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Islam
Chapter 10
Islam: Key Terms (1)
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Islam
Allah
Mecca
Mosque
Qur’an
Caliph
Sunni
Jihad
Wahhabi
Five Pillars
Muezzin
Muslim
Islamist
Muhammad
Jinn
Medina
Al-Aqsa Jerusalem
Grand Mosque Ka’ba Black Stone
sura
Hadith
Ummah
Imam
Shi’a\ Shi’ite
Sufi
Mujahid
Martyrdom
Hijrah
Byzantine
Ramadan
Hajj
Madrasa
Shari’ah Hijab
Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion
The story of the birth of Islam: set the stage for its
context religiously, culturally, geographically,
historically, politically, and socially
 At the time of Muhammad’s birth:
(7th century C.E.)
 The Arabian peoples
were polytheistic with
nature-based deities for
sun, moon, stars, and were
animistic, with spirits (Jinn) in
stones, trees, wells, and
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Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion (2)
The Ka’ba shrine (“Ka’ba” means
“square” or enclosure) was est. in Mecca,
containing over 100 Deities including
Hubal, Allah, many more, and even an
Icon of Mary and the Christ Child
A Black stone was the focus of the
reverence at the Ka’ba, which was
believed to have fallen out of heaven,
In addition, Mecca was an oasis along
the caravan route, thus making Mecca a very important
place economically, culturally, politically,and spiritually
Pre-Islamic Arabian Religion (3)
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Mecca was located
along the Mecca along
the lucrative caravan
route (trade).
The Ka’ba shrine
created the religious
significance for Mecca:
the Arabian nomadic
peoples regularly made
pilgrimages to the Ka’ba
The Story of the Birth of Islam (1):
The Birth of Muhammad
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Muhammad enters this scene. He was born
into this religious and Arabian cultural context,
and
Moreover, Muhammad was born strategically,
coincidentally, advantageously in Mecca into
the prestigious Quraish tribe that controlled the
Ka’ba
The Story of the Birth of Islam (2):
Muhammad’s Earliest Years
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Muhammad born in 570 C.E.
the Hashim clan of the tribe of Quraish,
Muhammad’s father Abd-Allah died before
Muhammad was born
Mother died before he was 6 years old
Raised by his uncle abu-Talib but orphaned
The Story of the Birth of Islam (3):
More To The Historical/Religious/Political Context
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6-7th cent. C.E., the tail end of the Byzantine era
Arabian merchants of Mecca controlled the trading
caravans that moved between the Indian ocean and
the Mediterranean Sea.
Around 600 C.E., a new Persian empire arose fighting
the Byzantines and won the Middle East in a
sweeping campaign in 614 C.E.
Young Muhammad worked and traveled on the
caravans.
In his travels, no doubt was exposed to Christians,
Jews, and probably Zoroastrians.
The Story of the Birth of Islam (4):
Muhammad’s Early Career/1st Wife
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Muhammad as a caravaneer, worked for a
wealthy independent woman named Khadija,
which was rare in those days
Khadija proposed Muhammad to marry her,
and he did
Her wealth afforded Muhammad the time to
contemplate theological questions. When in
Mecca, he would often go out at night into the
hills around, including to a cave. He …
The Story of the Birth of Islam (5):
Muhammad’s 1st Revelations
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contemplated the fate of his Arab people who were
polytheists who worshipped other gods. He was very
concerned over the spiritual fate of his people who
worshipped many gods and had many idols, whereas
the Jews and Christians’ God was one, the God of the
Heavens and Earth.
One night while in the Mt. Hirah cave, he received his
first revelation which told him to “Recite!”
The year was 610. This was the first of many
consecutive revelations believed to be from the angel
Gabriel. Muhammad was convinced that there was
only God, whom his people called Allah. (*Allah in
Arabic since the Quran is the word for “God”
The Story of the Birth of Islam(6):
Muhammad Formulates New Faith
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(originally “Allah” was one of their deities, like the “high
god” among indigenous sacred ways
He also became convinced that he was the last of a
series of prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others)
but these former prophets had only an incomplete
revelation of Allah.
