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ISLAM TODAY

• Major populations: Middle East, North Africa, Asia 
• Designated as a world “religion” in 1614
• Adherents: 1.5 billion (2nd largest)
  • 2050: Islam & Christianity both 30%
• Key Texts: Qur’an, Hadiths
• Place of Worship: Mosque (Arabic: Masjid)
  • The Grand Mosque, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (2m clip)
  • The Prophet’s Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia (2m clip)
  • Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, Israel (pic)
    
    
• Do They Proselytize? Yes.
• Dogmatic? Yes.
  
• Theistic? Yes.
  

• Totems: Star & Crescent, the color green,
  Halal food, Arabic calligraphy, prayer beads, black flag
• Taboos: alcohol, pork, idolatry, polytheism, worshipping someone as God,
  use of the misnomer “Mohammadan”
  
  

IDENTITY

I. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in Brief

• 570: born in Mecca, orphan raised by uncle, works as a merchant
• 610: Meditating in a cave, Muhammad is visited by the angel Gabriel
  • He’s commanded to recite the Word of God to the Meccans
• 613: He begins preaching publicly about the Qur’an
  • He denounces polytheism and is persecuted by Meccans
• 615: Muhammad’s followers flee to Christian kingdom in Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
• 622: After assassination attempts, he leads his followers to Medina (1 A.H.)
• 630: He marches on Mecca and the Muslims take control of the city and of the Ka’ba
• 630-632: Muhammad is the spiritual and political leader of Mecca and Medina
• 632: Abu Bakr, father-in-law to Muhammad, assumes political control
• In the Qur’an, Muhammad is the last prophet of God
  
  

II. A Non-Exclusive Monotheism

• 613: the Prophet Muhammad wants to end Tribalism and unite everyone!
  • He envisions a shared Believers’ Movement of Jews, Christians, and Arabs
  • Believers (Mu’minun المؤمنون): followers of the One God
    • Jews: welcomed as Believers
    • Christians (Non-Trinitarian): welcomed as Believers
    • Arabs, Africans, etc., who submit to God also Believers
      • Submitters (Arabic: Muslimun)
• Jews have the Torah and Christians have the Gospel
• Muhammad establishes the “din” (دين) for non-Jewish/Christian Believers
  • Din is originally a Hebrew word (דין), meaning legal judgement
• Together all the Believers made up the Ummah, a community under One God
  
  

III. Religion, Din, & Islam

• Throughout the Medieval period (500s-1500s), Islamic identity takes shape
  • Christians thought of “Mohammadans” as Christians who worship Muhammad
  • While the Qur’an calls Christians, “those who were led astray”
    • Muslims claim Jesus ≠ God (cf. Nicene Creed)
• Modern Europe: Islam as a World Religion
  • 1529: Earliest use of “Mahometan” in English, from Latin Mahometus
  • 1614: Earliest mention of “Mohammadan” as a co-religion alongside Christianity
  • 1647: Earliest English translation of Qur’an – din (دين) is “law”
  • 1900s: Arabic “din” (دين) translated “religion,” though the modern concept is problematic
  • 1900s: “Mohammadan” replaced with “Muslim” in Western literature
    • “Mohammadan” is now considered a pejorative word for Muslims
      
      

IV. So what does Islam mean?

• A. Greek Languages vs. Semitic Languages
  • Western languages combine prefixes and suffixes to create meaning (pic: table²)
    • astro (star) + logos (study) = astrology: the study of stars
    • bio (life) + logos (study) = biology: the study of life
  • Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic are Semitic languages — use 3-letter roots (pic: table)
• B. The Semitic Root S-L-M
  • S-L-M is the root of Islam and Muslim
    • Salaam - Arabic for peace (cf. Shalom, Hebrew for peace)
    • Salamah - Arabic for refuge/safety
    • Salim - Arabic for unbroken/perfect
    • Muslim - Arabic for one who submits to “SLM”
  • This renders Islam as taking refuge in God’s perfection
    • More simply, Islam means submission to God

