ISLAM: Submission to the Will of Allah

1. ISLAM:Submissionto theWill of Allah

2. The Judeo-Christian Foundations of Islam

3. Islam An Abrahamic Religion • Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all his prophets to every people; • Beginning with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, Ezekiel, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, Zechariah, John (the Baptist), Jesus and ending with Muhammad

4. The Prophetic Tradition Adam Noah Abraham Moses Jesus Muhammad

5. Abraham’s Genealogy HAGAR ABRAHAM SARAH Ishmael Isaac 12 Arabian Tribes Jacob Esau 12 Tribes of Israel

6. Muhammad “Peace Be Upon Him” • This phrase said with all prophets in Judaism and Christianity • He is a brother in faith to Jesus and Moses • All from Middle East: Common Heritage • All believe in the same one God • God: from the beginning has sent righteous leaders called prophets • Prophets: messengers who receive knowledge from God, not God themselves, but speak for God

7. Moses gave same messages as Jesus and Muhammad • Jesus came to correct mistakes • Muhammad came to correct mistakes and to add to what had been lost

8. Islam is not a new religion, according to Muslims: • but is the original path of monotheism • also developed into Judaism and Christianity • same god -Allah

9. Creed is very simple • “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger.” • Strict monotheists

10. Muslim: • “one who submits” or “one who commits himself to Islam” • Islam: • to accept, to submit, to commit oneself, submission, surrender, peace • An ongoing commitment • By saying, “I am a Muslim” does more than affirm membership in a community, one is saying, “I am one who commits himself to God” • Over 1.5 billion are members • conservative estimate, fastest growing religion today

11. The Qur'an: God's Last Revelation

12. Islam has kept to one basic scripture, preserved from the 1st state of textural purity. • same today as when 1st written down • Muslims believe that the Torah and the Bible, like the Qur’an, is the word of God. • “People of the Book”

13. The Qur’an • Muslims believe it contains the word of God. • 114 suras(surah) --chapters. • Written in Arabic.

14. Qur’an means “to recite” or “recitation” • Muhammad’s revelations were compiled into the Qur’an after his death. • Muslims revere Muhammad for transmitting the revelation and for translating it into action

15. Very little info on Muhammad’s life in the Qur’an itself • most info comes from the Hadith: • Sayings/practices of Muhammad • body of tradition originating from 1st generation Muslims

16. Arabian Beliefs and Practices before Muhammad:

17. Many nomadic, spoke Semitic languages, cultural differences, enemies on all sides; Jews, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. • Internal Rivalries: what put Mecca in the most dangerous position was tension between rival tribes

18. Religions of Arabia: before Muhammad • South Arabia- advanced astral cult- centered on a moon god; polytheistic • Areas where Jews and Christians were strong (trading centers) many abandoned old gods for monotheistic ideas.

19. Majority of Arabs worshipped local gods and goddesses- • some were tribal • some presided over certain geographical areas and all who entered these areas were ordered to worship them

20. In Mecca: 3 main Goddesses • Al Lat- mother goddess; the sun • Al Manat- goddess of fate • Al Uzza- the morning star (pale Venus) • Idols were the center of worship

21. Angels and Jinn: (djinn) • Angels: were morally irreproachable and of a beneficent nature • Beings of light • Created to be loyal to Allah

22. Jinn: according to legend, created from fire two thousand years before Adam • Could at will appear to human eyes or remain invisible.

23. Mecca: The Ka’ba (means cube)– (also Kaaba) • Housed the most holy relic in Arabia- a meteorite built into the corner of the “cube”. No exterior ornament- covered today with a tissue of black cloth.

24. Looooooong ago, people of Arabia startled by a rush of a meteor • interpreted as a glowing rock from heaven • awed inhabitants worshipped it • called it “the black stone that fell from heaven in the days of Adam”

25. Year after year tribes came on a hajj (pilgrimage) to offer near it sacrifices of sheep and camels and to run the circuit of the stones seven times and kiss it in the hope of heaven’s blessing on them • In time, the cube shaped Ka’ba was built and the holy stone was placed in the southeast corner, images of local deities were placed inside

26. 2 stories of how and when the Ka’ba was built • 1.Adam built the original Ka’ba • lost over time/destroyed • Ishmael and Abraham rebuilt it. • Near the Ka’ba is the holy well; ZamZam- water sacred to pilgrims • 2.Abraham- while on a visit to see his outcast son Ishmael • They built the Ka’ba and imbedded the black stone in it

27. Tradition of the well: • After Hagar was expelled from Abraham’s tent, she came with infant son Ishmael to future site of city of Mecca. Was a barren valley and b/c her child was dying of thirst, she left him on the hot earth while she desperately searched for water. • Ishmael in a tantrum, kicked his heels into the ground and the waters of the ZamZam welled up into the depression • In recognition of this event it was considered good fortune to add to the circling of the Ka’ba going to the well

28. Within the Ka’ba were murals on the walls, numerous idols to the various Gods were inside • Hubel- chief male deity, Al-Lat, Al- Manat, Al- Uzza and far off Allah who was formless • Mecca was already a holy city, and surrounding areas were considered sacred territory and pilgrims had to disarm when entering it • City was pilgrimage center and very dependent on commerce

29. Tradition says that Mecca has never fallen to invaders • Legend says that in the year that Muhammad was born, “In the Year of the Elephant”, the Abyssinian (Christian) governor of South Arabia marched on Mecca in force with battle elephants, saying he wanted to destroy the heathen shrine. • Attacks by Birds and small pox defeated him right before the attack