From its inception, it did not deny the validity of the other
religions but rather looked to itself as the completion of
the others (c.f. surah 2:136). But Muhammad never saw
himself as anything more than a prophet. As the Prophet
of Allah, he began to preach his new understanding of
religion to the citizens of Mecca.
The Story of the Birth of Islam (7):
The New Faith Under Threat
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His wife Khadijah was his supporter and the 1st convert
to Islam
Meccan economy & their wealth was based on the idolmaking & selling to pilgrims to the Ka’ba (pagan
festivals). Muhammad’s preaching threatened this
system, which threatened their livelihood.
Muhammad’s life was therefore threatened, in
jeopardy. A group of assassins plotted to take his life.
Muhammad sent a group of 1st Muslims to Ethiopia
under the protection of a Christian emperor.
Then In 619, he lost his two greatest benefactors: his
uncle died and Khadijah is wife died.
The Story of the Birth of Islam (8):
The Yathrib Delegation Come
A Turn of Events: Course of History Changed
 A delegation from Yathrib (Medina), mostly Jewish,
came to Mecca to inquire about the
Prophet being their city’s ruler to
help resolve their disputes. This
delegation was impressed with his
honesty, his sense of justice, and the
power of his personality, and
some of these Jews wondered
if he could be the Messiah
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The Story of the Birth of Islam (9):
The Muslim Migration (Hijrah)
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In 622, the migration (Hijrah) of his followers
and himself takes place, from Mecca to
Medina. (Islamic calendar begins with this
date). Muhammad as the mayor of Yathrib
gave him greater clout and influence.
The Story of the Birth of Islam (10):
Early Muslim-Jewish Relations in Medina
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But consequentially, he did meet resistance from
Jewish monotheists, and a division did developed
between the Jews and the Prophet Muhammad and his
followers. Despite the growing tension and
disagreements between the Muslims and the Jews in
Medina, (any of the Yathrib Jews who initially
wondered if Muhammad was the Messiah later gave
up on that idea), both groups being monotheists rallied
support against the polytheist Meccans, and waged
some battles from 624-629, with the Muslim forces
growing each year.
The Story of the Birth of Islam (11):
Muslims Conquer Mecca
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The Muslim forces grew such that the Meccans dared
not stop their coming in 629 to pay respects at the
Ka’ba stone. Then, in 630, Muhammad conquered
Mecca with 10,000 men. He respected the Ka’ba
stone but he destroyed the idols and images. With this
symbolic act, the Prophet virtually became the sole
leader of the Arabian people.
In the last 3 yrs of his life, he sent out Quran reciters to
convert the Bedouin tribes of the Arabia desert. He
sent messages to surrounding nations inviting them to
join the community of Islam. And he married yet new
The Story of the Birth of Islam (12):
Muslim Forces Take Mecca
wives, some of which was to strengthen political ties.
 But Muhammad died in 632, in part apparently from the
effects of being poisoned by a Medinan Jewess about
5 years earlier. And he did not leave a successor. This
proved to create a systemic problem splitting Islam
basically in two. At time of Muhammad’s death, there
was confusion over who was going to lead (an innate
problem for personality-driven movements). The
Muslim community (ummah) ended up choosing his
close friend abu-Bakr to be the successor: caliph.
“Caliphate” slide below
Factors for the Spread of Islam (1)
Historical and Political Factors
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Islam appeared and developed at exactly the right time
in history for expansion: a political vacuum was
created by the wearing down of the Persians and
Byzantines fighting, leaving both sides exhausted
The Persian empire was vulnerable. Persian invasion of
the Holy Land 612-615, over-riding the Byzantines
The Byzantine Christian empire was on the verge of
collapse from internal corruption and mis-rule, and due
to high taxes, the indigenous peoples welcomed the
Arab Muslim invaders when they did arrive (632 on)
Factors for the Spread of Islam (2)
Islam’s Internal Factors
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Muhammad sent out envoys throughout the known
world to embrace Islam (an appealing message)
The Arab people were ready for a unifying force
(political)
The recitations of the Prophet (later compiled into the
Quran) gives license to fighting on behalf of the Apostle
of God, Muhammad (militant aspect)
Operating with this faith as the true faith, Islam by use
of their armies and military action, exploded outside of
Arabia its first 100 years (from 632 to 714 C.E.)
