Download Introduction to Islam

Introduction to Islam
Mohammed M. Hafez, Ph.D.
National Security Affairs Department
Naval Postgraduate School
NS3330 Middle East
2009
Islam – Definitions and Demographics


Islam - Submission to Allah, which is Arabic for God
Approximately 1.1 to 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide
Most Muslims Are Not Arabs
Islam – Demographics

85-90% of
Muslims are
Sunnis

10-15% are
Shiites
Origins of Islam - Muhammad
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Pre-Islamic Arabia - Jahiliyyah
 Social inequality
 Internecine fighting among tribes
 Polytheistic (idol worshiping) society

570 A.D. - Ordinary man, Muhammad,
was born
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610 A.D. - Muhammad receives a
revelation from God
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632 A.D. - Muhammad dies after
spreading Islam to Arabia
Origins of Islam - Successors

After Muhammad’s death, he was
succeeded by four leaders:

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Umar Ibn al-Khattab
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Uthman Bin `Afan

Ali Bin Abi Talib
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Sunnis consider these to be Al-Khulafa
al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
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Majority of Shiites (Twelver) only see
Ali as the legitimate leader
Origins of Islam – Five Pillars
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Shahada ~ Confession of faith:
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet”
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Salaat ~ Prayer toward Mecca observed five times a day
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Zakat ~ Almsgiving or purification tax (approximately 2.5
percent of one’s wealth) for the poor
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Siyaam ~ Fasting from food, water, and all other
pleasures of life from sunrise till sunset observed during
the holy month of Ramadan

Hajj ~ Pilgrimage to Mecca once during a lifetime
Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs

Monotheism - In line with the Judeo-Christian tradition,
Islam is a monotheistic creed that believe there is only
one God. The unity of God (tawhid) is central to Islam

People of the Book - Muslims recognize the divine
origins of Jewish and Christian doctrines, but believe the
original message has been subverted by Jews and
Christians. Islam is the final prophecy
Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs

Universalism - Islam is a religion for all humanity and
applies at all times and places

Judgment Day - Muslims believe that one day – when
the world comes to an end – everyone will stand for
judgment in front of God.

Eternity in Heaven or Hell - Muslims believe in life after
death, when believers and sinners will live in heaven or
hell based on their deeds as well as God’s mercy and
compassion
Shariah – Islamic Law
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Shariah as “the way” of God and His divine laws for
humanity

Shariah has come to denote specific rules and laws that
could be implemented by Muslims in personal lives as
well as in public matters and disputes
Sources of Sunni Shariah

Qur’an - Revealed word of God sent to the Prophet
Muhammad, the final of all monotheistic apostles that
began with Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc.

Sunna - Sayings (hadith) and outward conduct of the
prophet Muhammad as recalled through a chain of oral
transmission from one person to another beginning with
the companions of the Prophet

Sahih (Bukhari, Muslim)

Da`iif (Apocryphal, weak)

Ijma`a - Consensus of the companions, scholars, Muslims

Qiyas – Analogical reasoning based on accepted sources
Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence
Four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence: Hanafi, Shafi`i,
Maliki, Hanbali; Shia have their own jurisprudence, the best
known is the Ja’afari school
Sunni-Shiite Divide

Shiite comes from Shia of Ali …
“Followers of Ali”…”Partisans of Ali”

Shiites are a minority in Islam, but
majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain
 10-15% of Muslims worldwide
Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide

Origins is a political dispute over
who should lead the Muslim
community after the death of the
Prophet Muhammad – Who has
the legitimate authority to rule?

Should rule go to any Muslim?

Should it go only to the
companions of the Prophet?

Should it go only to Prophet’s
family and blood descendants?
Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide

Shiite view is that only those who
are from the Prophet’s family and
their direct male descendants
should rule
 After
death of the Prophet, Shiite
view is that Ali should have been
chosen as leader

Sunni view is that Abu Bakr alSiddiq was correctly chosen
Sunni View


Sunni view is that the four caliphs
that came after the Prophet
are legitimate leaders and are
considered Rightly-Guided
After the four, Muslim rulers were
not so great (or as great)
Prophet
Muhammad
Abu Bakr
Umar
Uthman
Ali
Sunni View
as
Legitimate
Rulers
Twelvers (Imamis)

Largest Shiite sect; largest
number of Muslims after
Sunnis

Iran (90%)
Iraq (60%)
Lebanon
(South and Beirut, 35%)
Bahrain (80%)
Kuwait (35%)
Saudi Arabia
(Eastern province 10-15%)





Prophet
Muhammad
Fatima married to…
2. Hassan (d. 669)
Shiite Divisions
Zayd (d. 740)
Twelvers
Zaydi
Isma`ili
Druze
Alawites
Isma`il (d. 760)
1. Ali (d. 661)
3. Hussein (d. 680)
4. Ali Zayn al-Abidin (d. 714)
5. Muhammad al-Baqir (d. 731)
6. Jafar al-Sidiq (d. 765)
7. Musa al-Kazim (d. 799)
8. Ali al-Rida (d. 818)
9. Muhammad al-Jawad (d. 835)
10. Ali al-Hadi (d. 868)
11. Hasan al-Askari (d. 874)
12. Muhammad al-Mahdi (occultation)
Key Terms You Must Know

Tawhid (verb: Affirming God’s monotheism; No God but
Allah)
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Sunna (Way of the Prophet Muhammad)
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Hadith (Saying of the Prophet Muhammad)

Khulafa al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
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Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet Muhammad)
Key Terms You Must Know

Ijtihad (Reasoning or deriving an Islamic ruling based on
Islamic texts)
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Fatwa (Islamic legal ruling based on a question or issue)
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Hijra (Migration; referring to Prophet Muhammad’s
migration from Mecca to Medina)
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Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
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Ulema (Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence)
Key Terms You Must Know

Fitna (civil discord, chaos, fighting among Muslims)

Imam (Person who leads prayer; for Shiites it has the
added meaning of ultimate religious authority after the
Prophet Muhammad and source of religious knowledge)

Kafir (Infidel; unbeliever)

Takfir (verb: Act by one Muslim calling another Muslim
kafir, infidel)
Key Terms You Must Know

Murted (Apostate; person who abandons Islam by
renouncing the faith or converting to another religion)

Jahiliyyah (Literally means ignorance; when Islam
came, the period preceding the rise of Islam came to be
known as the age of jahiliyyah. Sometimes defined as
paganism)

Shirk (Polytheism or belief in multiple Gods; opposite of
monotheism)