The Roots of Islam

1. The Roots of Islam Pre-Islamic Arab Culture Muhammad Beliefs & Concepts Schools of Law Sunni vs. Shi’ite

2. Islam • Pre-Islamic Arab Culture: • South Arabia • Heavily populated by sedentary populations living in wealthy and powerful cities • These bordered on two major two trade routes: • One was the ocean-trading route between Africa and India. • Another was the land-based trade route up and down the coast of the Arabian peninsula. • North Arabia: • In the east is a vast desert: Bedouins lived here in small, tightly-knit tribal groups • arid steppes in the west and the coast: Arabs here lived in sedentary and larger tribal groups • These communities lived far apart and in relative isolation, bedouins, in order to survive would engage in the “razzia”, or raid, upon sedentary populations in order to obtain goods

3. Islam • Religion • Polytheistic • Pilgrimage routes to Mecca (the center of a cultic activity) regulated by the powerful Quraysh tribe • Politics: • Region conquered by Alexander the Great (Seleucids) • Region conquered by Romans • The Diaspora led to Jewish migration away from Jerusalem into Srabia • Once the Roman Empire was Christianized, Christian culture spread eastward to Byzantium and Arabia

4. Muhammad: • Born around 570 C.E.. • Raised by his extended family after the death of his parents • Began to have religious visions around age 40 • He would memorize the messages received during these religious visions and teach them to followers

5. Islam • Continued to receive these visions and messages until his death in 632 C.E. • Preached the message that had received, namely that there was One God, In Mecca, the center of polytheism • Was rejected and chased out of Mecca, fleeing to Medina (Yathrib) in 622 C.E. This migration was known as the “hijra”…the Islamic calendar dates the hijra as year one

6. Islam • In Medina, Muhammad set up a Islamic community (umma) by entering into an agreement with Jewish tribes • The Quraysh followed him and engaged the Muslim caravans in continuous battles: • The Battle of Badr (a Muslim victory) • The Battle of the Trench (a stalemate) • The surrounding tribes converted to Islam and isolated the Meccan community • Eventually, they Meccans converted to Islam as well

7. Islam • Muhammad’s death • No heir to his political leadership proclaimed • The tribes gathered together to elect Abu Bakr (a Meccan Muslim) to the Caliphate • The wars of the Riddah—Waged to consolidate Islam’s power in Arabia, converted the Arabs to the South • The Umayyad Dynasty: • Umar ibn al-Khattab—Extended Islam’s reach to Syria and Jerusalem (a holy city to Muslims because of Muhammad’s visit there upon his “night journey”) • Uthman ibn Affan– Began work on copying the revelations of the Prophet and assembling them into a single book: the Qur’an. Eventually assasinated.

8. Islam • Civil War • The election of Ali (nephew to the Prophet), The Shi’at Ali • Muwawiyyah • Compromise • The assassination of Ali • Muawiyyah’s promise to hand over power to Hassan, Ali’s son • Yazid’s ascension to the Caliphate • Husayn (Ali’s younger son) and the battle of Karbala—Sunni and Shi’ite split

9. Islam • Sunni Islam: • Beliefs, Concepts, and Practices • Islam's fundamental theological concept is tawhīd—the belief that there is only one God • Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, although they reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity • Islam embraces Judaism and Christianity as the precursors of Islam, they share a belief in one God but have strayed from the original message as proclaimed in both the Old and New Testaments • Muslims trace their lineage all the way back to Abraham, thus creating linkages to the concept of a “chosen people”

10. Sunni Islam • Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the angel Gabriel • To Muslims, the Qur'an is perfect only as revealed in the original Arabic; translations are deficient because of language differences • Muslims view Muhammad not as the creator of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham and Jesus

11. Sunni Islam • Muhammad is viewed as merely the last and the greatest in a series of prophets • Muslims believe in the "Day of Resurrection", or yawm al-Qiyāmah • Muslims believe in predestination, i.e. God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs • Non-Muslim monotheists (Jews and Christians) are dhimmi (People of the Book). As such, their traditions are to be respected and protected under Islamic Law. In return, the dhimmi must pay the jizyah (tribute tax).