TEXTS

I. Pre-Quranic Scriptures (corrupted)
Islamic theology: the scriptures before the Qur’an have been altered (tahrif),
and the originals lost

• The Torah (al-Tawrah): the revelation of the Prophet Moses (Musa)
• The Psalms (al-Zabur): the revelation of the Prophet David (Dawud)
• The Gospels (al-Injil): the revelation of the Prophet Jesus (Isa)
• Allusions also made to the Scrolls of Abraham, the Scrolls of Moses,
  and the Book of John the Baptist
  
  

II. The Qur'an

• The Qur’an as Clarification
  • The Qur’an literally means the Recitation in Arabic
  • Muhammad visited by the angel Gabriel and told to recite God’s words
    • Gabriel was a messenger to both Daniel (Jewish) and Mary (Christian)
  • Qur’an conceived of as a final correction of God’s teachings to humanity
• The Preservation of the Qur’an
  • The Qur’an preserved in its original language — Classical Arabic
  • Christian Bible has gone from Aramaic to Greek, to Latin, to KJV English
• The Uniqueness of the Qur'an
  • Defies normal textual conventions
    • No beginning, middle, or narrative end
    • No chronological or thematic order
    • No continuity between parts
  • Divided into 114 suras, grouped by where it was written (Medina or Mecca)
  • Longer suras are at the beginning and smaller suras are at the end
  • Approximately the length of the New Testament
• 20 years after Muhammad’s death, Uthman compiles the definitive Qur’an
• Jesus (Isa) in the Qur’an
  • He is born of the Virgin Mary
  • He feeds the disciples from a table from heaven (Cf. Gospel of Mark)
  • He speaks from the cradle (Cf. Syriac Infancy Gospel)
  • He creates birds from clay (Cf. Infancy Gospel of Thomas)
  • He heals the blind (Cf. Gospel of John)
  • He is the Messiah, with twelve (unnamed) disciples
  • He will return when the Mahdi is fighting in the Last Days
    • He will descend east of Damascus, and kill the Anti-Christ
      • This will cause the Jews & Christians to accept Islam

III. Hadith

• 2nd to Qur’an in importance
• Collection of sayings and traditions of Muhammad
• Various interpretations and degrees of honor held for Hadith
  • Not universally accepted or interpreted the same way
• The Mahdi (“Rightly Guided One”) in the Hadith
  • Not explicitly talked about in the Qur’an, but very important
  • Will rid the world of evil in the years just before the Day of Judgment
  • Will lead all Muslims, fighting next to Jesus Christ against the Anti-Christ
  • Sunni Islam: The Mahdi is the prophesied leader of the Islam
  • Shia Islam: The Mahdi already lives among us; will reveal himself at the right time
  • Several have claimed to be the Mahdi, sometimes starting a religious movement
    • 1844: The Báb – forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith
    • 1956: Wallace Fard Muhammad, co-founder of the Nation of Islam
      • Malcolm X was famously in the Nation of Islam,
        before becoming a Sunni Muslim

IV. Exegesis: Major Traditions of Muslim Interpretation

• A. Sunni Muslim: 85% of Muslims are Sunni
  • Originally, the followers of the Caliph after Muhammad’s death
  • Interpretive Power: no centralized scriptural authority
  • Political Power: Social and political authority invested in political rulers
  • Interpretive power belongs to the community
  • Four major schools of Sunni jurisprudence (all of which agree on the major tenants of Islam)
    • Hanafi: First. Most liberal. Most popular. From Baghdad, the city of learning.
    • Maliki: Centrist, sourced from stories of Muhammad in Medina
    • Shafi’i: Conservative, compares all Ahadith and discards those with weak attribution
    • Hanbali: Less conservative, considers all Ahadith, including the weakly attributed
  • Modern school of Sunni jurisprudence (exported out of Saudi Arabia)
    • Salafi: Ultra-Conservative & Reformist, only holding to the strongest Ahadith
      • Quietist Salafism: True Muslims stay out of politics
      • Activist Salafism: True Muslims work in politics to achieve Sharia law
      • Jihadist Salafism: True Muslims fight (ie. terrorize) to achieve the Caliphate
        
