Aaron Prill

Cole Wiese

Islam

The Symbol of Islam

Islam was founded on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad as an expression of surrender to the will of Allah, the creator and sustainer of the world

The prophet Muhammad was a religious, political and military leader from Mecca

Islam was founded in 622 ce, it originated in the Arabian Peninsula, Islam currently has 1.5 billion followers.

Allah is the Diety, and their sacred text is the Qur’an/Koran

Founders

A depiction of The Prophet Muhammad

The Five Pillars consist of a ritual

profession of faith (the Shahadah), ritual

prayer (Salah), the zakat (donation of

wealth), fasting (sawm) and the hajj (or

pilgrimage to the holy land).

The Five Pillars are core beliefs that

shape Muslim thought, deed and society.

A Muslim who fulfills The Five Pillars of

Islam, remains in the faith of Islam.

The Five Pillars

The Five Pillars of Islam

The Shahada is the Muslim profession of faith and the first of the ‘Five Pillars’ of Islam.  The word shahada in Arabic means ‘testimony.’  The shahada is to testify to two things:(a)   Nothing deserves worship except God (Allah).(b)  Muhammad is the Messenger of God (Allah).A Muslim is simply one who bears witness and testifies that “nothing deserves worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” One becomes a Muslim by making this simple declaration.It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.  Muslims say this when they wake up in the morning, and before they go to sleep at night.  It is repeated five times in the call to prayer in every mosque.  A person who utters the shahada as their last words in this life has been promised Paradise.

The First Pillar (Shahadah)

The Shahadah in Arabic and English

• Salah is the daily ritual prayer enjoined upon all Muslims as one of the five Pillars of Islam.  It is performed five times a day by all Muslims.  Salah is a precise worship, different from praying on the inspiration of the moment.  Muslims pray or, perhaps more correctly, worship five times throughout the day:

·        Between first light and sunrise.·        After the sun has passed the middle of the sky.·        Between mid-afternoon and sunset.·        Between sunset and the last light of the day.• Between darkness and midnight. Each prayer

may take at least 5 minutes, but it may be lengthened as a person wishes.  Muslims can pray in any clean environment, alone or together, in a mosque or at home, at work or on the road, indoors or out.  Under special circumstances, such as illness, journey, or war, certain allowances in the prayers are given to make their offering easy.

The Second Pillar (Salah)

Muslims praying towards Mecca

Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim.  Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice. Zakat is viewed as “compulsory charity”; it is an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to those members of the community in need.  Devoid of sentiments of universal love, some people know only to hoard wealth and to add to it by lending it out on interest.  Islam’s teachings are the very antithesis of this attitude.  Islam encourages the sharing of wealth with others and helps people to stand on their own and become productive members of the society.

The Third Pillar (Zakat)

A painting depicting Zakat

• In Arabic it is known as zakat which literally means “purification”, because zakat is considered to purify one’s heart of greed.  Love of wealth is natural and it takes firm belief in God for a person to part with some of his wealth.  Zakat must be paid on different categories of property — gold, silver, money; livestock; agricultural produce; and business commodities and is payable each year after one year’s possession.  It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual’s wealth and assets.

The Third Pillar (continued)

Muslims are required to pay an annual contribution of 2.5% of their individual

wealth

• Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan , is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ordained in the Holy Qur’an the fast is a deep act of personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one’s sensitivity is heightened to the sufferings of the poor. Ramadan, the month where the Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon, after which abstention from eating, drinking and other sensual pleasures is obligatory from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is also a joyful month. Muslims break their fast at sunset with a special meal , iftar, perform additional nocturnal worship, tarawih, after evening prayer. The end of Ramadan is observed by three days of celebration called Eid Al-Fitr, the feast of the breaking of the fast.