expanding to control all the Middle East, North Africa,
and even reached southern Spain
The Story of the Birth of Islam (13):
Compiling the Quran
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Muhammad, being illiterate, did not write any of the
Quran, but Muslims memorized the recitations, and
his secretary Zayd wrote them down on leaves, stones,
bones, or parchment. Tradition says that the third
Caliph, Uthman, worked with Zayd to develop an
authorized version of the Quran. He destroyed all the
variant texts that there gathered from all over.
It contains 114 chapters (suras), arranged by the length
of each surah from longest to shortest, not topically or
historically.
The Quran
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The Quran is the Holy
Scripture of Islam. “Quran”
literally means “reading” or
“recitation.” The title thus
indicates the basic belief that
Muslims hold upon this book,
that it is a recitation of an
eternal Scripture, written in
heaven and revealed,
chapter by chapter, to
Muhammad. The first sura
(chapter) also begins with
“Recite: In the name of the
Lord who created…”
The Quran:
The Main Beliefs About it
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It’s the eternal Scripture of Allah to be recited;
It is the word of God: eternal, absolute, and irrevocable; in reciting
it, a Muslim is reciting the words of God
It is believed to be God’s last word to humanity: it says
Muhammad is the “Seal of the prophets”
It is said to contain the exact words of Allah to the Prophet from 1st
revelation to end of his life.
Recitation of the Qu’ran is an important ritual act and source of
Allah’s blessing because it reproduces divine speech (written in
Arabic)
Muslims believe that the Qu’ran can be rendered into other
languages but not translated.
On God
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Allah is revealed as the sovereign God over the entire
universe
Religion of Islam demands strict monotheism and
requires its followers to say each day, “There is no God
but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” (The
Shahadah)
Comparative: Judaism is the other notable religion of
all the world’s other religions up to this age that insists
on such absolute monotheism.
On God and Other Creatures
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Allah possesses the characteristics of power,
sovereignty, and majesty; he is also characterized by
justice and mercy: He will repay the evil with justice
and the righteous with mercy.
While Allah alone is God, he is surrounded and aided
by other heavenly figures: angels act as his
messengers, & his warriors fight at the side of
believers.
Jinn: half way between angels and humans creatures:
some are beneficial acting as guardians for humans,
others are demons. The leader of the evil jinn is the
fallen angel called Iblis (believed to be the Arabic word
for the Gk. Word diabolis, trans. as the Devil)
On Sin: Human Condition
Islam believes that humans are born naturally
good, but some do not submit to God and
make bad choices
 Two kinds of Sin:
1) Shirk: to associate anyone or thing with
divinity except for Allah God
2) Kufr: ungratefulness to God, unbelief,
atheism
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Predestination and Eschatology
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Fatalism and predestination has been used to describe
Islam, but textbook says its inaccurate to call Islam a
fatalistic religion.
When a person dies, their body returns to the earth and
their soul goes into a state of sleep until resurrection
day. On that day, the angel of Allah will sound his
trumpet.
Heaven and Hell: believes similar to Z., J. and C. The
only differences are the features that would appeal to
or be tasteful to desert dwellers (e.g. a beautiful garden
with flowing water and shade for heaven)
Religious Institutions
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The Mosque: the mainstay and universal Islamic
institution
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No Temples: not conducive to nomadic Arabs
Any building could be used as a mosque, once taken
over by Muslims & orientated by placing the niche called
a Miqrab facing toward Mecca
Muhammad decreed Friday to be the special day of
Muslim worship, since the Jews had their Sabbath on
Saturday and the Christians had their worship on Sunday.
Imams (no temples, no priests): Mosque leaders of
Muslim prayer, and some give sermons
In time, educational institutions known as madrasha
developed along side large urban
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Religious Institutions, continued
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Mosques with their Madrasas served as schools and
libraries
They offer Quranic instruction, interpretation, Hadith
scholarship, theology, law, etc.
