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Islam Part I
God/Allah The God of Islam is the God of Abraham, of Moses, of Mary, and Jesus. Islam shares the same stories of creation and redemption of the Jews and the Christians. But for Muslims, Islam is like the final chapter, the completion and utmost version of monotheism. Islam is therefore the fulfillment of both Judaism and Christianity just as Christianity sees itself as the fulfillment of Judaism. Everything in Judaism and Christianity from Abraham to Jesus usher in the possibility of Islam and the prophet Muhammad.
What is God like? • The God of Islam is uniquely one. This unified oneness of God means that Muslims disagree with human efforts to divide God into multiple parts or persons as in the trinity as in Christianity. • This one God is the creator God.God is outside of creation and time, and as the creator has the ultimate power, judgment, and authority over all people. • Allah is an all-knowing God. • Human Traits: The God of Islam is often described in terms of human traits.
Jesus in Islam • Jesus in Islam: Jesus (who the Qur’an refers to as Isa) was revered by Muhammad as a prophet or messenger of God, but is not seen as a son of God, because this would suggest Jesus is a partner/or partaker in God’s divine rule which undermines God’s oneness.
Texts of Islam • Qur’an • divided in chapters called suras • the suras explain attributes of God, how people should live in accordance with God, and the ultimate fates of those who are good and those who are bad. • Sira • Sira is like the biography of Muhammad • Sunna • The Sunna tells Muslims how to live rightly.
Muhammud • For Islam, Muhammad is a prophet, or messenger of God. But he is also a military leader and head of state. He actually held political power, unlike Jesus, Buddha, or Confucius, who were strictly spiritual leaders. The 3 roles of Muhammad form the basis for understanding how the world should work for Muslims. Namely, they should not separate religion from politics, from economics, or even war.
The Life of Muhammud • He was born in approximately 570CE to an elite family of the Hashimclan in Mecca which was a predominantly Arab city. • At 40, he goes to find his true calling and goes to the mountains outside of Mecca for a month, meditating and reflecting on his life. In this time, he was visited by the angel Gabriel who explained that he would receive messages from God and then must teach these messages. Khadijah, upon hearing this, seeks the help of a Christian friend to verify that Muhammad was in fact being called by God and not tempted by Satan. • In 622, Muhammad and his followers (a few hundred) emigrate to Medina.
In 630, Muhammad returns home to Mecca, gaining followers along the way. By the time he gets to Mecca, the city was ready to embrace Muhammad, and he returns to pray at the Kaaba build his own mosque. He returns again to Medina to live out his life, making one final trip to Mecca in 632.
Pilgrimage and Mecca • On Muhammad’s last journey to Mecca, he was joined by tens of thousands of people. This final journey marked the first Hajj or pilgrimage of Islam. By returning his people to the Kabba, Muhammad was returning his people to the ancient monotheism of Abraham and Ishmael. • Muhammad dies on June8, 632, in Medina. It is said that he dies in the arms of his favorite wife, Aisha
Life after Muhammad • Abu Bakr, and the next 3 successors were deemed “rightly guided caliph,” but there were internal conflicts about who was the best to lead. • Those who supported UthmanIbnAffangrew into Sunni Islam (spreading across Arabia, Africa, and into Europe/Spain especially). The other group claimed that caliphs should be picked from the familial lines of Muhammad and therefore follow the line of Caliph Ali Talibdevelops into Shia Islam (Iran/Persia)
Sharia: Islamic Law • Sharia: • [Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam suggests that humans have strayed from God. Therefore, Muhammad gives 3 ways to return to the Lord: 1) by his “actions” 2) “the consent3) “the sayings” • Sharia is Islamic Law and it is based on the Qur’an and the Sunna (those teachings of right living and traditions based on the life of Muhammad (from the Sira). • Sharia is also interpreted and continulally developed through a system of scholarship and jurisprudence called Qiya and Ijima. • If something comes into question, then the action is rated according to a scale that reflects its keeping or contrasting to Sharia. (Obligatory or halal, Recommended, Permitted, Disliked, Forbidden or haraam)
Pillars of Islam • Core beliefs of Islam: The community of believers of Islam is called the ummah • The core beliefs that unite Muslims can be found in the 5 required observances that the Qur’an prescribes. These are the “Pillars of Islam.” • 1. Declaration of Faith • 2. Salat(Prayer) • 3. Zakat(purification • 4.The Fast of Ramadan • 5. Hajj(pilgrimage to Mecca)
Sunni and Shia (Shii) • Sunni and Shia Islam • Sunni and Shia Muslims are the 2 major groups of Islam (think back to Protestant and Catholic divisions in Christianity). Sunnis represent about 85% of Muslims, and Shia make up about 15% predominantly in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon. • Sunni’s believed Muhammad’s successor should be based on the most capable of qualified person for the job, not hereditary. • Shia Muslims believed that the successor should have been Ali Talib, Muhammad’s first cousin and closest living male relative (none of his sons survived infancy) should be the Imam, as they called their leader.
Sufi Muslims • Sufi Islam:Mystical Islam • Sufis are part of a mystical tradition of Islam called Sufism. Sufism began as a reform movement, like many mystical traditions, in response to what pious practitioners saw as the excesses of society and popular Islam. In addition, Sufism was different because they didn’t believe that strict adherence to Islamic laws and rituals was the ultimate path to God. They advocated an inner-path.
