Islam

Submission to the One God

Fast Facts• Second largest religion, 1.2 billion adherents• Islam means “to surrender or submit”• Muslim means “one who surrenders or submits”• Monotheistic• Muhammad is the last prophet• Qur’an is their sacred scripture• Deeply rooted in Biblical tradition

– Trace back to Abraham– Reveres OT prophets including Jesus– Reveres the Blessed Mother as a model for women

• Very influential to Western culture during the Middle Ages

Foundations• Elements of Islam– Qur’an

• Primary sacred text and Islam’s earthly center

– Prophet Muhammad• Received the contents of the Qur’an from Allah• His life provides Muslims with an example of human

perfection

– Primary Teachings• Derived from the Qur’an and the life of Muhammad

– Muslim community• Umma bases its laws and lifestyle on the primary teachings

Qur’an• Earthly center of Islam– Dictated to and written by Muhammad• Miraculous, Muhammad was illiterate

– Considered the sacred presence in the world– Source of Islam’s fundamental teachings– Divided into 114 suras, or chapters– Contains the direct words of Allah • Written in Arabic originally• Qur’an means “reading or recitation”

The Prophet Muhammad• Most perfect of all humans, but human nonetheless• Born about 570 AD, into the leading tribe of Mecca, orphaned and raised by an

uncle• Honest and dependable, shepherd, then merchant/trader• Married Khadija, his employer at age 25, she was 40; He had 6 or more

children and they had a long happy union• Spent time in religious contemplation

– Angel Gabriel appeared in a dream and commanded that he “recite”. After this first appearance he was visited for the next 22 years.

– Was taken to meet God on the “Night Visit”• Converts

– Wife was first, then some close friends– Citizens of Mecca responded with hostility since the teachings were contrary to their

usual ways, • Monotheistic vs polytheistic• Social economic justice

– Muhammad escaped to Medina, this flight was called the Hijra; it is considered the founding event of the community

Primary Teachings• Allah

– The one God, Allah literally means “the God”– Originally worshipped along with other gods– Avoid artistic representations– Genderless– Transcendent and supra-personal, immanent and personal

• Sufis experience the immanence and personal quality of Allah

• Prophets– Provide a link between Allah and human history– Begin with Adam and end with Muhammad

• Abraham- father of the Arab people• Moses- delivered the Ten Commandments• Jesus – proclaimed the Golden Rule• Muhammad- the seal of the prophets, last for now all has been revealed

Primary Teachings• Human nature and destiny

– Human nature is good, but people forget their basic goodness and their passions lead them to sin

– Humans need directives for correct behavior, these would be found in the Qur’an and other revelations of Allah

– Day of Judgment ; all humans will stand before God• Coming of the Mahdi, a savior, who will restore Islam on earth, then Jesus will

return to Jerusalem and usher in the Day of Judgment– Paradise– Hell

• Nature of the world– Is good and worthy of reverence since it is a creation of God– The Cosmic Qur’an– Islamic scientific advances are a result of this reverence an they

celebrate science as a means of knowing more about Allah’s perfect creation

Umma

• Community of all Muslims– Transcends race, ethnicity, language, and other cultural

factors– Brotherhood and sisterhood based solely on religion– Unity derived from the Shari’a or divine law

• Formed by the Qur’an and the Sunna (teachings and actions of Muhammad)

• Five categories: obligatory, recommended, indifferent, disapproved, forbidden

• To ignore the Shari’a is to stop being Muslim• Intended as the law of the land-

Practices and Teachings

• Five Pillars1. Confession of faith

Shahada “There is no god except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God”whispered at birth and at death

2. PrayerFive times a day

Public prayer on Friday in Mosque with an imam leadingWashing of hands and faceProstration toward MeccaRitual movements

3. FastingRamadan

During the ninth month of Muslim yearNo eating, drinking, smoking, sex, from dawn to sunset

4. Wealth sharing2.5 % of the value of their possessions to a public treasury annually

5. Pilgrimage Hajj, a trip during a lifetime to Meccacircling the Ka’ba

Personal and Social Life• Care of the body

– Belongs to God– To be kept clean (washing ritual is part of prayer)– Dressed modestly– Dietary laws– Sexuality is celebrated but only in marriage

• Women– Men and women are equal but different– Women have most influence in the home, the central social institution– Veiling different interpretations in Qur’an

• Jihad– Struggle to surrender and remain that way– Armed struggle in self defense

Expansion of Islam• Muhammad– Caliphs• Sunna• Shi’ite

• Spread across the Mediterranean coast along North Africa and into Spain

• Mogul Empire (India)• Ottoman Empire (Turkey)• Ended during European colonization

Varieties of Islam• Sunnism– The largest division of Islam. Originated after the

death of Muhammad when his closest friend took over as leader

• Shi’ism– Favor the leadership of Islam to be passed on to

family as true descendants of Muhammad– Importance of the Imam

• Islamic Mysticism– Sufism: to experience Allah as immanent and

personal, to be at oneness with God

Islam Today• No division between the religious and the secular

– All owe a repayment to God– Final revelation, others that came before are respected especially

Judaism and Christianity– Ideal of unity

• Second largest religion– Northern Africa– Middle East– Southwestern Asia– South Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia– United States

• 6,000,000, 40% African American• Nation of Islam

– Malcolm X – no discrimination