12. Sunni Islam • Jihad—”Holy Struggle” • Greater Jihad: A personal struggle against sin • Lesser Jihad: A commitment to strive to spread the teachings of Islam, to remove obstacles wherever they might exist to the preaching of Islam, to defend Islam when oppressed • Sura– Consultation. Usually expressed as a political virtue. The wise leader always consults others (debate over how broad this consultation needs to be) before making his decisions. • Ijma– Consensus. Also expressed as a political virtue. Before making political decisions, the wise ruler accepts the consensus of those he has consulted. • Shari’a—Islamic Law (derived from the Qur’an and Hadith) • Hadith-- The sayings of the Prophet. Hadith can be categorized with regards to its authenticity into 5 types: • Sahih (authentic) • Hasan (sound) • Dha'eef (weak) • Dha'eef Jiddan (very weak) • Mawdhoo (fabricated). • Sunnah-- The way of the Prophet and his Companions (tradition) • Fiqh-- Jurisprudence • Madhhab-- School of jurisprudence • Ijtihad: Independent Reasoning in legal decisions • Dhimmi—Non-Muslim monotheists

13. Sunni Islam • The Five Pillars: • The Shahadah: The basic creed or tenet of Islam: "I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed(although technically the Shi'a do not consider the shahadah to be a separate pillar, just a belief). • Salah: Ritual prayer, which must be performed five times a day. (However, the Shi'a are permitted to run together the noon with the afternoon prayers, and the evening with the night prayers). Each salah is done facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. Salah is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. In many Muslim countries, reminders called Adhan (call to prayer) are broadcast publicly from local mosques at the appropriate times.

14. Zakat:Alms-giving. This is the practice of giving based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it. A fixed portion is spent to help the poor or needy, and also to assist the spread of Islam. The zakat is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen as a "trust from God's bounty". • Sawm: Fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must not eat or drink (among other things) from dawn to dusk during this month, and must be mindful of other sins. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. Sawm is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly.

15. Sunni Islam • The Hajj, which is the pilgrimage during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina. Every Muslim is expected to contribute in some way to a pilgrim on Hajj. • Sunni Schools of Law (Madhhab): • The Hanafi Madhhab: Imam Abu Hanifa, who was the 'founder' of the Hanafi school, lived in what is now modern-day Iraq. Among the four established Sunni schools of legal thought in Islam, the Hanafi school is the oldest, but it is generally regarded as the most liberal and as the one which puts the most emphasis on human reason. The Hanafi school also has the most followers among the four major Sunni schools. (Both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire were Hanafi so the Hanafi school is still widespread in their former lands).

16. Sunni Islam • The Maliki Madhhab: Imam Malik was born shortly thereafter in Medina. This school differs from the three other schools of law in the sources it uses for derivation of rulings. All four schools use the Qur'an as primary source, followed by the sunnah of Muhammad transmitted as hadith (sayings), ijma (consensus of the scholars) and Qiyas (analogy); the Maliki school, in addition, uses the practice of the people of Medina as a source. This source, according to Malik, sometimes supersedes hadith, because the practice of the people of Medina was considered "living sunnah • The Shafi'i Madhhab: Imam Shafi'i was also taught by both Abu Hanifa's students and Imam Malik, and his respect for both men is also well-known. The Shāfi‘ī School of thought stipulates authority to four sources of jurisprudence, also known as the Usul al-fiqh. In hierarchical order the usul al-fiqh consist of: the Quran, the Sunnah of Muhammad, ijma' (consensus), and qiyas (analogy).

17. Sunni Islam • TheHanbaliMadhhab: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal studied under Imam Shafi'i, and consequently there are many similarities between the two madhhabs. The following heirarchy of sources was acknowledged by the Hanbali school: • Divine text (the Quran and the Sunnah) was the first point of reference for all scholars of jurisprudence, and in this, Ahmad was not an exception. Whenever he noticed a divine textual evidence for an issue, he never referred to other sources, opinions of the Companions, scholars or resorted to analogical deduction (Qiyas). • Verdicts issued by the companions were resorted to when no textual evidence was found in the Quran or the Sunnah. The reasons for ranking the verdicts of the Companions after the Quran and the Sunnah are obvious: The Companions witnessed the revelation of the Quran, and its implementation by Muhammad, who advised the Ummah to adhere to the rightly-guided caliphs, hence, the companions ought to have a better understanding than the latter generations. Imam Ahmad, would likewise, never give precedence to a scholarly opinion or analogical deduction over that of the Companions’, to the extent that if they were divided into two camps over an issue, two different narrations would similarly be documented from Imam Ahmad.