The Fourth Pillar (Sawm)

• The Fifth Pillar of Islam is the Hajj (a pilgrimage to Mecca the holiest city of Islam)

• The pilgrimage is made to the Kaaba, found in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudia, the ‘House of God,’ whose sanctity rests in that the Prophet Abraham built it for the worship of God.  God rewarded him by attributing the House to himself, in essence honoring it, and by making it the devotional epicenter which all Muslims face when offering the prayers (salah).  The rites of pilgrimage are performed today exactly as did by Abraham, and after him by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them.

The Fifth Pillar (Hajj)

• Pilgrimage is viewed as a particularly

meritorious activity.  Pilgrimage serves

as a penance - the ultimate forgiveness

for sins, devotion, and intense

spirituality.  The pilgrimage to Mecca,

the most sacred city in Islam, is required

of all physically and financially able

Muslims once in their life.  The

pilgrimage rite begins a few months after

Ramadan, on the 8th day of the last

month of the Islamic year of Dhul-Hijjah,

and ends on the 13th day.  Mecca is the

center towards which the Muslims

converge once a year, meet and refresh

in themselves the faith that all Muslims

are equal and deserve the love and

sympathy of others, irrespective of their

race or ethnic origin.

The Fifth Pillar (continued)

At a time when female children were buried alive in Arabia and women were considered transferable property, Islam honored women in society by elevating them and protecting them with unprecedented rights. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their choice, to retain their identity after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. In Islam, women are not obligated to earn or spend any money on housing, food, or general expenses. If a woman is married, her husband must fully support her financially and if she’s not married, that responsibility belongs to her closest male relative (father, brother, uncle, etc).

Roles of Women

A Muslim man has the privilege to: be

respected and obeyed as the leader of his

household and have the final say on matters

such as choosing his children’s names,

spending income etc., Have his property

taken care of by the Women of his

household in his absence, and not have any

person he does no like enter his house in his

absence.

Roles of Men

A picture showing a typical Muslim Man

• Modesty in dress is enjoined not just upon women, but

also men for similar reasons.   Men must cover

themselves from their navel to their knees.  It is

preferable for them to also wear clothing that will

cover their shoulders.  Shorts that fall above the knee

are not permitted.  It is also desirable that they should

cover their head (with a small cap or turban).The

beard is one of the most outward expressions of a

Muslim male and to not have one goes against the

practices and advice of Prophet Muhammad .

Men’s Dress

What a Muslim man would wear

• Among one of the most important aspects of a man's

appearance is his beard . The beard should be kept

tidy and clean and the moustache should be trimmed

so that it doesn't go over the lips. A Muslim man is not

permitted to wear silk or gold or clothing that is

saffron in color (since such clothing is customarily

worn by certain groups of men who worship other gods

and the Muslim should not imitate such people).  A

man's clothing should also not fall below the ankles

and drag on the ground out of too much pride

Men’s Dress (continued)

A Muslim man with proper trimmed facial hair and

proper dress

• Mecca (the most sacred place in Islam is the Ka’ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Ka’ba is a mosque built around a black stone, The Prophet Muhammad designated Mecca as the Holy City of Islam and the direction in which all Muslims should offer their prayers)

• Medina (the second most holiest site in Islam is Medina. It was to Medina that Muhammad fled when he was initially driven out of Mecca and the place where he attracted his first followers. Medina is the home of The Prophet’s Mosque)

• Muslim Jerusalem (the third most holy site in Islam, which was the original direction of the prayer before it changed to Mecca. In Muslim tradition Muhammad miraculously traveled to Jerusalem by night and ascended from there into heaven. Jerusalem is also home to the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque

Holy Sites

The Ka’ba

• Karbala (Karbala is the Holy City of Shia Islam. Karbala is one of Iraq's wealthiest cities, profiting both from religious visitors and its agricultural produce. It is split into two districts, "Old Karbala", the religious center, and "New Karbala", the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the center of the old city is the Mashad al-Husain, the tomb of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima and Ali ibn Abi Talib.)