Some of these developed into
the great Islamic universities: e.g.
al Azhar in Cairo, one of the world’s
oldest universities, has long been considered the most
important theological school of the Sunni Muslim world.
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The Five Pillars
The 5 Pillars are the Obligations:
1. Repetition of the Creed (Shahadah)
2. Daily Prayer (salaht) 5 times a day
3. Almsgiving/ giving to poor/charity (zakaht)
4. Fasting (sawm) – during month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
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The Sacred Places of Islam
#1: Mecca: The Ka’ba in the mosque
 #2: Medina: final years of the Prophet
 #3: Jerusalem at the “Noble Sanctuary,
the Al Aqsa Mosque which includes the
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Dome of Rock and the Al Aqsa building,
together which are on the Herodian Temple
Mount built by king Herod late 1st cent. B.C.E.
Islam and Women in Muhammad’s Day
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The position of women in pre-Islamic Arabia
was very low. A woman was considered
property owned by her father, husband, or
elder brother. Muhammad raised the status of
women “significantly,” Hopfe & Woodward
Religions of the World textbook says)
The Spread of Islam (2)
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After the death of the Prophet, the movement gathered
momentum and moved outside Arabia:
Damascus was taken in 635 C.E.
Persia fell by 636 C.E.
Jerusalem became Muslim in 638 C.E.
Egypt and Caesarea taken in 640 C.E.
Within a century of the Prophet’s death, Muslim armies
conquered Palestine, Syria, Persia, Egypt, and swept
across N. Africa west and into Spain (711 C.E).
The Spread of Islam (3)
In the next centuries it spread throughout the Middle
East and moved into India, China, and Central and
Southeast Asia.
 The several reasons for this rapid & massive
expansion:
1. Belief that Islam was a universal religion/ had wide
appeal
2. Political power vacuum in M.E.: Arab Muslims seized
the opportunity to dominate the region
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3. Byzantine Christian rulers had mistreated
and abused Jews & Arab Christians, therefore, the Muslim
conquerors were received not as invading army but deliverers.
Historical Highlights of Islam
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c.a. 570 C.E. birth of Prophet Muhammad
610 C.E. Muhammad receives first of series of
revelations
622 C.E. Hijrah (immigration) of Muslim community
from Mecca to Medina
632 C.E. Death of Prophet Muhammad
633-733 C.E. Rapid spread/growth of Islam
750-1258 C.E. Abbasid Dynasty fr. Baghdad, the
Golden Age of Islam
The Caliphate
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Caliph (Web. Collegiate Dict.) a successor of
Muhammad as temporal & spiritual head of Islam
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Not highly structured in part due to Muhammad not
leaving a successor or a plan for a successor of his
leadership
No priests, no hierarchy
Caliphs are the leaders:, literally means “deputy” or
“representative” to rule the Muslims in temporal
matters civil and government, militarily and
religiously.
The Caliphate is the one central unifying office in the
history of Islam
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The First Four Caliphs
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Abu-Bahr: 632-634 C.E.
Umar: 634-644 C.E.
Uthman: 644-656 C.E.
Ali: 656-661 C.E.
The Muezzin
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One who calls the
Muslim community to
prayer five times a day
The Divisions in Islam (1)
Sunni and Shi’a
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The Sunnis- lit. means “tradition” the majority branch
in Islam who believe the successors of Muh. are to be
chosen by the Muslim community (umma); think of
themselves as the guardians of Islamic orthodoxy and
tradition; the source and authority: the Qu’ran and the
Hadith
The Shi’a-a rupture in Islam, began over political
dispute of leadership of Islam (from death of Husayn,
grandson of Muhammad,680),Shi’a say leader of Islam
is through descendency from Muhammad; also
theological differences came: divinely inspired imams,
Mahdi, and tend to prize martyrdom.
The Divisions in Islam (2)
Sufi
Sufis-the mystics, some of
whom have been killed/martyred
by orthodox Muslims, teach that
the early days of Islam was more
concerned w/ true spiritual matters
but as empire expanded, got more
materialistic
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Islamic Taboos
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Eating of any pork
Dogs (also considered unclean)
Eating of birds, beast of prey, donkeys, and
mules
Drinking Alcohol
Gambling
Muslim tradition distinguishes between the
allowed (halal) from the forbidden (haram)
Review of Muslim Beliefs
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Allah is the only and supreme, sovereign God of the
universe,
And Muhammad was the last Prophet to humankind.
