Islam History PDF

**Islam** History - Muhammad - His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was young. he was looked after by his grandfather then adopted by his uncle. - As a young man he persued work in the caravan trade - He married a wealthy widow, Khad...

**Islam** History - Muhammad - His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was young. he was looked after by his grandfather then adopted by his uncle. - As a young man he persued work in the caravan trade - He married a wealthy widow, Khadija, when he was 25 and she was about 40 - His religious trances and utterances created the body of material known as the Quran - His message stressed the coming judgement of the one true god in the face of Arab polytheism, condemned idols, and demanded justice for the oppressed and the weak - He encouraged some of his followers to move to Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) where the Christain government offered protection - When his wife and uncle died he was at risk from his enemies in Mecca. Him and his followers had to secretly flee. (Hijra (emigration)) this marks the first year of the Islamic calendar (622 CE of the western calendar) - Divisions - Sunni - Traditional form - 85% of Islam - Believe political leadership of Islam properly fell to loyal companions of Muhammad and their successors, not necessarily to Muhammads relatives - Shia - Largest minority - Believe that valid religious and political leadership lies in the imam, a direct descendant of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her husband, Ali - Believe in the 12 imams - Ismaili - A Shia group that disagrees with the other Shia about who should become the 7^th^ imam - They consider their leader, the present Aga Khan, to be the 49^th^ imam - Kharijite - Early puritanical supporters of Ali who withdrew their loyalty from Ali - Argued that the caliph need not be from the prophets family or tribe; any pious Muslim could lead - Wahhabi - Puritanical Sunni reform movement founded in 1746 - Opposed Sufism and Islamic rational theology and rejected as heresay previously accepted interpretations of Islam Beliefs - Influences - Elements of Judaism, Christianity, pre-Islamic Arab beliefs - Jewish and Christian practices and beliefs that seemed to have been borrowed by Islam have their differences in the new Muslim context - God - One god - The assertion of the unity or oneness of god is called tawhid - God has no son, god is one and there is no other - Allah is the transliteration of the Arabic word meaning "god", not a personal name for god - Muslims have 99 epithets (Excellent Names) which express some characteristic of god - Names come from the Quran and the Hadith - Allahu Akbar (God is great), expressing the notion that nothing is equal to god and nothing should be placed beside him - Visible and Invisible World - The visible world - God is the creator of the world, Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden, and they brought some element of chaos into the world by eating the forbidden fruit. But according to the Islamic teaching, Adam quickly repented of his sin and was forgiven, leaving no scar on the human condition or creation. - The world is god given and good. It remains a rich creation to be used by the faithful followers of god - The invisible world - An unseen world where angels and other beings of gods creation operate - Predestination, Death, and Afterlife - Predestination - All of life, the good and the bad, happens according to the will of god - This attitude is reflected by the common Muslim saying insha Allah (if god wills) - Death and the afterlife - Death is not the end of ones existence - At the end of their life, one will receive judgement at which their eternal destiny will be determined - Paradise (heaven) and hell - Jihad, Law - Holy War/Jihad (struggle) - The great jihad is inner personal struggle - The lesser jihad is the point of contention, more popularly called holy war. Features a call to arms against adherents of other religions who will not convert to Islam or stand in the way of the extension of Islam - Law - Sharia - Knowing what god commands and by doing it that one is assured a life in paradise - All behavior falls under Islamic law - Three categories: the discouraged, the reccomended, and the permitted or neutral - Hadith - Leadership - According to a hadith, there have been 124000 prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, 25 are mentioned by name in the Quran and others mentioned indirectly - Muhammad was the first leader of the Muslim community but his influence continued through every generation - Revelation - The Quran is the most recent revelation from god to humans. It is gods very word and recited by Muhammad - 90 of the 114 surahs (chapters) are from Muhammad's years in Mecca (604-22) and the other 24 are from his 10 years in Medina. - Sufism - The mystical tradition - Origins uncertain - Derived from the Arabic word for wool, which is appropriate because of the ascetic woolen garments worn by Sufi disciples in contrast of the rich silks of the Muslim leadership - Seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god Practices - Holidays - Eid al Adha (feast of the sacrifice) - Abrahams sacrifice of Isacc/Ismayl/Ishmael - In Islam, Abraham is a paradigm of faith right from the beginning, whereas, in Christianity, he GROWS in faith - Eid Mubarak "blessed feast", greeting - Sacrifice an animal (depending on where you are from), Muslims in Canada may make a donation to an organization in place of this sacrifice - Eid al Fitr (feast of the breaking of the fast) - 2/3 day