• Najaf Najaf is one of the holiest cities in Shi'a Islam and is the center of Shi'a political power in Iraq. Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib (also known as Imam Ali), who the Shi'a consider to be their founder and first Imam (some believe he is buried at Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan). The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Islamic world. Only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims)

Holy Sites (continued)

The tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib

• Muharram (Islamic New Year, this year it lies

on November 4th)

• Mawlid al-Nabi (Muhammad’s Birthday which

lies on January 13 2014)

• Ramadan (month of fasting which begins on

June 28th 2014)

• Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan ends on July 28th 2014)

• Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice which is on

October 4th 2014)

Islamic Holidays

Indian Muslims praying during Eid al-Fitr

The star and crescent is the best-known symbol used to represent Islam. It features prominently on the flags of many countries in the Islamic world, notably Turkey and Pakistan.

Certain words in Arabic script or characters can be regarded as visually representing Islam, such as "Allah"

Symbols

• Islam is a Monotheistic religion that was

founded on the teachings of the Prophet

Mohammad as an expression of surrender to

the will of Allah.

• Essential to Islam is the belief that Allah is

the one true God with no partner or equal.

• Islam has two branches with very much

variety in those branches. The two branches

are the Sunni and the Shia

Major Beliefs

The Islamic Symbol for Allah, their God

• The Shia Muslims believe that following

the Prophet Muhammad's death,

leadership should have passed directly

to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali bin Abu

Talib.

• The Sunni Muslims agree with the

position taken by many of the Prophet's

companions, that the new leader should

be elected from among those capable of

the job.

Major Beliefs (continued)

• The split (or schism between Sunni Islam and Shia Islam) goes all the way back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the year 632 and it had to do with succession; that is, who would be the rightful successor to the Prophet?

• Essentially, those who became Sunni believed that the heir to Mohammad should be determined by the community of elder Muslim clerics. To the contrary, those who became Shias (a distinct minority), felt Mohammad’s successor should come from the Prophet's own family, namely Ali, his son-in-law, since Mohammad had no sons who survived into adulthood.

• Schism in Islam between Shia and Sunni began immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad around 632 as Muslims were divided into two groups; those who supported Abu Bakr as the first successor (Caliph) of the Prophet Mohamed and those who believed that Mohamed’s son-in-law and immediate cousin, Ali, should be the Caliph.

The Schism

There was a bloody civil war between the two communities immediately after Abu Bakr became the caliph. The sectarian split and conflict between the two Muslim communities intensified after bin Umayyad came to power as Maawiya Ibn Abu Sufyan became Caliph in 661. Unlike the Shia, the Sunni communities uniformly condone all caliphs.

The Schism (continued)

• Islamic Fundamentalism is a broad term that refers to the philosophical or theological approach of certain groups within the Islamic tradition who hold that the Qur'an is the inerrant and literal word of God, and that Muslims are required to strictly adhere to the religious practices and moral codes found there. Most forms of Islamic Fundamentalism maintain that a true Muslim state and society is essential for following Islamic religious law, and hold that there should be no distinction between religious and political life, a position that puts them in tension with the modern democratic principle of the separation of church and state.  However, Fundamentalist Islamic movements vary greatly regarding doctrine and social and political positions. Some fundamentalist movements are markedly conservative and propound a narrow understanding of the Islamic tradition, whereas others employ Marxist and other socialist strategies and principles.

Fundamentalism

Islamic architecture, particularly the shapes of arches, and of course the minaret, has become ingrained in Western architecture. Islamic societies were the birthplace of algebra and calculus, which are fundamental to the way we see and interact with the world today, as well as the birthplace of alchemy, which developed into modern chemistry. Muslims were great astronomers, and developed several major astronomical innovations, this influence greatly remains in Spain.

Influence on Art

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"Islamic Influences on American Architecture." Islamic Influences on American Architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. " 2013."Library." Schisms and Sects. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

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