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Prophet Muhammad
Islam
Brief History
and
Teachings
Arabia in 600 AD
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Populated by various Arabic-speaking people
– Bedouin - organized in tribes
– Caravan meerchants and agriculturalists,
Intense tribal loyalties & warfare
 Arab culture revered oral story telling
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Majority of Arabs followed polytheistic religions &
worshipped idols
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City of Mecca was a religious & trade center
– Rich mixtures of culture
– Ka'aba - temple founded by Abraham
– Yearly pilgrimage to site
– Much social injustice & economic disparity
Muhammad (570 – 632)
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Born at Mecca into the Quraysh tribe
Orphaned at an early age & raised by uncle
Illiterate but very articulate & well liked
Became a successful merchant – traveled north
Married older wealthy widow at 25 - Khadijah
Saw a crisis in Arab society
610 AD….the divine call
– Visited while meditating in cave by the Archangel
Gabriel who commanded him to recite verses sent
by God
– Revelations continued for the next 22 years
– Revelations collected in the Quran
– Revelations directly related to the needs of the
Arab people
– First memorized the verses & passed them to his
wife & close relatives
– Small band of followers would memorize the
recitations
First converts – wife, cousin Ali, kinsman Abu Bakr
Starts preaching in 612
New recruits mainly from slaves and lower classes
Muhammad
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612-622 AD - in Mecca preaching and gaining followers
– Seen as a trouble maker for attacking the
establishment
– Attempts to assasinate him
AD 622… the Hejira to Medina
– Request to resolve dispute between rival tribes
– With followers moved to neighboring city of Medina
– Year 622 as the start of the Muslim calendar
622-630 AD---in Medina
– Becomes leader of city
– Mecca and Medina in conflict
630 – Mecca captured without fight
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– Cleansed the Kaaba of idols
632 – first Hajj or pilgrimage
By his death in 632, Muhammad had united the entire
Arabian peninsula
Religion of Muhammad
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Islam is the religion of submission or surrender to
Allah
– Simple and uncompromising faith in oneness of God
Muhammad did not believe he was preaching a new
religion
– Did not reject Judaism and Christianity
– Sent by God in order to complete and perfect those
teachings
– Accepted Abraham, Moses and Jesus as prophets
– Muhammad is the messenger of God
– Last in a long line of prophets
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Chosen by God to preach repentance and submission to
God
Islam
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Islam is open to all who accept its tenets
Prohibition against idolatry or graven images
Islam has no organized hierarchy
– No religious authority, clerical elite or priesthood to act as intermediary
– Mullahs (teachers) occupy positions of authority because of their
knowledge of the Quran
Sunna or Hadith - written collection of Arab oral traditions concerning life of
Muhammad
– Address issues not specifically covered in the Quran
Sharia – Islamic Law
– Three sources – Quran, Sunna and Ijtihad – analytic reasoning to cover
locally raised issues
Quran prohibits alcohol and gambling
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Jihad – Call for Holy War against infidels????
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Quran insists that there be no coercion in matters of faith
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The Five Pillars of Faith
1. Profession of Faith - Shahadah
“There is no God but Allah (God), and
Muhammad is His Prophet.”
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First and last words heard
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Most repeated words by Muslims
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Person a Muslim once profession is
repeated
2. Prayer – Salat
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Direction toward Mecca
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5 times a day – Call of Muezzin
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Dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset
& nightfall
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Create sense of solidarity and social
equality
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Body posture essential
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Must use Arabic
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Friday noon prayer is only mandatory public
prayer for all adult males
3. Charity – Zakat – purification
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Compassion for the poor
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2.5 % of wealth expected
The Five Pillars of Faith
4. Fasting - Sawm
 Ramadan – based on lunar
calendar – different each
year
 Daylight hours during month
of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Kaaba in
Mecca – Hajj
 All those who can afford
and physically fit
 Ideal of equality & unity
among believers
 Unites cultures and ideas
Islam After Muhammad
 Shiites – Only descendants of
Fatima or her husband Ali
should succeed Mohammed
– Death of Imam Hussein (son of
Ali) most celebrated event in
Shiite calendar
 Sunnis – any follower of Islam
should be eligible to lead
– Division political & religious
– Never settled to this day
 Series of Caliphs governed the
Islamic State
Struggle for Succession
Number of conflicting parties sought to succeed Muhammad
 Companions – belonged to Muhammad’s tribe or had
accepted mission early
 Legitimists – heir must belong to family of Muhammad
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Ali paternal cousin, husband of daughter Fatima & one of first
believers
Companions triumphed with selection of abu-Bakr
Rashidun - Four “righteous” caliphs (632-661 AD)
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– All were close associates and relatives of Muhammad
Abu Bakr (632-634) Father-in-law of Muhammad and one of
first believers
Umar (634-644) main military genius who carried Islam forward
from the Arabian peninsula
Uthman (644-656) - empire fell into a civil war called the Fitna
– In 656 Uthman is assassinated by followers of Ali
Ali (656-661) Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin
– Many refused to accept Ali as a leader
– Killed by assassin
Then began a series of Caliphates.
The Spread of Islam
Rich Cultural Achievements
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Many Islamic centers of culture and science
– Baghdad
– Cairo
– Damascus
– Cordoba
– Alexandria
Scholarship
– Produced notable scientists, astronomers,
mathematicians, doctors and philosophers
– Importance of reading the Qur'an produced
a comparatively high level of literacy in the
general populace
Heirs to Hellenistic Learning
– Maintained Classical learning
– Translation of Greek texts - Aristotle
Medicine
Architecture
– Mosques, Palaces & Minarets
Art
– Geometric patterns, calligraphy, metal
work
Where are Muslims Today?