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Islam: Origins of a Civilization
Section Overview
To understand Islamic culture and its influence on the rest of
the world, one mustflTst understand Islam as a religion.
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Slide Narration
Slide 4. Symbols of the three Abrahamic faiths
Abraham is considered a patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam:
therefore the term 'Abrahamic' can be used to describe the foundation
shared by all three religions. Of these, Americans generally are least
familiar with Islam.
SUde 5. The Ka'ba in Mecca (Saud! Arabia)
Five times a day, Muslims turn in prayer toward the Ka'ba in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia. Muslims believe this is the site where Abraham built a
temple to worship God. Each year, nearly 2 mil1:ion Muslims come to
Mecca to perform the pilgrimage (HqjJ1 in the last month of the Muslim
lunar year.
SUde 6. The angel Gabriel appears to the Prophet Muhammad
(manuscript illustration, Turkey, 17th century)
According to Islamic tradition, while meditating near Mecca about 610
C.E., a 40-year-old merchant named Muhammad was visited by the·
angel Gabriel, who told him that he had been chosen as God's
messenger.
SUde 7.
Qur'an pages (Muslim Spain, 11th-12th Century)
The Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, is believed to contain the Word of
God as revealed through the Prophet Muhammad. The Arabic letters
that form the verses are viewed as sacred. For this reason, calligraphy
developed into a major art form in Islamic culture.
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SUde 8.
An individual in prayer (Mghanistan)
One of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, ritual prayer is to be
performed five times daily at prescribed times and in prescribed ways.
Prayer is an individual act except during Friday services or on holidays,
when communal prayers are held.
For Further Understanding
SHde 4. Values, ideals, and traditions are often described as Judaeo-Christian, rooted
in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Gospels. Islam considers itself a continuation
and, in the view of Muslims, a perfection of the Judaeo-Christian legacy. It accepts
Moses and Jesus, among others, as the bearers of valid revelations from God.
The Qur'an (sometimes spelled Koran), in Chapter 3, Verse 67, says of Abraham:
"Ibrahim (Abraham) was neither Jew nor Christian. He was an upright man, one who
had surrendered himself (a Muslim) to God He was no idolator." The term Abrahamic
is thus appropriate to refer to the common legacy of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
SHde 5. Five times a day, obseIVant Muslims throughout the world turn in ritual
prayer toward the Ka'ba. a cubical structure in Mecca. Saudi Arabia. The Prophet
Muhammad was a native of Mecca and worshipped facing the Ka'ba. and Muslims
follow his example by doing so today.
The Ka'ba stands on the site of what Muslims believe to have been a temple
constructed by Abraham and dedicated to the worship of God.
The Ka'ba and Mecca are also important in the religious duty of pilgrimage during
the twelfth month of the IslamiC lunar calendar (see commentary for SHde 6). All
Muslims able to do so are required to perform the pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime.
As many as 2 million Muslims from allover the world participate in this annual ritual,
symbolizing the universality of the IslamiC faith.
Many of the rituals of the pilgrimage re-enact episodes from the lives of Abraham,
his wife Hagar. and their son. Ishmael. The most important of these occurs on the
tenth day of the pilgrimage. when Muslims sacrifice an animal to commemorate
Abraham's love of God as shown by his willingness to sacrifice his son. In many
Muslim communities. the meat is distributed to the poor.
In addition to Mecca. Medina and Jerusalem are also considered sacred cities in
Islam.
SHde 6. Muhammad was born in Mecca ca. 570 C.E. He worked as a merchant until
the age of 40 and was known as a leader and a pious person.
In 610. while meditating in a cave outside Mecca. Muhammad was visited by the
angel Gabriel who told him that he had been chosen by God (Allah in Arabic) as His
messenger. Between 610 and his death in 632. Muhammad received the revelations
known as the Qur'an. A few of his fellow townsmen accepted his message, but many
others opposed him.
In 622. he went to the nearby town of Medina as an arbitrator of disputes among the
people. This migration. called the Hyra (sometimes written Hegira). marks both the
establishment of a religious community and the beginning of the IslamiC Era. (July 16,
622. the date of Muhammad's migration, is the first day of the Islamic calendar; the
lunar year of 12 months is 11-12 days shorter than the solar year.)
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In 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca and took control of the city, rededicating the
Ka'ba to the worship of the One God.
When the Prophet died in 632, some of his followers acclaimed his companion Abu
Bakr successor to the leadership of the Community. Others believed that Muhammad
had apPointed 'Ali--who was his cousin, foster brother, and son-in-Iaw--as successor.
Those who supported Abu Bakr later became known as Sunnis and those who
supported 'Ali, Shi'is.
This miniature is found in an illustrated biography of the Prophet produced in the
Ottoman Empire. Note the halo or aura around Gabriel and Muhammad; note also
that the Prophet's face is veiled out of respect. The representation of religious subjects
was often frowned upon in IslamiC societies.
SHde 7. Muslims believe the Qur'an (meaning "reading" or "recitation") to be the Word
of God brought to His messenger Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. It is divided into
114 chapters arranged roughly according to length, with the longest first.
Muhammad's followers wrote down the revelations as they occurred; the chapters and
verses were collected in their present form shortly after his death.
The Qur'an contains a diverse array of material. Some verses exhort the faithful to
avoid sin and to believe in the One God. Others provide guidance on social and
communal matters such as marriage and inheritance: still others relate the stories of
earlier prophets and communities whose experiences may serve as models or as
warnings for the individual.
The Qur'an is one of the two written sources for IslamiC Sacred Law (the Shrui'a);
the reports of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet (hadith) are the second.
SHde 8. Muslims generally perform their five daily prayers individually. Prayer times
are at dawn, midday, late afternoon, sunset, and evening. On Fridays, they gather in
mosques to offer the noon prayer as a community. After hearing the call to prayer.
Muslims wash tliemselves before performing the ritual.
Prayer is one of the "Five Pillars" or principal duties of Islam. The others are belief
in the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, fasting from dawn to sunset
during the month of Ramadan, giving a portion of one's wealth as charity, and the
pilgrimage to Mecca--if one's circumstances permit--at least once in a lifetime.
Suggestions for Further Study
Compare the story of Joseph in the Bible (Genesis, Chapters 37-50) with
that in the Qur'an (Chapter 12).
What is calligraphy? Why is calligraphy used? Where would you most
likely fmd examples of calligraphy in your own environment?
Are there laws in your community based on religious beliefs that
influence society directly or indirectly?
In what ways are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam similar? In what
ways do they differ? Do Jews and Christians recognize Muhammad as a
prophet?
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