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1. 1 Islamic Traditions Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.
GSTR 220-BWestern Traditions I
Berea College
Fall 2004
2. 2 THE PRE-ISLAMIC WEST Rome, once unified and in control of entire Mediterranean region, now divided between east and west (since 300s CE) and increasingly incapable of ruling vast multiethnic territory
Christianity, identified with Roman power, widespread throughout west Asia, north Africa, and southern Europe
Arab peninsula on periphery of Roman Christian world but center of East-West trade routes
3. 3 MUHAMMAD (570-632 CE) Born in Arabian city of Mecca, home to diverse religious influences (Christian, Jewish, local Arab polytheism)
Experiences revelations from Allah (name of one Arab deity) beginning with �Night of Power� (610), later transcribed in Quran
Sees himself as final messenger of one God revealed in Hebrew Bible and New Testament
Persecution leads to escape (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina (622), from which his followers conquer Mecca (630)
4. 4 WHO IS A MUSLIM? Muslim = from Arabic Islam, �submission�
A Muslim is �one who submits� to one who submits� to Allah (God) through the revelation (Quran) given to humanity through His Prophet and final messenger, Muhammad
A Muslim is anyone who can say and believe the Shahada, or �Profession of Faith�:
There is no God but Allah
Muhammad is Allah�s Prophet
5. 5 THE �FIVE PILLARS� OF ISLAM Shahada: profession of faith in Allah as sole deity and Muhammad as final messenger (culmination of Hebrew Bible and New Testament prophecy)
Salat: ritual prayer five times daily (morning, noon, afternoon, sunset, dusk) while prostrated in direction of Mecca � customarily solitary, but communal on Fridays at noon in masjid (mosque) Zakat: charity � a �loan to God� representing 2.5% of one�s income, donated by those 16 years and older who can afford it
Ramadan: abstinence from food, drink, sex, stimulants during daylight hours of ninth lunar month in commemoration of the Prophet�s �Night of Power�
Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca to be made by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime
6. 6 THE GROWTH OF ISLAMIC INSTITUTIONS After the Prophet�s death, power struggles between his caliphs (deputies) lead to deaths of fourth caliph, Ali (600-661), Muhammad�s cousin, and Husayn (626-680), Muhammad�s grandson
Sunni (�traditional�) Muslims revere first four caliphs and emphasize Islamic unity through Shari�a (law)
Shi�a (�factional�) Muslims honor Ali and Husayn as martyrs and emphasize authority of various imams (religious leaders)
7. 7 THE ISLAMICIZATION OF THE WEST 634: Army of the caliph conquers Mesopotamia and Palestine
635: Damascus, capital of Syria, conquered
644: Egypt and Persia conquered
700s: Most of north Africa, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and India conquered by Abbasid Empire, based in Baghdad (756-1055)
Within a century of Muhammad�s death, much of the formerly Roman Christian world is under Islamic rule
Gradually, most formerly Christian and pagan communities become Islamic
Islamic scholars translate and preserve Greek philosophy and science, now lost to Europeans
Christians and Jews tolerated as Ahl al-kitab (�People of the Book�) and therefore dhimmi (protected peoples)
Tax (jizya) levied on non-Muslims under Islamic rule
Slavery restricted to non-Muslims and children of existing slaves � converts are emancipated
8. 8 Greatest Extent of Abbasid Empire (756-1055 CE)
9. 9 WHY DID ISLAM SUCCEED? Culture: Islamic rulers encouraged literature, philosophy, and science
Politics: power vacuum due to decline of Persian and Byzantine empires
Religion: Christian doctrine too complex, Christian disputes too bitter to retain allegiance of many � many Christian �heretics� convert to Islam
Society: in most cases, Islamic rulers less oppressive, more humane than Byzantine or Persian rulers
10. 10 THE AGE OF CRUSADES (1095-1291) By 11th century, Byzantine Empire faces increasing challenges from Seljuk (Muslim) Empire, and requests help from West
1095: Pope Urban II urges Western Christians to attack and invade Muslim-held territories in Middle East in order to recapture them for Christendom, offering �immediate remission of sins� to those who die in battle
1099: An army of mostly Frankish (French) Christians massacres the population of Jerusalem and establishes independent Crusader states in Middle East, undermining Byzantine and Muslim power in the region
1144: Edessa (in modern Turkey) overthrows Crusader rule and returns to Muslim control, prompting second Crusade
1187: Jerusalem recaptured by Muslim forces, triggering third Crusade led by kings of England, France, and Germany
1204: Western Christian forces capture Constantinople and establish short-lived Latin Empire in East (1204-1261)
1291: Acre, last stronghold of Crusaders in Middle East, recaptured by Muslim forces
Christian persecution of Jews, heretics, and homosexuals increases during Crusades
11. 11 RISE OF THE SUFI TRADITION Soon after Prophet�s death, some Muslims become critical of what they see as worldliness and corruption of caliphs
Wearing plain blue wool (suf) clothing, these Sufis preach:
tawakkul (absolute trust in Allah)�
� which arises from tawhid (absolute oneness of Allah)�
� expressed through faqr (�poverty,� both material and spiritual)�
� which leads to fana (�annihilation� of self in the presence of almighty Allah)
12. 12 THEMES IN SUFI THOUGHT As Sufism expands throughout Muslim world, it encounters criticism from other Muslims
In response, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), most famous Sufi theologian, defines 4 major points of Sufism:
islam (�surrender, submission� to God in all aspects of life)
iman (�faith� in God and his Prophet, Muhammad)
ihsan (�serving God as if one were seeing Him� at all times)
ishraq (�illumination� of the soul, leading it from dark materiality to light spirituality) Sufi teachers (shaikhs) and their disciples (tariqa) devoted to dhikr (�remembrance�) of Allah through chanting, dancing, fasting, music, poetry, and prayer
The poetry of Sufi writer Jalal Al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) is known as �the Quran in Persian�
Rumi�s basic theme: love, not fear, should define relationship between humanity and God
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