Download 1) Foundation of Islam

Lecture on Islam
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Introduction to Islam
by Dr. James L Rowell
Founders, Texts & History
Moral Beliefs
Sacred Beliefs
Practice & Ritual
Sects & Politics
Famous Faces
Founders, Texts & History
1) Foundation of Islam:
• A) Muhammad the Prophet, (570 – 632 CE) in Mecca.
1. Married Khadija (married others later); daughter Fatima who married Ali.
2. Revelation 610 CE in Cave of Hira.
3. Meccans / Quraysh rejected.
• B) Medina (622-630)
1. Muslim Community established.
2. Defense against Quraysh.
• C) Back in Mecca.
1. Rededicates Ka’ba to Allah / Islam.
2. Passes away 632 CE.
Founders, Texts & History
2) Muslim Texts & Tradition
• A) The Qur’an
1. Revealed word of God to Muhammad, over 2 decades.
2. Final correct Revelation.
3. Jews and Christians: Ahl al-Kitab or “people of the book” – originally correct
but changed.
• B) The Sunnah (custom) or Hadith (oral tradition)
1. Secondary level of authority.
2. Extra-Qur’anic oral tradition of Prophet & Companions.
Founders, Texts & History
3) Sacred Sites:
• A) Mecca – Holiest City.
1. Place of Ka’ba.
2. Place of Muhammad’s first Revelation.
3. Place of Hajj / Pilgrimage
• B) Medina – 2nd Holiest City.
1. Place of first Muslim free community (Hijra 622 CE)
2. Mecca & Medina – the Hijaz.
• C) Jerusalem – 3rd Holiest City.
1. Place of Muhammad’s Night Ascent.
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2. Dome of Rock built there.
Founders, Texts & History
4) Key Battles of the Muslims vs. Meccan Quraysh.
• A) Battle of Badr. (624 CE)
1. First victory of Muslims.
2. Even though outnumbered.
• B) Battle of Uhud.
1. Defeat for Muslims.
2. Special revelation – up to 4 wives allowed.
• C) Battle of the Trench. (627 CE)
1. Meccans last assault.
2. Muslim victory; Jewish betrayal and execution.
• D) Truce of Hudaybiyah.
1. Initial peace. (628-630 CE)
2. Reoccupation of Mecca; rededication of Ka’ba.
Founders, Texts & History
5) First for “Rightly Guided” or Rashidun Caliphs.
• A) Abu Bakr (caliph 632-34 CE)
1. Said: “If anyone worships Muhammad, let them know that he is dead. If
anyone worships God, let him know that God is alive and well.”
2. Consolidation / Riddah Wars.
• B) Umar (caliph 634-644 CE)
1. Expansion of Islam.
2. Expulsion of “dhimmi” from Hijaz.
• C) Uthman (caliph 644-656 CE)
1. Had Quran written down 649-650 CE. First official version.
2. Controversial, accused of nepotism. Killed 656 CE.
• C) Ali (656-661 CE)
1. First caliph/imam in Shia view.
2. Disputed caliphate – arbitration after “Battle of Siffin.”; rebellious
Kharijites.
Founders, Texts & History
6) Muslim Dynasties
• A) The Umayyads (661-750 CE)
1. Ruled from Syria. – Sassanids & Byzantine Empires weakened.
2. Dome of Rock built, Jerusalem taken.
• B) The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 CE)
1. Ruled from Baghdad; highpoint of art, science, & philosophy.
2. Sacked by Mongols 1258 CE.
• C) The Ottoman Dynasty. (c. 13-20th century)
1. Last great Muslim Empire.
2. Gradually succumbed to European power; post WWI collapse.
3. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk abolished office of caliphate 1922-24.
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Beliefs - Moral
7) Shari’a – Islamic Law with 4 Traditional Sources:
A) Qur’an (Koran also spelled) is the essential basis of Muslim law – the most important
B) Sunnah (Custom) and the Hadith or “Traditions” (plural Ahadith) reported to Prophet
Muhammad are second.
1) Need Chain of reliable transmission to Prophet
2) Some dissent about authority..
C) Interpretation leads to Ijma : consensus – the third level of authority.
1) Consensus of Muslim community.
2) Shia Muslims would look the the authority of Imams as at least equal to that of
hadith. Shia Imams said to possess wilayah or “spiritual powers.” of interpretation.
D) Qiyas – or “analogic reasoning” – some combination of the the above.
Beliefs – Moral
8) Jihad and Moral Struggle.
• A) Greater / Lesser “jihad” (struggle)
1. Hadith (oral tradition) retells Muhammad coming from battle, arrives back at
Muslim community saying “I have come from a state of lesser to Greater
Jihad.”
