Islam

1
Islam
2
Origins of Islam

• Islam is also a code for social conduct.
• Holy Day is Friday.
• Mosque.
• Muslim place of worship.
• Muhammad is the last prophet.
• Descendant of Abraham
• Abraham, father of all prophets, is the first
  Muslim
• Christians and Jews also trace their heritage
  back to Abraham.

3
The Life of Muhammad

• Born about 570 AD to the leading tribe in Mecca.
• He was a caravan manager for a wealthy widow,
  Khadija, whom he eventually married.
• Muhammad was 25 and Khadija was about 40.
• At the age of 40, he claims to receive visions
  and messages from Angel Gabriel.
• He is not seen as a god or a savior.
• He is the messenger of God.

4
The Life of Muhammad

• The angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad to recite!
• Citizens of Mecca were hostile to the message.
• Muhammad fled north to Yathrib (Medina).
• Muhammad leads 10,000 back to Mecca and captures
  the city.
• He destroys the idols in the Kaaba.
• Most of Arabia were converted to Islam by the
  time of his death in 632.

5
Muhammads Teachings

• Each person is responsible for their own
  behavior.
• All should be humble, show mercy and give.
• All believers are spiritually equal.
• Allah will judge each person and based upon their
  actions.
• Allah will send them to heaven or hell for
  eternity.
• Muhammad promoted education even though he could
  not read or write.

6
The Quran

• Islams holy book
• Also spelled Koran
• Gods word spoken through Muhammad.
• The direct words of Muhammads teachings.
• 114 Chapters.

7
The Quran

• Confirms most narratives and prophets of the
  Jewish and Christian faiths.
• Special place for the Virgin Mary, the only
  female, the Chapter of Mary.
• Moses and Jesus are seen as prophets.
• Allah is the word for God used by Christian and
  Muslim Arabs.
• One and only one God, no trinity.
• Arabic is the true language of the Quran.

8
Understanding the Arabic Language

• Written Arabic isnt spoken
• Spoken Arabic isnt written
• Arabic is the language of the Quran and all
  Arabic speakers insist they speak Arabic
• Arabic has also been divided into 5-6 distinct
  languages.

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The Five Pillars of Islam

• The declaration of faith
• "There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the
  messenger of God
• Prayer
• Five obligatory prayers each day.
• A direct link between the worshiper and God.
• No priesthood
• Zakat
• Purification" by setting aside a portion (2.5)
  for the needy
• Obligatory charitable giving.

10
The Five Pillars of Islam

• Fasting
• From sunrise to sunset during the holy month of
  Ramadan
• Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• A pilgrimage to Mecca
• Must be completed once in a Muslims lifetime,
  unless a person is physically unable.
• The people must march around the Kaaba seven
  times and then kiss the Black Stone.

11
A Way of Life

• The Islamic system of law is called Sharia.
• Regulated moral conduct.
• Family life.
• Business practices.
• Government.
• Other aspects of a Muslim community.
• Unlike the law codes that evolved in the West,
  the Sharia does not separate religious matters
  from criminal or civil law.

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Beyond the Belief
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7th Century Middle East

• The Arabian Peninsula
• The origins of Arabs
• Mostly desert, few urban areas
• Mecca is an urban trading center
• Mainly tribal society
• Religions
• Christianity, Judaism, and polytheism
• The Persian Empire
• The Byzantine Empire
• Christianity is the state religion since the 3rd
  century
• A foreign occupying power
• Conflicts with the locals

14
The SchismThe Division of Islam

• Reasons for the division
• Succession to Caliphate.
• Successors of Muhammed.
• Incorporation of non-Koranic elements into Islam.
  
• Worldliness of Caliphs, discrimination against
  non-Arab Muslims.

15
Sunnis and Shiites

• Sunni
• 90 of Muslims
• Follow the Quran as we have it is today, and as
  interpreted by the Sunni scholars
• Shiites
• Came to be as a sect after 680 A.D.
• Believe in the Quran, like Sunni
• However, they place Ali very high as a holy
  figure, and think main stream
• Islam discriminated against him
• Today Shittes is mainly in Iran (90), Iraq (55)
  and Lebanon (40)

16
Muslim Conquest

• The Byzantine and Persian empires were weak from
  years of fighting each other.
• People in the Fertile Crescent welcomed Arab
  conquerors as liberators.
• The Arabs used bold, efficient fighting methods,
  which overwhelmed traditional armies.
• The common faith of Islam united a patchwork of
  tribes into a determined, unified state.

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The Decline of the Muslim Empire

• Around 850, the caliphs became unable to maintain
  centralized control and the empire fragmented.
• In the 900s, Seljuk Turks invaded the Middle East
  and built a large empire in the Fertile Crescent.
  
• In the 1200s and 1300s, Mongol invaders dominated
  the Middle East.