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Chapter Eight: Islam. The Dome of the Rock Mosque. Muhammad and the Birth of Islam. Muhammad born in Mecca (570 CE) A prophet in the tradition of Moses and Jesus Received revelations from God through angel Gabriel Cast out of Mecca - Hegira (622 CE) Preached in the Qa’aba temple
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Muhammad and the Birth of Islam • Muhammad born in Mecca (570 CE) • A prophet in the tradition of Moses and Jesus • Received revelations from God through angel Gabriel • Cast out of Mecca - Hegira (622 CE) • Preached in the Qa’aba temple • Islam means “submission to God”
John Donne (1572-1631)Holy Sonnets: Batter my heart, three-person'd God • Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you • As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; • That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend • Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. • I, like an usurp'd town to'another due, • Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end; • Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, • But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue. • Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain, • But am betroth'd unto your enemy; • Divorce me, untie or break that knot again, • Take me to you, imprison me, for I, • Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, • Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
Five Pillars of Islam • Recitation: One must recite the Muslim act of faith: “there is one God and Muhammad is his messenger” • Prayer: One must pray five times a day facing Mecca • Charity: one must donate a portion of one’s wealth • Fasting: One must fast during the holy month of Ramadan • Pilgrimage: one must make a trip (Haj) to Mecca at least once in a lifetime to worship at the Qa’aba
The Qur’an • Central text of Islam • Collation of Muhammad’s oral revelations • 114 chapters (sûras); about as long as the New Testament • Written in Arabic • Cannot be translated • Source of unifications for all Muslims • Memorization and recitation
Functions of Islamic Mosques • A mosque is “a place for ritual prostration”—ie, Islamic prayer • Decorated geometrically in tiles, non-narrative art • No furniture, but rugs often on floor for prayer • Niche in the wall called the michrab indicates direction of Mecca in which to pray • Contains fountains so the devout may ritually cleanse hands, feet, and mouth before prayer • Towers next to mosque for announcing call to prayer
[Image 8.8] Maqsura screen of the Córdoba Mosque
[Image 8.10] Taj Mahal
Sufi Writers • Rumi • Over 300 Persian poems (in rhyming couplets) • Also wrote discourses on mystical experiences • Combined recitation and movement (dervishes)
“Be Lost in the Call” by Rumi • Lord, said David, since you do not need us,why did you create these two worlds? • Reality replied: O prisoner of time,I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,and I wished this treasure to be known,so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;its darkened back, the world;The back would please you if you've never seen t he face. • Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?Yet clean away the mud and straw, and a mirror might be revealed. • Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,you must do a little work. • My King addressed the soul of my flesh:You return just as you left.Where are the traces of my gifts? We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.This Sun doesn't want a crown or robe from God's grace.He is a hat to a hundred bald men,a covering for ten who were naked. Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!How could a zephyr ride an ass?Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity. Remember God so much that you are forgotten.Let the caller and the called disappear;be lost in the Call. -"Love is a Stranger", Kabir HelminskiThreshold Books, 1993