2. Greater Jihad: Struggle to become a better Muslim – Muslims prefers moral
struggle to militant struggle.
3. Lesser Jihad: War to defend the lands of Islam – the Lesser Jihad of which
Muhammad spoke.
• B) Basic Moral Beliefs included:
1. Don’t lie. (Qur’an 2:41)
2. Don’t kill (except defensively, Qur’an 5:32 & 2:190)
3. Don’t steal. (Qur’an 5:38-39)
4. Don’t commit adultery. (Qur’an 4:22-25)
Beliefs - Sacred
9) Sacred Beliefs – Heaven, Hell, Afterlife & Judgment.
• A) Heaven/Hell affirmed.
1. Good moral behavior, following Shari’a.
2. Jews and Christians OK; “Believers, Jews, Christians, … whoever believes in
God and the Last Day and does what is right – shall be rewarded by their
Lord; they have nothing to fear or to regret.” [2:62 / p. 15]
• B) Afterlife
1. Beautiful Companions (houris) in heaven. (not “virgins” exactly)
2. Defensive Martyrdom, but not offensive suicide attacks approved.
• C) Final Judgment.
1. People judged by book of deeds that angels record.
2. Jesus will come at final judgment.
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Beliefs - Sacred
10) Making the Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca.
• A) Fifth Pillar of Islam made during month Dhu al Hijjah. Ritual involves:
1. Circumambulating Ka’ab 7 Times.
2. Ceremonial run, remembering Hagar & Ishmael’s search for water (found
at well of Zamzam)
3. Travel to Mt. Arafat for meditation before God.
4. Stoning of pillars of Mina, remembering Abraham’s temptation by Satan.
5. Feast of Slaughter. (sacrifice)
• B) Was pre-Islamic rite; continues in Islamic era.
Practice & Ritual
11) The Five Pillars of Islam:
• A) The Five Pillars:
1. Shahada : Proclamation, witnessing that there is “no God but Allah and Muhammad is
his Prophet”
2. Salat : Prayer - Five times a day : Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Sunset, Evening
3. Zakat (Zakah) : Giving to the poor and needy. Normally 2.5 % of wealth.
4. Sawm : Fasting during Ramadan - (lunar month) from Dawn to Sunset.
1. Hajj : Pilgrimage to Mecca to visit Ka’bah, required once a lifetime for
Muslims.
• B) Very orthoprax (practice), also orthodox (follow Shari’a)
Practice & Ritual
12) Is violent jihad (struggle) or ‘Holy War’ acceptable in Islam?
A) Short answer: no.
1. Defensive violence ok.
2. Defensive martyrdom ok
3. Offensive suicide – not ok.
B) Controversial Sword Verses: “But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and
slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for
them, in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers, and
practice regular charity, then open the way for them, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.” (Qur’an 9:5, Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation, p. 438)
C) Interpretations matter here!
Sects & Politics
13) Two major Division of Islam: Sunni vs. Shia.
• A) Sunni (majority) – 85% of world Muslims.
1. Believe Muhammad appointed no successor.
2. At “open porch” (saqifa) Abu Bakr was elected by consent.
• B) Shia (minority) 15% - mostly in Iran & Iraq.
1. Believe Muhammad appointed Ali as his successor.
2. At oasis known as Pool of Khumm.
• C) Shia see hereditary office of Imams; the Sunni see elected office of caliphs.
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Sects & Politics
14) Husayn and Karbala.
• A) Shia believe their Imams were martyred:
1. Ali (Muhammad’s son-in law)
2. Hasan & Husayn (Ali’s children)
• B) Husayn martyred at Karbala.
1. Cut off from water, surrounded by Yazid’s troops.
2. Massacred / killed; survivor Alî Zayn al-Âbidîn.
• C) Bitter Sunni-Shia conflict; remembered by Shia as Ahsura / Taziya / Passion
Play (procession).
Sects and Politics
15) Shia – subdivisions:
• A) Imamis / 12’ers.
1. Believe in 12 Imams.
2. Last Imam went into Occultation / Hiding.
3. Known as Mahdi.
• B) Ismailis / 7’ers.
1. Believe Ismail was 7th Imam.
2. Some follow Aga Khan.
• C) Zaidis – 5’ers of Yemen.
Sects and Politics
16) Reactionary Islam.
• A) Wahhabi Islam.
1. Founded Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. (1703-1792)
2. Very strict, opposed to bida (innovation) of Shia & Sufi.
3. Becomes theology of Saudi Arabia.
• B) Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966)
1. Egyptian education turned radical.
2. Visited USA. Thought we & all others in jahiliyyah (ignorance of Islam).
3. Militarized the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.
• C) Islamist – one who wants Muslim government ≠ Islam or Muslim (submits to
Allah)
Sects and Politics
17) The Sufis / Sufism:
• A) Sufis believe in personal mystical religious connection to Islam through
chain of authoritative teachers.
