Download Islam

Islam
Essentials of
Islam
• Islam means “surrender”
or “submission”
– Indicating
wholehearted
surrender to God
• Muslim means “one who
submits” to God (Allah)
– Expressed during
worship-prostration of
the entire body during
prayer indicates a
belief in divine power
and the believer’s
submission to it
Theology
•
•
•
•
Islam worship the same God Jews and Christians worship
Muslims refer to God as Allah
The word is a contraction of al (“the”) and ilah (“God”)
Muslims explain that the word Allah is not the name of God- it simply
means “God”
• It is said that God has 99 names
– Merciful, just, compassionate
• Even though God is referred as a male, God has no gender
• Essentially good
• People “forget” and
that’s why they sin
– Came from the fall
in the Garden of
Eden
– Therefore pray 5 x
daily in order to
remember
• Human destiny is
dependent on the
struggle (jihad) for
goodness
– Reward for
goodness –
Heaven
– Punishment for
forgetfulness –
Hell
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Umma
• Islamic
community
– The Umma
bases its
laws and
lifestyle on
the
teachings
from the
Koran
Mosque
• Mosque refers to a space for
prostration
• Its design is simple
• Has at least one formal entry to the
compound– where shoes are to be taken off and left
outside
• There is at least one fountain for
purification
• There is a high pulpit indoors or
outdoors for sermons
• worshipers stand and prostrate
themselves in rows
• Mihrab- is a special arched niche that
indicates the direction of MeccaMuslims pray facing Mecca
• The floor is usually covered with rugs or
mats
Mosque cont.
• Outdoors there is usually a minaret
– a tall tower or two towers at the
corners of the mosque where
prayer is called
• a muezzin
– calls out from the top of a tower
for prayer
– The muezzin’s call to prayer
begins with Allahu akbar (“God is
supreme”)
– Nowadays, recordings of the call
to prayer are often played over
loudspeakers
Marriage
• Marriage
– Arranged by parents and
formalized by a written contract
– The bridegroom’s family makes
an offer of money or property to
the family of the bride as a part
of the contract
– The marriage ceremony is held
at home
• It consists of signing the
contract
• A passage from the Qur’an
might be read
• There is usually a feast
following the signing of the
contract
MARRIAGE, CONT.
– Multiple wives
(polygamy) – no
more than 4
permitted
• Must be treated
equally
• Not allowed in
western countries
with monogamous
marriage laws
Female roles
• In some societies, a woman
must be veiled when she goes
out of the house
• She allows only her husband
and relatives to see her face
– In most places it is a
choice, not in
Afghanistan, Saudi
Arabia, Iran
• Women are expected to
socialize only with female
friends and relatives
• Women may work as nurses,
doctors, and teachers
Circumcision
• Male circumcision is required
– Age 7 or 8 is common
– Muhammad was
circumcised
• In some countries, girls are
circumcised at puberty
– Purpose: decreases sexual
desire, helping her to
remain a virgin before her
marriage, be faithful to her
husband afterward
– Non-Muslims in the West
criticize the practice as
being repressive and
dangerous
Prohibitions
• The Qur’an forbids
the consumption of
pork and wine
• Charging interest on
loans is not allowed
• Gambling is
forbidden
Prohibition: image making
• The prohibition
against the making
of images has been
observed in Islam,
but there are at
least three
exceptions:
• One: Muhammad’s
Night Journey.
However,
Muhammad’s face
often appears as a
ghostly blank
space.
Prohibition: image making
• Another exception: Pilgrims who return successfully from Mecca
make a picture of their pilgrimage and place it outside the house,
near the front door, where it cannot be missed.
• Prayers from the Qur’an are
recited for the dying person
• After death, the body is
buried in a plain white
shroud
– If the deceased is a male who
has made the pilgrimage, he
will wear the robe he wore in
Mecca
• The face of the decease is
turned toward Mecca at the
burial
• The headstone is usually an
undecorated stone markersignifies equality of all
people in death
Death rituals
Islam and Judaism and Christianity
• Islam and Christianity
– Belief in the soul
– Bodily resurrection
– Final judgment (Day of
Doom)
– Afterlife of hell for the
wicked and paradise for
the good
• Islam, Judaism, and
Christianity
– Belief in angels and
devils