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Islam 101
Güner Arslan, Ph.D.
Founding Member
Dialogue Institute of the Southwest
Understanding Islam
How to decide what the speed limit on MOPAC is?
By picking the fastest car’s speed on MOPAC? (NO)
By averaging the speed of cars on the left lane? (NO)
By checking the official submitted speed limits? (YES)
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How to decide what Islam teaches?
By looking at extreme behaviors of some Muslims? (NO)
By looking at what Muslim societies do? (NO)
By going to the “official” sources of Islam? (YES)
Islamic Sources
The Qur’an
It is the holy book of Islam
A total 114 chapters revealed over 23 years
Actual words of God in Arabic
Only one version in the entire World
The Hadith
Prophet Muhammad’s explanations of verses
Teachings and actions of the Prophet
Several sets of volumes of books
Each entry is recorded with a chain of narration
Outline
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What is Islam?
Pillars of Islamic Faith
Ultimate Goal in Life
Pillars of Islamic Deeds
Facts and Figures
Jihad
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• Q&A
The word “Islam”
• “Islam” means submission to the will of God
• Has the same Arabic root as “Selam” (peace)
• Peace through observance of divine guidance
– inner peace
– societal peace
– global peace
• A “Muslim” is one who submits to the will of God
• The presentation more about Islam than Muslims
– Muslims are diverse with many different traditions
– Hard to separate tradition from religion
Islam: the last of Abrahamic Religions
“Say, we believe in God and
that which has been revealed to us, and
that which was revealed to Abraham and
Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and
that which was given to Moses and Jesus and
to other prophets, from their Lord.
We make no distinction between any of them,
and to Him we submit.”
(Qur’an; The Family of Imran; Verse 83)
Pillars of Islamic Faith
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Belief in the existence and oneness of God
Belief in prophets
Belief in holy scriptures
Belief in angels
Belief in destiny
Belief in the hereafter
Unity of God
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;
Who knows (all things) both secret and open;
He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful”
(The Gathering; Verse 22)
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• “Allah” is the proper name of God
• Means God in Arabic
• Christian Arabs use the same word for God
• Muslim prefer Allah because god is ambiguous
• “The God” or “a god”?
Prophets
• Messengers from God to guide people
– Ideal humans, receive revelations
• Muslims believe in all Biblical prophets including
– Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad
– 25 prophets named in the Qur’an
• Muhammed (pbuh) was the final prophet (571-632)
– Received his first revelation in the year 610
– Well respected person before the revelations
Ishmael
Abraham
Isaac
Moses
Jesus
The Institute of
Interfaith Dialog
Muhammed
Holy Scriptures
• Muslims believe in scriptures including
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Talmud
Psalms
Torah
New Testament
Qur’an
• In the original form all are words of God
• Verses revealed to various prophets
• Original version of the Qur’an survived to date
The Qur’an
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Was revealed to the Prophet via angle Gabriel
114 chapters revealed over 23 years
Actual words of God in Arabic
Main Themes:
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Unity of God
Stories of people & prophets
Resurrection & hereafter
Prayer & worship
• The Qur'an is the main source of knowledge
– Secondary source is the ”Hadith”
Angels
• Beings made of light – no gender
• Unlike humans do not have a freewill
– Cannot commit sins or evil, always obey God
• Maintain the universe according to God’s
commands
• Archangels
– Michael, Gabriel, Azrail, Israfil, …
• Countless other angles
– Every single raindrop is carried by an angle
Destiny
• All good and evil is created by God
– There is only one creator
– Because of freewill He creates what we choose
– He knows better what is good and bad for us
• Freedom to choose between: good and evil
– Unlike: eating, drinking, obeying gravity, or dead
– Life is a test with consequences in the hereafter
• The All-Knowing knows what decisions you will do
– He is beyond time and space
– You do not do it because He knows it
– He knows it because He know that you will decide do it
Hereafter
• Islam teaches that
– We stay in this life for a very
short time
– There is eternal life in the
hereafter
– Heaven and Hell exists
– Everyone will see justice on
the day of judgment
Ultimate Goal of Life
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Love
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of!
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GOD
!!
