam is the final prophecy

Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs Universalism - Islam is a religion for all humanity and

applies at all times and places

Judgment Day - Muslims believe that one day – when the world comes to an end – everyone will stand for

judgment in front of God.

Eternity in Heaven or Hell - Muslims believe in life after death, when believers and sinners will live in heaven or hell based on their deeds as well as God’s mercy and compassion

Shariah – Islamic Law

Shariah as “the way” of God and His divine laws for humanity

Shariah has come to denote specific rules and laws that could be implemented by Muslims in personal lives as well as in public matters and disputes

Sources of Sunni Shariah

Qur’an - Revealed word of God sent to the Prophet Muhammad, the final of all monotheistic apostles that began with Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc.

Sunna - Sayings (hadith) and outward conduct of the prophet Muhammad as recalled through a chain of oral transmission from one person to another beginning with the companions of the Prophet

Sahih (Bukhari, Muslim)

Da`iif (Apocryphal, weak)

Ijma`a - Consensus of the companions, scholars, Muslims

Qiyas – Analogical reasoning based on accepted sources

Schools of Islamic JurisprudenceFour major Sunni schools of jurisprudence: Hanafi, Shafi`i, Maliki, Hanbali; Shia have their own jurisprudence, the best known is the Ja’afari school

Sunni-Shiite Divide

Shiite comes from Shia of Ali … “Followers of Ali”…”Partisans of Ali”

Shiites are a minority in Islam, but majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain 10-15% of Muslims worldwide

Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide Origins is a political dispute over

who should lead the Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad – Who has the legitimate authority to rule?

Should rule go to any Muslim?

Should it go only to the companions of the Prophet?

Should it go only to Prophet’s family and blood descendants?

Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide Shiite view is that only those who

are from the Prophet’s family and their direct male descendants

should rule

After death of the Prophet, Shiite view is that Ali should have been chosen as leader

Sunni view is that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was correctly chosen

Sunni View

Sunni view is that the four caliphs that came after the Prophet

are legitimate leaders and are considered Rightly-Guided

After the four, Muslim rulers were not so great (or as great)

Prophet

Muhammad

Abu BakrUmar

Uthman

Ali

Sunni View as

Legitimate

Rulers

Twelvers (Imamis) Largest Shiite sect; largest

number of Muslims after Sunnis

Iran (90%) Iraq (60%) Lebanon

(South and Beirut, 35%) Bahrain (80%) Kuwait (35%) Saudi Arabia

(Eastern province 10-15%)

Prophet

Muhammad

Fatima married to…

2. Hassan (d. 669)

3. Hussein (d. 680)4. Ali Zayn al-Abidin

(d. 714)5. Muhammad al-Baqir

(d. 731)Zayd (d. 740)

6. Jafar al-Sidiq (d. 765)

7. Musa al-Kazim (d. 799)8. Ali al-Rida (d.

818)9. Muhammad al-Jawad (d. 835)

1. Ali (d. 661)

Isma`il (d. 760)

10. Ali al-Hadi (d. 868)

11. Hasan al-Askari (d. 874)12. Muhammad al-Mahdi

(occultation)

Shiite Divisions

Twelvers

Zaydi

Isma`ili

Druze

Alawites

Key Terms You Must Know Tawhid (verb: Affirming God’s monotheism; No God but

Allah)

Sunna (Way of the Prophet Muhammad)

Hadith (Saying of the Prophet Muhammad)

Khulafa al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet Muhammad)

Key Terms You Must Know Ijtihad (Reasoning or deriving an Islamic ruling based on

Islamic texts)

Fatwa (Islamic legal ruling based on a question or issue)

Hijra (Migration; referring to Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina)

Fiqh (Jurisprudence)

Ulema (Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence)

Key Terms You Must Know Fitna (civil discord, chaos, fighting among Muslims)

Imam (Person who leads prayer; for Shiites it has the added meaning of ultimate religious authority after the Prophet Muhammad and source of religious knowledge)

Kafir (Infidel; unbeliever)

Takfir (verb: Act by one Muslim calling another Muslim kafir, infidel)

Key Terms You Must Know Murted (Apostate; person who abandons Islam by

renouncing the faith or converting to another religion)

Jahiliyyah (Literally means ignorance; when Islam came, the period preceding the rise of Islam came to be known as the age of jahiliyyah. Sometimes defined as paganism)

Shirk (Polytheism or belief in multiple Gods; opposite of monotheism)