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Islam
• Means “submission to God’s will”
• Muslims (followers of Islam, “those who
submit”) trace their religion back to the
Hebrew scriptures:
– Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, moved to
Mecca, according to the Koran
– Mohammed was a descendent of Ishmael
Muhammad
• The “Seal of the Prophets”—the last of the
prophets, namely:
–
–
–
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Abraham: monotheism
Moses: Ten Commandments
Jesus: Golden Rule
Mohammed: put the teachings of Jesus into
laws
Who was Muhammad?
• Born in 570 in Mecca on the Arabian
peninsula, a Bedouin Arab
• Orphaned at 6; at 9, his grandfather dies;
raised by his uncle
• At 25, marries Khadijah, a rich widow 15
years older than him
• He spends time praying in solitude in the
desert
Muhammad
• Around age 41, Angel Gabriel calls him to
be the prophet
• 622, the hegira (“migration”): Muhammad
leaves Mecca and converts Yathrib, which is
renamed Medina (Medinat un-Nabi=City of
the Prophet). Beginning of Muslim
calendar.
Muhammad
• C. 630, Muhammad and followers conquer
Mecca
• By 632, year of Muhammad’s death, all of
Arabia under his control
• By 732 (when Muslims defeated in Tours,
France), Muslims conquered Armenia,
Persia, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, north Africa,
Spain
Muhammad
• Since his death, more male children in the
world have been named Muhammad than
any other name
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Oral declaration of faith: “There is no God but
Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.”
--Allah= al (the) + Illah (God)
2. Prayer 5 times a day
--dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, after sunset, before bed
--facing Mecca, no matter where you are in the world
--before praying, ritual washing (with water or sand)
--call to prayer by muezzin
Muezzin
5 Pillars of Islam
3. Charity: 2.5% of savings a person has had
for one year.
4. Fasting during Ramadan (9th mo. lunar
calendar): no food or drink or sex from
dawn to sunset.
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once
in lifetime (if physically and financially
able).
Kaaba
• Cubical structure traditionally believed built
by Abraham and Ishmael
• Believed to be on site where Abraham
prepared to sacrifice Isaac
• Pilgrims circle the Kaaba
• Effects of Hajj:
– Greater devotion to Allah
– Experience equality of people, meet Muslims
from around the world
The Quran
• Muslim holy book, also written Koran
• Means “recitation”
• It is Muhammad’s followers’ written record
of his teachings, recorded after his death
• In Arabic and considered untranslatable
• Believed to be God’s final revelation—the
most perfect
Spread of Islam
• Islam’s appeal: simple, free of dogma and
hierarchy
• Jihad: religious struggle
– Lesser jihad: holy war
– Greater jihad: self-control
• Non-religious benefits of conversion:
– Freedom from poll tax
– Access to power
Branches of Islam
• Sunni
– “tradition of the
Prophet”: religious
rulers (Caliphs) chosen
by faithful through
historical development
– 90% of Muslims today
• Shiites
– Authority passed down
through the
descendents of Ali
(Muhammad’s cousin
and son-in-law)
– 10% Muslims today
– Majority in Iran and
Iraq; rule Iran
Islamic Law
• Called sharia
• Derived from the Quran and the Hadith
(collection of Muhammad’s words and
practices)
• Covers all aspects of life: commerce,
marriage, crime, international relations
Islamic Law
• Condemns usury, eating pork, alcohol,
gambling
• Mullah: scholar who interprets sharia
Islam and Tolerance
• Islam has a tradition of racial equality
• Islam supports religious tolerance
– Quran: “Let there be no compulsion in
religion”
Islam and Women
• Quran: men and women equal before God,
but men “a degree higher than women” as
providers
• According to tradition, women must veil
their faces in public
• Men can marry up to 4 wives, but most men
marry only 1
• Men have rights of divorce
Islam and Women
• In fact, Muhammad improved women’s
rights in his society
– He condemned the practice of burying
daughters alive as babies
– He gave women specific rights, including
property rights and the right to alimony after
divorce
Islamic Culture
• Islamic scholars preserved Greek and Latin texts
– Paper-making came from China
– Translated into Arabic, retranslated into Latin in Middle
Ages in the West
• Islamic philosophers (faylasufs)
– Tried to reconcile Greek philosophy with Islam
– Averroes (1126-1198): “the Commentator”
• “Arabic numbers” (actually Hindu) replace
Roman
Islamic Architecture
Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain
Mihrab
Minarets at Hagia Sophia