1. Shaykh or Pir will head a mystical order or Tariqa.
2. Leaders said to have special religious knowledge and point to dhikr
(devotion).
• B) Sufi derived from:
1. Tasawwuf or self-purification.
2. Suf – the woolen garments of simple Sufi mystics, emulating Muhammad.
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C) No single school of Sufis:
1. Some very sober-minded.
2. Others ecstatic dance & music, such as Whirling Dervishes.
Faces
18) Iranian Revolution
• A) Overthrow of unpopular Shah of Iran (US supported) in 1979.
1. Resulted in Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini coming to power.
2. Iranian Hostage crisis followed.
• B) Ayatollah Khomeini had revolutionary new Shia theology.
1. Argued for vilayat e-faqih or “rule of (Islamic) Jurist.”
2. Basically pushed for fusion of church and state.
3. Unprecedented new theology.
• C) Many Ayatollahs dissented.
Faces
19) Osama Bin Laden (1958-2011)
• A) Roots and Radicalization:
1. Saudi / Wahhabi roots.
2. Educated King Abdul-Aziz University.
3. Met Abdullah Azzam (called to Jihad) and Muhammad Qutb.
• B) From Fighting to Terror.
1. Recruited to fight for Afghanistan.
2. Radicalized by Kuwait Occupation; exiled to Sudan then to Afghanistan.
3. Hated U.S. “aggression” against Muslim world.
• C) Met Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.
1. 9/11 Plan Unfolded.
2. Killed May 1, 2011.
Faces
20) Abdul Ghaffar Khan (c. 1890-1988)
• A) Pathan / Pashtun.
1. Same ethnic stock as latter Taliban.
2. Completely opposite beliefs from Taliban.
• B) Non-violent ally of Mohandas Gandhi.
1. Supported wholly nonviolent view of Islam.
2. Universal faith – God supports all believers.
• C) Raised Khudai Khidmatgars.
1. Means “Servants of God.”
2. Nonviolent Muslim “army”, supported Gandhi.
3. Did extensive jail time.
Conclusion, Summary
21) Summary of Islam:
• A) Abrahamic, monotheistic faith:
1. Muhammad – human prophet; last prophet.
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2. Qur’an – central text.
3. Hadith (tradition), Sunnah (custom).
B) Major Sects:
1. Sunni – Abu Bakr elected.
2. Shia – Ali appointed.
3. Sufi – mystics, devotion.
C) Moral, Sacred Belief.
1. Greater / Lesser Jihad.
2. Five Pillars: Shahada, Prayer, fasting, charity, Hajj.
Works Cited / Sources
Sample Readings / Bibliography
• Armstrong, Karen, Islam: A Short History, New York, Modern Library, 2002.
• Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, New York, Harper San
Francisco, 1993.
• Aslan, Reza, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, New York,
Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006.
• Cleary, Thomas, The Wisdom of the Prophet – Saying of Muhammad; Selection from
the Hadith, Boston, Shambhala Press, 2001.
• Easwaran Eknath, A Man to Match His Mountains: Badshah Khan: Non-Violent Soldier
of Islam, Berkley, California, Nilgiri Press – division of Random House, 1984.
• Esposito, John L. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, New York, Oxford
University Press, 2002
• Esposito, John L., and Mogahed, Dalia Who Speaks for Islam? – What a Billion Muslims
Really Think, New York, Gallup Press, 2007.
• Gandhi, Rajmohan, Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pashtuns, New York,
Penguin Books, 2008.
• Gregory Harms, & Todd M. Ferry, The Palestine-Israel Conflict: A Basic Introduction,
An Arbor MI, Pluto Press, 2005.
• Halm, Heinze, Shia Islam: From Religion to Revolution, Princeton NJ, Markus Wiener
Publishers, 1997.
• Kelsay, John Islam and War, The Gulf War and Beyond: A Study in Comparative
Ethics, Louiseville, Westminster John-Knox Press, 1993.
• Kramer, Gudrun, A History of Palestine: from the Ottoman Conquest to the Founding
of the State of Israel, Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 2008.
• Kung, Hans, Islam: Past, Present and Future, translated by John Bowden, Oxford
England, Oneworld, 2007.
• N.J. Dawood, translator, The Koran, New York, Penguin Books, 2003.
• Shepard, William, Introducing Islam, New York, Routledge, 2009.
• Vassiliev, Alexei, The History of Saudi Arabia, London, Saqi Books, 2000.
Other works may also appear / be recommended.
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