!!
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Knowledge! of GOD
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Belief in GOD
Pillars of Islamic Deeds
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Testimony of faith
Five daily prayers
Alms-giving
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Testimony of Faith
• Most basic tenet of Islam
• Saying and believing
– I testify that there is no deity but Allah, and
– I testify that Muhammed is messenger of Allah
Five Daily Prayers
• Five obligatory prescribed prayers
– Format taught by the Prophet
• Pray standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting
• Recite verses from the Qur’an
– Fixed time frames:
• morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night
– Face Mecca wherever you are
• Unites all Muslims
• Personal communion with God
– Recharge yourself until the next prayer
Almsgiving
• Obligatory for all who are able to do so
– With today’s money about $1500 extra wealth
– Primary residence and vehicle not included
• Annually give at least 1/40th of ones wealth
– Not income or consumption based
• A means to close gap between rich and poor
• Strict rules on who can receive it
– Cannot give it to family and friends
– Main benefactors are the poor and needy
Fasting in Ramadan
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Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar
All able Muslims are obligated to fast
The daily fast starts at sunrise – ends at sunset
No eating, drinking, smoking, or any intake
Have early breakfast before sunrise
Wisdoms behind fasting:
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Recognizing God’s Lordship
Self control
Compassion for the hungry
Thanksgiving
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• Obligatory for able Muslims ones in a lifetime
– If healthy and wealthy enough to travel
• Visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia
• Largest annual pilgrimage in the world
– More than 3 million people in one place
• “Kaaba” (Cube) the holiest place for Muslims
– Originally built by Prophet Adam
– Rebuild by Abraham on original foundation
• Rituals date back to Prophet Abraham
• All pilgrims dress in two-piece white cloth
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Facts and Figures
• Largest dominantly Muslim country
– Indonesia with a population of approx 250 million
• Largest Muslim minority
– India with approx 150 millions Muslims
• Total Muslim population in the World
– Approx. 1,500,000,000 (1.5 billion)
• Ethnic breakdown
– 15% Arabs and 85% Other
• Sectarian breakdown
– 85% Sunni and 15% Shia
Religions of the World
Map of Muslims
Sunni vs Shia
Sunni
•85% of Muslims
•Elected successor of the
Prophet in the following
order as
•Abu Bakr
•Umar
•Uthman
•Ali
•Followed by various
dynasties
•No leader
Shia
•15% of Muslims
•Believe Ali to be the
rightful successor
•Did not recognize the
elected leaders
•Follow a line of Imams
from the family of the
Prophet
Islamic Sects and Schools
Islam
Sunni
! Hanafi
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Hanbali
!
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Bektashi
Shiah
Maliki
Shafii
Wahhabi
Ismaili
Imamiya
Zaidiyyah
Schools of law
Sufi orders
Naqshbandi
Shadhili
Qadiriyyah
Mawlawi
Sunni Schools of Law
• Islamic law (Shariah) is based on the Qur’an
and tradition of the Prophet (Sunnah)
• Different schools interpret laws differently
• Similar to US Supreme Court Justices
• All schools consider each to be fully valid
• Difference in details of law:
• One sees a certain action as obligation the other
does not
Meaning of Jihad
• Dictionary meaning of Jihad
– Using all one’s strength
– Moving toward and objective with all one’s power
– Resisting every difficulty
• In the Islamic terminology it means
– Striving in the path of God
• Two fronts of Jihad
– Internal (greater): to attain one’s essence
– External (lesser): enable other’s to attain their essence
Greater Jihad
• Conducted on the spiritual front
• Struggle with our inner world and ego
• It is against negative emotions and thoughts
– Malice
– Hatred
– Envy
– Selfishness
– Pride
– Arrogance
Lesser Jihad
• All activities that one engages in
– To make possible a physical and social environment
where religious life can be freely communicated and
practiced
• It is material and has a very broad meaning
– A word or silence
– A frown or smile
– Leaving or entering an assembly
• Fighting on the battlefield is a type of lesser Jihad
Holy War
• Does not exist in Islamic terminology
• Peace is the norm
• War is permissible only if
• You are under attack for self defense
• A peace-treaty is broken by the other side
• War can be declared only by a government
• Individuals cannot declare war
Rules of War
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Do not practice treachery or mutilation.