The Quran is the eternal, exact word of God as it is in
Arabic, recited to the Prophet; it is irrevocable and the
last word to humanity.
Believers must submit to the will of God; those who
submit are Muslims.
All souls will be judged by God, believers and those
who do good to heaven, and unbelievers and those
who do bad to hell.
Review of Muslim Practices:
(The 5 Pillars of Islam)
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Confessing Muslim creed (Shahadah) daily
Daily prayer (5 times a day facing toward Mecca)
Almsgiving/charity: to poor, widows, orphans, etc.
Fasting during Ramadan (1 month long)
Pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once in lifetime)
Textbook summarizes this religion as private and
simple (contrasted with Roman Catholic Christianity)
Main Muslim Practices
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)
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Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)
Muslim Customs: the Hijab: Head
coverings for Women
The Ka’aba Today in Focus
Islam: Calendar and Holy Days
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Calendar begins with the year of the Hijrah
(immigration, 622 C.E.), abbrev. A.H.
Ramadan-the pillar of fasting is the month long
Ramadan
Feast of the Fast Breaking (‘Id al-Fitr)-when Ramadan
ends, a feast of food, joy, gifts
Feast of Sacrifice (‘Id al-Adha)-a requirement of the
Hajj, animal sacrifice
New Year-in month of Muharram, month of Hijrah
Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad
Islam in Modern World & Today
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Technologically, the Western world had left the Muslim
world behind
Islam has not re-attained its Golden age of the
Abbasids era
Resurgence in the 20th cent: extreme/aggressive
missionary movement in sub-Sahara Africa
Indonesia which is the largest Muslim country
Recent years expanding in Western Europe, England,
and the US and Canada
Over 1 billion Muslims today around globe
Need for Oil and other issues and events that have
perked the interest of Islam in the West.
Islam Today, continued
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Islamists actively are engaged to bring Islamic
culture and religion to regions they dwell
Now the 2nd largest religion in the U.S. and in
many European countries
In most Muslim countries, religious scholars
are engaged in the struggle to define a vision
of modernity that is based on Islamic values
yet compatible with contemporary concepts of
human rights and democracy.
Islamic Symbol
Islam: Key Terms (1)
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Islam- “submit”
Muslim- “one who has submitted to Allah
Allah- Arabic simply for “God”
Muhammad-the Prophet of Islam, 7th cent.
Qur’an-read or recite; Holy Scriptures
Hadith-2nd set of Islamic writings authoritative
Sunni-conservative division in Islam
Shi’a-more radical div. In Islam, claim descendency
Islam: Key Terms (2)
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Sufism-the mystical branch within Islam
Wahhabi-very conservative, strict modern Arabia
movement
Ka’ba-black meteorite stone at Mecca enshrined
Mosque-the centers for prayer/study
Imam-mosque leader of prayers/recitations
Caliph-a Muslim ruler, lit. means “deputy”
Martyrdom-the giving of one’s life unto death in the
name of Allah in belief of going to heaven
Islamist: one who seeks to est. Islamic states in which
the rule of God is supreme
Islam: Review
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Who was the founder, where, what century,
and how did the religion come about?
What are the main beliefs?
What are the main practices?
What is the sacred text and the belief about it?
What are the taboos?
What are its structures and divisions?
What is Islam today?
Islam: Discussion/Study Questions
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What other religions appear to have had an
influence on Muhammad and Islam?
Specifically, what similar beliefs and ideas from
other religions do we find in Islam?
Explain the basis for the textbook relating
Muhammad’s role like the Hebrew prophets
What are the main factors for the tremendous
growth of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries?
Discussion/Study Questions continued
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What factors do we find in Islam that contributed to it
becoming one of the largest world religions?
What is required to being a good Muslim?
Distinguish between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.
Might Muhammad being poisoned by the Jewish
matron in Medina led him to utter those severe antiSemitic statements penned in the Quran?