Download The World of Islam

The World of Islam
Chapter 6
From the Hearth of the
Eastern Mediterranean
• Islam
– Originated on Arabian Peninsula about 1500 years
ago
– Beliefs
• Monotheistic religion
• Revelations Muhammad received from Allah
(Arabic for god)
• Five Pillars
– Sacred text: Qu’ran
– Founder: Muhammad
Islam (continued)
– Sacred sites
• Mecca – holy city
• Medina – city where Muhammad received his 1st
converts.
• Jerusalem – Dome of the Rock
– Divisions: Shortly after Muhammad’s death
• Sunni Muslims (great majority - 84%)
• Shiite Muslims (concentrated in Iran – 16%)
Distribution of Shiite and Sunni Muslims
Ka’ba in Mecca
Largest Mosque
990 acres
The Life of Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca
in present-day Saudi Arabia to
a merchant family. His parents
died when he was young and
he ended up living with his
uncle who was a merchant
and he became a camel trader.
Muhammad in
Arabic Calligraphy
Muhammad married an older widow named
Khadija.
Over time, he found the richness and corruption
of the merchants and townspeople to be
troubling.
He decided to visit the hills to meditate.
Muslims believe that while he was meditating
in the hills he received revelations from god
through the Angel Gabriel.
Muhammad’s Revelation
Muslims believe the Angel Gabriel told
Muhammad to recite what he heard, it was
believed that Allah had already revealed himself
through Moses and Jesus, but now had a final
revelation for man.
This final revelation became the religion of Islam,
which means submission to the will of god.
The Quran (Koran)
The revelations to Muhammad were written down
by scribes and became known as The Quran,
which is the holy book of Islam.
The Quran contains ethical
guidelines and laws by which
Muslims (followers of Islam)
should live their lives.
The Nature of The Quran
The Quran is written in Arabic, which was the language
of Muhammad.
The Quran is considered to only be true when it is
written in its original language. Translations are
thought to lose the true meaning of the original
words which are believed to be a direct revelation
from god.
The Muslim observance of Ramadan (June 29 – July 29) is
to commemorate the recording of the holy text.
The Teachings of Muhammad
Islam is Monotheistic, like Judaism and Christianity.
Islam teaches a belief in an afterlife, those who hope
to achieve this afterlife must submit to the will of
Allah.
Muslims do not believe the Muhammad was divine,
they believe that he was a man.
Islam is seen not just as a religion, but as a way of life.
Muslims believe that Islam was god’s final
revelation for mankind. Muslims feel that in
order to achieve salvation that they must obey
the will of Allah, or god.
In order to do this they must follow the five major
principles of Islam known as the Five Pillars of
Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam
• 1-Declaration of Faith
– Muslims must state that there is no other god but
Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.
• 2. Daily Prayer
– Muslims must pray five times a day facing Mecca.
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Pre Dawn
Noon
Afternoon
Sunset
Evening
Five Pillars Continued . . .
3. Charity
– Muslims are supposed to help others and donate
part of their income to charity.
4. Fasting-Ramadan
Muslims must fast from sunrise to sunset
during the holy month of Ramadan which
celebrates the recording of the Quran.
Hajj
• 5. Pilgrimage: Hajj
– The fifth pillar of Islam is the Hajj.
– Once in a lifetime, if they are physically and
financially able, Muslims are to journey to Mecca
in Saudi Arabia and perform the rituals of the Hajj.
Islamic Law
• Muslims are expected to practice honesty and justice in
dealing with others and are forbidden to gamble, eat pork,
drink alcohol, or engage in dishonest behavior.
• Muslim- A follower of Islam
• Mosque- A Muslim House of Worship
Dome of the Rock
Where Muhammad rode
his horse into heaven.
Creation of An Arab Empire
• After the death of Muhammad (high fever), unity was
difficult to maintain.
• The friend and father-in-law of Muhammad, Abu
Bakr, was chosen to be the first Caliph, or successor to
the prophet.
• Abu Bakr helped to unify the Muslim world and
expanded its boundaries.
• Under the idea of jihad, or “struggle in the way of
god” the early Muslims expanded their territory. The
believed that defensive warfare was permitted by the
Quran.
After Abu Bakr died there was conflict over who would
be the next Caliph.
The next two Caliphs were both assassinated.
After that Muhammad’s son-in-law
Ali was appointed Caliph,
but five years later he too was
assassinated.
Sunni vs. Shi’a (Shiite)
• Sunni believe the Caliph does not need to be a
direct descendant of Muhammad.
• Shi’a Muslims supported believe that the
Caliph should be a direct descendant of
Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali and his
grandson.
The Role of Women
• Originally, the Quran granted women spiritual
and social equality with men. Both men and
women were to be friends and protectors of one
another.
• Women could earn a living and own and inherit
property. They played a prominent role in the
rise of Islam.
• Men and Women had assigned social duties, but
most societies in which Islam arose were male
dominated.
• Women in these societies had to have a male
guardian and parents arranged marriages for their
children.
• Men could have up to four wives, but they had to pay
a dowry (gift of money or property) to their wives’
families.
• Women did have the right to divorce and adultery
was forbidden for both men and women.
• After the spread of Islam local traditions began to
assert themselves and many of the rights that were
initially given to women in Islam were replaced by
older traditions which denied women equal rights.
The Veil
• The veil worn by Muslim women is traditionally
called the Hijab.
• The ideal of women wearing veils was common in
many Middle Eastern cultures before the advent of
Islam.
– In Ancient Mesopotamia a veil was a symbol of status,
purity, and moral character.
• There is some controversy over this use of these
veils today. There are different interpretations of
this tradition in different parts of the Muslim world.
In general, women and men are supposed to dress
modestly, the degree of that modesty varies from
region to region according to local custom and
tradition.
The covering that
women wear varies
from country to
country.
The Hijab covers the
head and neck.
The Burka is a veil that
completely covers the face
and body.