Do not kill a child, an old man, or a woman.
Do not uproot, burn or cut down fruitful trees.
Do not slaughter animals, except for food.
Leave people living in seclusion for religious
reasons alone.
Muslim Response to Terror
• Gülen’s Statement published in New York Times on Sep 12th
– I would like to stress that any terrorist activity, no matter who does it
and for what purpose, is the greatest blow to peace, democracy and
humanity. For this reason terrorist activities can by no means be
approved of. Terror cannot be a means for independence, nor can it
be applied to a struggle for salvation. It costs, most of all, the lives of
innocent people.
– Terrorism cannot be a means for any Islamic goal, and a terrorist
cannot be a Muslim, nor can a true Muslim be a terrorist. Islam orders
peace and a true Muslim can only be a symbol of peace and the
maintenance of basic human rights.
– I assure the American people that I pray to God Almighty for the
victims and feel from the bottom of my heart the pain of them all. May
God equip them with patience.
Open Letter to the Pope
We would like to point out that “holy war” is a term that does not exist in
Islamic languages. Jihad, it must be emphasized, means struggle, and
specifically struggle in the way of God. This struggle may take many
forms, including the use of force. Though a jihad may be sacred in the
sense of being directed towards a sacred ideal, it is not necessarily a
“war”. (Signed by 38 scholars from all over the Muslim world)
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1.H.E. Allamah Abd Allah bin Mahfuz bin Bayyah Professor, King Abd Al-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia
2.Professor Dr. Allamah Muhammad Sa‘id Ramadan Al-Buti Dean of Department of Religion, University of Damascus, Syria
3.Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çagˇ rıcı Grand Mufti of Istanbul
4.H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Mustafa Ceric Grand Mufti and Head of Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina
5.H.E. Shaykh Ravil Gainutdin Grand Mufti of Russia
6.H.E. Shaykh Nedžad Grabus Grand Mufti of Slovenia
7.Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Mashhour bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez Imam of the Tarim Mosque and Head of Fatwa Council, Tarim, Yemen
8.Shaykh Al-Habib Umar bin Muhammad bin Salim bin Hafeez Dean, Dar Al-Mustafa, Tarim, Yemen
9.Professor Dr. Farouq Hamadah Professor of the Sciences of Tradition, Mohammad V University, Morocco
10.Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson Founder and Director, Zaytuna Institute, California, USA
11.H.E. Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun Grand Mufti of the Republic of Syria
12.Dr. Shaykh Izz Al-Din Ibrahim Advisor for Cultural Affairs, Prime Ministry, United Arab Emirates
13.H.E. Professor Dr. Omar Jah Secretary of the Muslim Scholars Council, Gambia
14.Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Zain Al-Abideen Al-Jifri Founder and Director, Taba Institute, United Arab Emirates
15.H.E. Shaykh Professor Dr. Ali Jumu‘ah Grand Mufti of the Republic of Egypt
16.Professor Dr. Abla Mohammed Kahlawi Dean of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Al-Azhar University (Women’s College), Egypt
17.Professor Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali Dean, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) Malaysia
18.Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller Shaykh in the Shadhili Order and Senior Fellow of Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (Jordan), U.S.A.
19.H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Al-Khalili Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman
20.Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Kubaisi Founder of the Ulema Organization, Iraq
21.Allamah Shaykh Muhammad bin Muhammad Al-Mansouri High Authority (Marja’) of Zeidi Muslims, Yemen
22.Shaykh Abu Bakr Ahmad Al-Milibari Secretary-General of the Ahl Al-Sunna Association, India
23.H.E. Dr. Moulay Abd Al-Kabir Al-Alawi Al-Mudghari Director-General of the Bayt Mal Al-Qods Al-Sharif Agency, Morocco
24.H.E. Shaykh Ahmad Hasyim Muzadi General Chairman of the Nahdat al-Ulema, Indonesia
25.H.E. Professor Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University, Washington D.C, U.S.A.