18. Sunni Islam • In a case where the companions differed, he preferred the opinion supported by the divine texts (the Quran and the Sunnah). • In instances where none of the above was applicable, Ahmad would resort to the mursal Hadith (with a link missing between the Successor and Muhammad or a weak hadith. However, the type of weak Hadith that Ahmad relied on was such that it may be regarded as fair hadith due to other evidences, not the type that is deemed “very weak” and thus unsuitable as an evidence for Law.

19. Islam • Shi’ite Islam • Beliefs, Concepts and Practices: • Shi’ites believe that the descendants from Muhammad through his daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an and Islam, the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah (traditions), and the most worthy of emulation.

20. Shi’ite Islam • Theology of Shia (Usūl al-Dīn) • Tawhīd: The Oneness of God • Adalah: The Justice of God • Nubuwwah: God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (that is, a perfect system of how to live in "peace" ("submission to God")) prophets are Messengers which are appointed by Allah to bring the message of God to people and spread that message while Imam(leader) is appointed by Allah to protect that message since ordinary people will fail to do so. Also as Muhammed was the last messenger of God which means the message he brought was the last and final message to the people from Allah; none is supposed to bring a message from Allah after Muhammed, therefore, if people were left with the message alone, the true message could not survive long and would have undergone changes. Imams were therefore appointed to take care of the message and prevent people from going astray after the last prophet. • Imamah: God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise. Shia believe in Twelve Imams, eleven of them were killed, but they believe their twelfth Imam is still alive, their history says that he disappeared after performing rituals of the eleventh Imam's (his father) death. He is still under 'ghaybat' or 'occultation' and will appear on the face of the earth to raise the truth and bring an end to tyranny and oppression • Qiyamah: At the end of this world, God will raise mankind for Judgement.

21. Shi’ite Islam • Practices: • Salat — called "Namaaz" in Persian — (Prayer) – Performing the five daily prayers (Prayers can be made up for at night) • Sawm — called "Roozeh" in Persian — (Fast) – fasting during the Islamic holy lunar month of Ramadhan (Able to eat after the sun goes down) • Hajj (Pilgrimage) – performing the pilgrimage to Mecca (once in a lifetime) • Zakat (Poor-rate) – paying the poor-tax (2.5% of your wealth every year should go to the poor) • Khums (One-fifth of savings) – paying tax to the Imam • Jihad (Struggle) – struggling to please the Almighty. The greater, or internal Jihad is the struggle against the evil within one's soul in every aspect of life. The lesser, or external, Jihad is the struggle against the evil of one's environment in every aspect of life. This is not to be mistaken with the common modern misconception that this means "Holy War". Writing the truth (jihad bil qalam) and speaking truth in front of an oppressor are also forms of Jihad. • Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf– commanding what is good • Nahi-Anil-Munkar – forbidding what is evil • Tawalla – loving the Ahlul Bayt (family of the Prophet) and their followers • Tabarra – dissociating oneself from the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt

22. Shi’ite Islam • Schools of Law: • Ja’fari: Ja'fari Fiqh is the name of the jurisprudence of the Shi'a Twelvers Muslims, derived from the name of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the 6th Shia Imam. This school has two main branches • Usuli: This school of thought utilize Ijtihad by adopting reasoned argumentation in finding the laws of Islam. Usulis emphasize the role of Mujtahid who was capable of independently interpreting the sacred sources as an intermediary of the Hidden Imam and , thus, serve as a guide to the community.This meant that legal interpretations were kept flexible to take accout of changing conditions and the dynimics of the times. This school of thought is predominant among most of Shi'a. • Akhbari: This school of thought take a restrictive approach to ijtihad. Akhbaris are located in Basra, its environs and Bahrain.