        
• B. Shia Muslim: 15% of Muslims are Shia, mostly in Iran & southern Iraq
  • Originally, the followers of Ali, Muhammad’s closest male heir
  • Interpretive Power: led by a Supreme Leader who provides authoritative interpretation
    • The Imam is a direct descendent of Muhammad who is sinless and infallible
    • Current Supreme Leader of Iran is Ali Khamenei
      • 2014: Forbes magazine lists him as the 19th most powerful person in the world
  • Political Power: Social and political authority invested in the Supreme Leader
  • Several branches of Shia Islam exist
    • like Twelver Shiism and Ismaili Shiism

POWER

I. The Golden Age of Islam

• A. Knowledge in the Golden Age of Islam
  • As the Medieval Christian world entered the Dark Ages, Islam embraced
    philosophy and ancient scholarship
  • Muslims study Greco–Roman scholars throughout the Islamicate world
  • Muslims adopt numbers, paper, and astronomy from Asia
  • As a trading center, information is shared freely across the known world
    
    
• B. The Ornament of the World
  • In Islamic Spain, non–Muslims and their property are protected
    by Sharia law as long as they paid a special tax
  • Islamic Spain is called “the ornament of the world” by a visiting German nun who is amazed with streetlight, libraries, hospitals, fountains, and clean streets
  • Civil wars, the Crusades, and a growing conservativism within Islam
    led to the end of the Golden Age
    
    

II. The Ottomans & the Modern Middle East

• A. The Ottoman Empire
  • First Islamic Empire not ruled by Arabs
  • Turkish empire ruling Asia Minor and Middle East till the end of WWI
  • Took Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in 1453
  • Gave a home to disenfranchised Jews and Muslims as they fled Spain
  • Fell behind with the advent of Modernity
    
    
• B. The Middle East in the 1800s
  • Ottoman Empire in decline in the 1800s
  • Ottomans attempted to compete with Britain and France, but borrowed money to do so
  • Instead became dependent on and indebted to the West
    
    
• C. World War I
  • Ottoman Empire allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary
  • Britain, France, Russia, and United States oppose them
  • Allied forces are victorious and dismantle the Ottoman Empire
    
    
• D. Oil & the Sykes-Picot Agreement
  • Crude oil is needed by Modern nations and the Middle East has lots
  • 80% of the world’s oil comes from the Middle East
  • Allied powers plan how to best utilize these oil reserves
  • Promises are made to Arabs to gain their support against the Ottomans, but these promises are later broken
  • Instead a secret agreement in 1916 called the Sykes-Picot Agreement divides the spoils between Britain and France
  • No attention is given to population during this map–making; only oil fields
    
    
• E. Oil & the Case of Iran
  • 1909 Anglo–Persian Oil Company developed
    • British government holds majority shares and majority of product goes to Britain
  • 1950 Iran holds democratic elections and a reformer takes office and redirects oil profits
  • 1953 American and British operatives overthrow the government to send profits back to Britain (Operation Ajax)
  • The Western–friendly king (Shah) installed is reportedly a brutal leader
  • 1979 the Shah is overthrown by a Shia leader, Ayatollah Khomeini
  • All diplomatic ties are cut with the West and an anti–modern Islamic government is installed
  • Iran’s current President is comparatively moderate with a Twitter account

PRACTICES

I. The Five Pillars of Islam

• A. Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)
  • From the verb: to testify, confess
  • Declaration of Faith before two Muslim witnesses
  • Belief in the oneness of God
  • Belief in the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad
    