26.H.E. Shaykh Sevki Omerbasic Grand Mufti of Croatia
27.H.E. Dr. Mohammad Abd Al-Ghaffar Al-Sharif Secretary-General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kuwait
28.Dr. Muhammad Alwani Al-Sharif Head of the European Academy of Islamic Culture and Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
29.Shaykh M. Iqbal Sullam Vice General-Secretary, Nahdat al-Ulema, Indonesia
30.Shaykh Dr. Tariq Sweidan Director-General of the Risalah Satellite Channel
31.Professor Dr. H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal Chairman of the Board of the Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan
32.H.E. Ayotollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri Secretary General of the World Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thoughts (WAPIST), Iran
33.H.E. Shaykh Naim Trnava Grand Mufti of Kosovo
34.H.E. Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Uthman Al-Tweijri Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Morocco
35.H.H.JusticeMuftiMuhammadTaqiUthmani Vice President, Dar Al-Ulum, Karachi, Pakistan
36.H.E. Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf Grand Mufti of Uzbekistan
37.Shaykh Abd Al-Hakim Murad Winter Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Divinity School, University of Cambridge
38.H.E. Shaykh Muamer Zukorli Mufti of Sanjak, Bosnia
Status of Women before Islam
• Was a property of men
• Could not own property but was owned
• Did not have a say in her marriage
• Could be divorced with one word by husband
• Purpose of women was serving men
• A baby girl was considered shameful for the father
• It was not uncommon for the father to kill their
daughters to escape the shame
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Women’s Rights in Islam
• Islam introduced many rights to women:
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Education and work
Own and dispose property
Enter into contracts
Inherit from father, mother, and husband
Choose her husband
Right to be supported by her husband
• Even if she is rich and he is not
• Right to vote and express her views
• Participate fully in public life
Equality
• Women and men are not separate creatures
• Men and Women
– Do not compete
– They complete each other
• Men and women have equal rights and
responsibilities
• All people are created equal
Veil
• “Say to the believing men that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make
for greater purity for them: And God is well
acquainted with all that they do. And say to the
believing women that they should lower their gaze
and guard their modesty; that they should not
display their beauty and ornaments except what
(must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should
draw their veils over their bosoms and not display
their beauty...” [QUR’AN, 24:30–31]
Veil as a Sign of Respect
• Even before Islam the veil was a sign that the
wearer is a free women not a slave
Islamic Civilization
• Did modern civilization rise from nothing?
Modern
Industrial
Revolution
Renaissance
Romans
Greeks
BC
5th
16th
?
18/19th 20th
Some Contributions by Muslims
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754 First pharmacy - Baghdad
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763 Translation of Greek, Persian, Roman knowledge
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763 Fist hospital - Baghdad
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780 Father of Chemistry Ibn Hayyan
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Al-Khwarizmi discovered the algorithm
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796 First brass astrolabe
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First psychiatric hospital – Cairo
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820 Al-Khwarizmi’s book on al-jabr (algebra)
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850 water turbine invented
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859 First University – Morocco
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Father of Pediatrics Ar-Razi differentiated smallpox, measles,
chickenpox
Some Contributions by Muslims
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900 First public library
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995 Ibn-Haytham Founder of Optics – book of optics
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1000 Ibn-Haytham First scientist formulated scientific method
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1000 Ammar ibn Ali described cataract surgery
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1000 Abu al-Qasim 30-volume medical book
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1025 Avicenna 14-volume cannon of medicine
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1259 First observatory for research
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1260 First hand cannons
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1300 Ibn Khatima discovers that infectious diseases are caused
by micropes
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1389 Father of modern Sociology
Language
• English words of Arabic roots
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Coffee, orange, candy, soda, sugar, alcohol
Algebra, Magazine, Algorithm
Cotton, sofa, can, mattress, syrup
Giraffe, gazelle, jar, kismet, lemon, zero
Check, chess, cipher, cork, crimson
Admiral, almanac, artichoke, tariff, zenith
Contributions Ignored?
“...because we have tended to see Islam as the
enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society,
and system of belief, we have tended to ignore
or erase its great relevance to our own history.”
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– Prince Charles, Oxford University
Thank You
Any Questions?