History 107 Lecture 29

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History 107Lecture 29

• Origins of Islam

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Heir of Rome Islamic Civilization

• Who is the founder of the Islamic religion?
• Islam began c. 610 A.D. when Muhammad, a merchant
  from Mecca (modern Saudi Arabia) had a vision
• The angel Gabriel spoke to him and said
  Readread in the name of thy Lord who creates
  man from a clot
• This is the first of many messages from God that
  Muhammad received for his contemplation. They
  form the Quran, which in Arabic means reading
  or recitation
• The Quran is considered by Muslims to be a book
  of divine revelation

Man with Arabic text, pen and ink, Iran
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Early Islam

• Muhammad began to preach in Mecca, telling the
  people to give up their idols and submit to the
  one and indivisible God
• This message was unpopular among the leaders of
  Mecca, whose prosperity was tied to guardianship
  of the Kaba, a polytheistic sanctuary
• Muhammad moved to Medina, and his followers grew
• Muhammad became involved with political, legal,
  and military issues. The parts of the Quran
  written in Medina therefore concerned with
  practical problems of living together in community

Arabia, including Mecca and Medina
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Early Islam

• The house of the Prophet in Medina was the first
  communal gathering place for prayer, and it
  served as a prototype for the earliest mosques
• In congregation the act of prayer, which is
  intended to create a sense of unity and cohesion,
  is led by a prayer leader. The first of these
  prayer leaders was Muhammad
• Later, Muhammad returned to Mecca, and one of his
  first acts was to cleanse the Kaba of its idols
  and to rededicate the shrine to Allah. It has
  remained important for Muslims ever since

Arabia, including Mecca and Medina
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The Quran, Hadith, and Art

• The Quran is the cornerstone of Muslim faith,
  practice, and law
• It provides guidelines for social welfare, family
  and inheritance laws, and proper behavior within
  the framework of a just and equitable society
• The Quran does not speak against the creation of
  figural images, only the making of idols
• Restrictions on figurative arts are, however,
  found in another body of literature known as
  Hadith, or "tradition
• Hadith includes accounts of the sayings, deeds,
  and thoughts of the Prophet and is superseded in
  importance only by the Quran

A page of the Quran from 10th century Tunisia
(blue parchment with gold lettering)
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Islamic Artwork and Illustration
Early Muslim Vase with Quran writings
Illustrated manuscript, Iraq
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The Expansion of Islam

• Although Muhammad died in 632, Islam became a
  motivating force in the formation and conversion
  of Arabia and much of Palestine (634)
• By the 640s, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt were
  unified by the Muslim religion and government
• By 711, Islam had spread into central Asia,
  India, North Africa, Spain
• The Byzantine Empire stopped the expansion at
  Constantinople in 717-718, and would battle
  Muslims until the 15th century
• European expansion of Islam stopped in 732
  (Poitiers, France, Charles Martel) but Spain
  remained partly Muslim until 1492
• Islamic leaders called Caliphs in this early
  period
• Various dynasties arose that controlled different
  geographic regions, so the Islamic world was
  rarely united
• Arabic remained the only accepted language of
  religious expression in Islam, and even to this
  day the Quran cannot be translated if it is to
  be used for religious purposes

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Doctrine Five Pillars of Islam

• The creed belief (Iman) in God, his angels, his
  books, his prophets, and the last judgment. Core
  statement There is no God but God and Muhammad
  is the Prophet of God. If you can say this, you
  can be regarded as a minimalist Muslim
• Prayer or worship (Salat) five times a day
  (rising, early afternoon, late afternoon, sunset,
  and before bed). Friday prayers as a group.
  Prayer symbolizes humility of men and women in
  the presence of God
• Fasting (Sawm) during daylight hours during the
  month of Ramadanfasting from eating, drinking,
  smoking, and sex. This is a time of discipline
  like Christian Lent encourages a focus on God
  and unity in the community
• Giving of alms (Zakat)a Muslim should give
  1/40th of his revenue per year in cash or kind to
  the poor or those striving in the way of God
• Pilgrimage (Hajj)A trip once in a lifetime to
  Mecca, if a person is physically able. Only
  Muslims can participate. Ritual acts recall
  great events in early Hebrew and Islamic history

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A Trip to Mecca (hajj)

• The once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mecca is a
  requirement for all Muslims who are able
• During the five day trip, people dress in white
  (to stress equality) and visit holy sites,
  including the Grand Mosque and Kaaba
• Muslims believe that Abraham built the Kaaba out
  of black granite to honor God and then initiated
  the hajj
• Livestock is also sacrificed in commemoration of
  Abraham's readiness to offer his son Ismail
• About two million Muslims go each year (all at
  once!)
• The 2004 hajj took place last January 31 to
  February 4

The Kaaba in Mecca
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The Quran (Koran)

• The two foundations of Muslim faith are God's
  revelations to Muhammad, known as the Quran, and
  reports about Muhammad's life and deeds, known as
  the hadith
• The central miracle of Islam is God's revelation
  to Muhammad, whose human fallibilities as a mere
  mortal are repeatedly mentioned in the Quran
• The revelations that comprise the Quran were
  revealed over a period of more than two decades
  in two places
• The first revelations from the period of
  Muhammad's residence in Mecca are short and
  incantatory verses of extraordinary poetic beauty
• The later revelations from the period after
  Muhammad immigrated to Medina are longer,
  legalistic texts appropriate to a developing
  community of believers in need of rules and
  regulations

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The Quran

• The Quran is comparable in length to the
  Christian Gospels. It contains 114 Arabic
  chapters (suras) of varying length. The opening
  sura is called the Fatiha, a short prayer or
  invocation for many situations
• In the Name of God, the Merciful, the
  Compassionate
• Praise belongs to God, Lord of all Being
• the All-merciful, the All-compassionate
• the Master of the Day of Doom
• Thee only we serve to Thee alone we pray for
  succor
• Guide us in the straight path
• the path of those whom Thou hast blessed,
• not of those against whom Thou art wrathfulnor
  of those who are astray.

An ancient Quran, Islamic Museum, Cairo
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Sura 29 (The Spider)

• How does the God Allah seem the same and/or
  different than the Hebrew and/or Christian God
  you have studied?
• How are Biblical figures such as Lot, Noah, and
  Abraham used in this passage?
• What is the metaphor of the spider all about?
  How does it describe the human relationship with
  God for Muslims? What does it say about human
  existence?
• According to this sura, how should the people of
  God live?

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Sura 47 (Muhammad)

• How does God deal with believers and
  non-believers?
• What is the role of Satan in human affairs?
• How should the people of God act?
• Does this sura offer any advice for rulers?