30. Muhammad • Born @570CE into the Quraysh tribe of the Clan Hashemite • Father died before he was born and his mother died when he was 6 • Was raised by his uncle Abu Talib (Taleb) • Born in poverty • Worshipped Hubal and Al-Uzza, the belief in jinn, Satan and good and evil omens

31. As he grew he looked at Meccan religion critically, began to find society distasteful • Disliked quarreling of tribes over: • Religion and honor • Idolatry • Polytheism • Animism • Immorality at religious celebrations • Drinking, gambling, dancing

32. Why were his views changing? How did he become receptive to the ideas of the one God that paralleled Judaism and Christianity? • No direct evidence that he had knowledge of the Old and New Testaments • He did express a respect for the written scriptures and people who used them (People of the Book)

33. Maybe learned about Judaism and Christianity during caravan trading trips to Syria • Maybe learned from Jewish and Christians traders passing through Mecca • Maybe some of his friends knew this information • Waraqa (Waraka)- cousin of his wife was Christian

34. Muslims believe he did not take info from others and put it in the Quran • Quran was not the work of Muhammad, was revealed to him by angelic messenger sent from God • Most will acknowledge that he received a foreknowledge of • truths and moral laws from prophets like Abraham, Moses and Jesus to prepare him to understand and interpret what was revealed to him

36. Muhammad: • adopted by Uncle Abu Talib • married Kadijah (Khadijah)- had 7 children • only daughter Fatima survived him • adopted a slave boy, Zaid (Zayd) (Christian) • Raised Ali (his cousin, son of uncle Abu Talib) • Abu Bakr- one of his earliest converts, kinsman from Quraysh tribe

37. Religious Awakening • @40 entering a period of spiritual stress • Had come to a common belief (common to Christian and Jews) that there would be a final judgment and punishment for idolaters by everlasting fire • The one true God could not be represented by an image, but only by prophetic spokespersons • Wondered if God would send a prophet to the people of Arabia • Began to wander the hills around Mecca

38. “The Night of Power and Excellence” • In the Cave of Hira in 610 a vision of the Angel Gabriel • messenger of Allah- calling upon him to recite Allah’s message • This became the words of the Quran. (p.362/539) • Was able to recite all that Gabriel revealed to him, but ran home, fearing for his own sanity. • He wondered if it was a mean spirited jinn tricking him

39. Kadijah comforted him and encouraged him to overcome his fear • Many believe that along with the revelations that lasted the rest of his life • he also made a magical night journey on the winged mare Buraq- • enabling the prophet to visit the heavens and appear before Allah (around age 50)

40. Arabia was now, through Muhammad, being provided a scripture of a later date and greater authority than the scriptures of the Jews and Christians • Same basic message of the One God • Final revelation; last prophet God would send to the people of the world

41. *go back to your notes and fix this: Ali was not formally adopted by Muhammad, just raised by him. –Thanks Marwa!  • At 1st, Muhammad shared what he had learned with few people: • Kadijah, Ali, Abu Bakr, and Zaid. • After 3 years began to preach publicly. • 1st preachings involved a warning of divine judgment day, talked of dark days ahead, power and judgment of God

42. Opposition in Mecca: • Many, especially in the Quraysh tribe were unimpressed with him: • they did not object to his insistence in One God, but to his claim to be a Prophet • seemed to be a claim of leadership over them • His prophecies emphasized social injustices and duties to the poor • Wealthy families felt it endangered their social and economic interests in Mecca

43. Seemed to be doomed to have a small following: • only Kadijah, Ali, and Abu Bakr. • his uncle never converted, but helped support him his whole life • 1st 4 years, only about 40 converts

44. As Muhammad’s revelations continued: • Quraysh tribe scattered thorns on gathering sites, threw filth and dirt on him, incited riots against him. • Wanted to be directly violent against him, but Abu Talib protected him. • The Umayyads and others in the Quraysh tribe issued a ban or boycott against the Hashemites. • Restricted them to the town where Abu Talib lived- very desolate, struggled to survive.

45. 50th Year- Year of Sorrows • Lost Kadijah who had been his greatest supporter and then 5 weeks later lost his uncle. • Put him in a precarious position- • He feared his clan might be persuaded to imprison or execute him.

46. Hijrah • People of the city of Yathrib wanted Muhammad and his message in their city. • Political reasons; his message would help stop blood feuds • Fled Mecca to Yathrib: • City was renamed Medina • “City of the Prophet” • 622 CE: • This is the 1st year of the Muslim calendar

47. Muhammad established a theocracy in Medina • Set up a constitution for the city • Brought peace to the city • Given unrestricted power over the city

48. His house became a worship center • -1st Mosque (Masjid) • Held weekly services on Friday • Prayer/prostration: • 1st faced towards Jerusalem • but Seventeen months after Muhammad arrived in Medina he was instructed by Allah to face the Ka’ba in Mecca

49. Why change from Jerusalem to Mecca? • Allah told him to do so, and he and all praying with him faced Mecca • Others believe that he changed direction because of growing conflict with Jews in Medina. • Muhammad had recognized Jesus: said his message completed the Torah. • Jews did not recognize Jesus, and some were politically allied with the Quraysh tribe who opposed him.

50. Call to open prayer on the Mosque’s roof • 1st only on Friday’s, but then everyday at the appropriate times for prayer.