celebration, celebrating the breaking of the fast, Ramadan - Greeting with Eid Mubarak - Mawlid, Mohammeds birthday - Debated amongst religious scholars and Muslims if you should celebrate the prophet\'s birthday - 12^th^ day of the 3^rd^ month on the Islamic calendar - Going to mosque to hear stories about the prophet, religious poetry, some places will have public celebrations - Will give zakat (charitable donations) and will gather with friends and family for a meal - Isra Mi'raj (the night journey) - Two stages - Isra: when the angel Gabriel accompanies Mohammad from Mecca to the Temple Mount (where the temple wad built by the prophet Solomon) in Jerusalem. Mohammad flew on a winged horse called Buraq. Before reaching Jerusalem, he made a number of stops, first at Madena, then Mount Saini (where Moses to receive the law, Bethlehem (where Issa was born), and the grave of Moses. In Jerusalem, he led the prophets in prayer, including Adam. Today, this is where the Al-Aqsa (the furthest) Mosque is. - Mi\'raj: Mohommed\'s ascension to the seven heavens. He meets other prophets along the way (Adam, Moses, Jesus). Allah tells him how many times Muslims must pray which was 50. On the way back down, Moses tells him this is too many and sends him back up to negotiate. They settle on five. The 27^th^ day of the 7^th^ month. - The night of power (when Mohommed\'s revelations began) - 27^th^ day of Ramadan - Sacraments - There are no equivalent of sacraments in Islam - They do not believe in the fall (the sin of Adam and Eve) - Sin repentance and forgiveness is an example of how Allah is merciful and forgiving - Sin does not affect everyone on earth like it does in Christianity - Allah created the world as it is, and with all of its troubles, comes with a divine test, to help us grow in virtue and prepare us for the afterlife (sickness and death) - Jinn and Angels - Angels - Everyone is assigned two guardian angels - The first angel records all of the good things you have done, while the other records all of the bad stuff down - Jinn - The Jinn have free will and can be Muslim and choose to submit to and follow god, or they can refuse gods guidance - Chief: Iblis (Satan), the chief tempter. Cast out of God\'s presence because of his refusal to bow to Adam. They were asked to bow to Adam because he had been made Khalifa (vice regent or steward), him and his descendants were made to watch over the earth. - The Five Pillars - Fundamental elements of Muslim practice - Confession, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage - Some are daily rites, some annual, some at least once in a lifetime (if one is able), and some as the occasion permits - Confession/Profession of Faith (Shahadah) - Done once - The most condensed summary of Islamic belief comes in two statements. One bearing witness that there is one God, the other bearing witness that Muhammad is Gods messenger. - The confession of one god separated the monotheistic Arabs (Muslims), from the other who were generally polytheistic. The - Reference to Muhammad separated Muslim monotheists from other monotheists, such as Jewish people and Christians - Reciting the Shahadah once, sincerely and preferably in the company of witnesses, makes one a Muslim - Prayer (Salat) - Done five times a day - Done at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and nightfall - Worshippers pray wherever they are, though Muslims try to attend the mosque for the noon prayer on Friday - Pray facing Mecca - Prayer is preceded by ritual washing and, if circumstances allow, a formal call to prayer - Alms (Zakat) - A tax on possessions and various levels of taxes on agricultural produce - Used for relief of the poor and religious purposes such as education and building of mosques - Fasting (Sawm) - F or the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dusk till dawn - Exceptions are allowed for the young, elderly, ill, pregnant or nursing women, and travelers - Abstinence from food, drink, and sexual relations - Pilgrimage (Hajj) - Once in ones lifetime, Muslims are expected to journey to Mecca if they are able to - Occurs over a 6 day period in the last month of the year - Involves a set of rituals around Mecca, recalling stories of Abraham and Ishmael - After the pilgrimage, the pilgrim bears the honorific title of hajji (for males) or Hajjah (for women) - The Rites of Passage - Circumcision - Mohammad was circumcised - Shariah recommends circumcision but not all versions of Islam require it - Marriage - Men can marry up to 4 wives if they can care and provide for them - Muslim men can marry Christian/Jewish women, but Muslim women may only marry Muslim men - Sex before marriage is not permitted - Homosexuality is not permitted - Death - Aim to bury the person the same day - Buried on the right-side facing Mecca - 3 days of mourning observed - Mourning expected to be dignified, because if it is not, you are questioning Allah - The dead are awaiting judgement, and enter a state called Barzakh. Ideas vary of Barzakh differ; some believe it is a place absent of pain or pleasure. Some believe, if you were a good Muslim, it is a beautiful experience, and if you were bad, it is the opposite. - After judgement, you enter paradise or hell - When in Paradise, you are no longer subject to what is halal or haram - Dietary Concerns - Halal: whatever in life is permitted. Haram: whatever in life is prohibited - Prohibited foods: pork, blood, meat offered to idols, birds of prey, and improperly killed animals - The Quran prohibits a common Arab intoxicating drink, and Muslims have generally extended the prohibition to include all alcoholic drinks