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Islam A basic introduction Courtyard of the Great Mosque at Herat, Afghanistan. Photo: http://www.islamicity.com/ Current Distribution of the World’s Religions Map: Thomson/Wadsworth Origins of Islam • Arabia (Mecca & Medina) • Muhammad the Prophet • 570-632 C.E. • Member of the Quraysh tribe, Hashim clan • Messenger of God: visited by angel Gabriel and begins recitation (the Qur’an) in 610 C.E. • 622 Hijra to Medina Pillars of Islam • Main doctrines of Islam • Faith in the unity of God • Angels as helpers of god • Belief in the scriptures & the prophets • Final judgment day • Five main pillars of Islam • Shahada (faith) • “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.” • Prayer (salat), 5 times a day at set times • Almsgiving (zakat) • Fasting (sawm) during Ramadan • Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) Sources of Islam: Qur’an, Sunna, & Hadith • Qur’an • Word of God (Not Muhammad) • One god • Ethical monotheism: God as just & judging • Oral & written • Most authoritative source of Islamic doctrine & practice • Hadith • Written reports of instructions, sayings, and actions (Sunna) of the prophet • Confirms, extends, elaborates on the Qur’an The spread of Islam • Return to Mecca, 630 C.E.; city converts to Islam • Muslim conquests 630s-720s • North of Arabia (present-day Syria, Iraq, etc) • Egypt 640 C.E. • North Africa 655 C.E. • Spain 718 C.E. The Great Mosque , Cordoba, Spain. (Built 784-6 , 961-6 , 987-90 , and other restorations). Photo: IslamiCity. Expansion of Islam: Major Cities Map: Thomson/Wadsworth Expansion of Islamic empires What explains the rapidity and durability of Islamic (political) expansion? • Weak empires • Warfare • Byzantine and Sasanian intolerance of Jews and Christians • No established state in Arabia • Common language (Arabic) • Islamic policies towards “people of the book” (dhimmis) • From Arab to multi-ethnic Islamic governance. Major denominations : Sunnism & Shi’ism • Source of the division: political differences over leadership of the Muslim community • Dispute over succession: Ali or Abu Bakr? • Household/family vs companions • Shiite belief in the Imamate: leadership of the Muslim community through familial connection to the Prophet • Most Shiites believe in 12 infallible, divinely appointed Imams • Beleaguered minority: 1215% world’s Muslims are Shiite • Ethos of suffering & martyrdom A young Shiite woman of Iraq worshipping at the end of the Ashura holiday commemorating the death of Hussein in 680 C.E. Family relations Abdullah Khadija Abu Talib Mohammad Ali Fourth Caliph; Assassinated, 661 CE Fatima Huseyn Hassan Killed at Battle of Karbala, 680 CE Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq Beliefs and customs: Shi’ism • Common acceptance of the Quran, but Shiites reject some Hadith • Different prayer times • Different inheritance laws • Different laws about marriage and sex • Different ceremonies and commemorations • Muharram processions, passion plays, storytelling about Karbala and Husayn’s death Imam Ali commemorated in art, from http://www.imamalinet.net Sufism • Islamic mysticism: emphasis on spiritual interpretations of Islam • Emphasis on God’s love, piety, simplicity, informality, the “inner way” (tariqa) • Organized into Sufi orders (tariqat) Miniature painting of Rumi by Hossein Behzad • “Dance, as though no one is watching, Love, as though you've never been hurt before, Sing, as though no one can hear you, Work, as though you don't need the money, Live, as though heaven is on earth.” ~Jalal al-Din Rumi~