    
• B. Zakat (Alms)
  • Yearly payment on profits, typically 2.5%
  • Giving alms is required, though there are rules to ensure justice
  • “Charity” is a different concept; Additional charity is wonderful, but not a requirement
  • Promotes solidarity with the community because hardships are shared by all
  • Traditionally collected by the state; more unregulated today
    
    
• C. Sawm (Fasting)
  • Fasting, a form of asceticism
  • Abstain from food, drink, smoking, and worldly pleasures
  • During the entire lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours and reflect on the bounty of God
  • Those exempt from fasting: pregnant women, those who have not reached puberty, those who are infirm
    
    
• D. Hajj (Pilgrimage)
  • Holy pilgrimage to Mecca in present–day Saudi Arabia
  • Takes place from the 8th to 13th month of the Islamic calendar
  • Should be performed once if one is physically and financially capable
  • Everyone on Hajj must wear simple white garments with no mark of national or financial identity in a ‘castless’ atmosphere
  • Mecca has become a synonym, the world over, for a state of peace
    
    
• E. Salat (Prayer)
  • The “tent pole” of Islam
  • Ritualized daily prayer performed five times a day featuring Qur’anic recitation and bodily movements indicating submission to God
  • Sets the tone for the day and divides the day into intervals
  • Prayers are a microcosm and daily reminder of the five pillars: Shahadah-one recites the declaration of faith; Salat is performed; Sawm-one refrains from engaging in the world during prayer; Hajj-one turns attention to Mecca; Zakat-a portion of the day is given to Allah
    
    

II. Becoming a Muslim

• Recite the Shahadah, which declares Muhammad as God’s prophet
• Live according to the Qur’an
• Practice the Five Pillars of Islam

III. Protecting Islam

• A. Against Idols
  • Refusing to portray God is in reverence to God’s greatness
  • Traditional for Muhammad not to be depicted also
    • Because it may encourage idol–worship
  • Most Westerners are aware of this sensitivity
  • Depictions of Muhammad have occurred in some Muslim communities 
    
    
• B. Jihad
  • Two versions of jihad (Arabic: struggle) mentioned in the Qur’an
    • “Greater jihad” - internal struggle for piety
    • “Lesser jihad” - armed struggle to defend Islam
      
      
• C. The Veil
  • Typically legally mandatory in conservative Islamicate countries
  • Not mentioned in the Qur’an
    • Text only says to dress modestly (Qur’an 24:30)
    • In contrast, Christian women are instructed to “cover their heads” (I Cor. 11:5-7)
  • Reason Christian women do not follow this command? Modern life
    • European cultural norm through the 1600s: Christian women cover heads
    • This was a sign of marriage instead of a wedding ring
    • As the modern world changed, so too did women’s fashions

IV. General Guidelines for visiting a Mosque (Masjid)

• Q. How should I be dressed?
  • Men should wear a casual shirt and slacks.
  • Women dress modestly with arms covered, skirts below the knee, and a scarf to cover one’s hair
    
    
• Q. What are the totems used in the service?
  • Prayers are recited from memory and no ritual objects are used
  • The congregation will face toward Mecca during prayers
    
    
• Q. Will contributions to the mosque be collected?
  • Asking for contributions would violate guest-rights in most mosques
  • A box for contributions may be positioned on the wall near the entrance
    
    
• Q. How should I behave in a mosque?
  • Remove shoes at the entrance
  • Men will be directed to sit apart from the other men during prayer
  • Women may sit with the other women in the area toward the back of the mosque
    • This area is usually separated by one–way glass and has speakers to hear the imam’s message and prayers
      
      
• Q. What are the death and mourning rituals for Muslims?
  • Muslims are buried within 2-3 days of death. They are never cremated and there will not be an open casket.
  • Graveside services feature readings from the Qur’an and Janazah prayers.
  • A family will receive consolation visits at any point for up to forty days of mourning