Islam Part III

Ritual:

-Lifetime: Funerals- Janazah are prayers for the dead at gravesite. The burial takes place within 24 hours of death.

Shahadada: The marking of a young Muslim’s entry to Islam.

-Artifacts: Qur’an

-Rites of Passage: (See lifetime/shahadada)

-Worship: Muslims are required to pray 5 times daily at certain times, no matter what they are doing.

-Festivals/Holidays:

-Ramadan: Is a time of repentance and fasting, takes place in the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar.

-Al-Isra Wal Miraj: Marks Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina.

-Lilat Ul-Qadur: The final 10 days of Ramadan. Celebrate Muhammad’s first revelation from Allah.

-Gender Issues: Women do not have the same rights as men. They cannot make independent decisions about divorce, custody of children, etc.

Text:

Muslim Call to Prayer: “Allah is most great (4x). I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah (2x). I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah (2x). Come to prayer (2x). Come to Success (2x). Allah is most great (2x). There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah.

Composition of Qur’an: Has 114 chapters/sections, organized from longest verse/section in the beginning, to the shortest at the end.

Doctrines/Beliefs:

Shahadada: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” (Summary of most creeds in one!

Eschatology: There is the Judgement Day (yawmuddin), which occurs after all humanity dies, and Allah judges each and every Muslim on his/her good and bad deeds, those who do well according to Allah proceed to Jannah, to live eternally with Allah. Each person has a “book of deeds” which holds all of a person’s actions.

Cosmogony/Cosmology: Allah created the universe so that he is noticed and recognized, because before the universe creation, no one knew of him. There is the judged universe (those who live with Allah in Jannah, eternally) and the Test universe, (imperfect).

Religious Experience:

-Group experience: Prayer in unison, at Mecca, at the Ka’bah.

-Individual Experience: Hajj: Each Muslim is required to (if able) travel/migrate to Mecca to pray once in a lifetime.

Ethics and Moral Conduct:

-Beliefs: See gender issues, as well as women are required to wear a Burqwah/Hijab, in order to cover their bodies to prevent temptation for the men. Jihad is the only form of warfare allowed by Islamic law, yet most Muslims view Jihad as only a defensive form.

-Shari’a Law: “Is the expression of the Divine will.” It covers all aspects of life, giving guidance and rules. The duties that Allah places on the Muslim community, (Ummah).

-Qanun Law: These are laws publicized by Muslim sovereignty, the opposite of Shari’a in a way. Laws laid down by humans, not Allah.

Huston Smith Section II (231-242)

The Standing Miracle
-Qu'ran is what' is known as the "standing miracle." Why? It's the sacred text, delivered directly from Allah, through Muhammad by means of voice of Gabriel, to the people. Muhammad's followers recorded the messages in any way possible.

-Uncreated Qu'ran and "Real" Qu'ran: Uncreated is the divine reality, while the written one is the earthly reality.

-The bible testaments have two things (bad) the Qu'ran does not: partially corrupted in transmission (Qu'ran was directly from Allah, and written under His supervision in a way), and it only records partial truth.

-The Bible is less about God's direct pronouncements.


Basic Theological Concepts
Similar to those of Christianity and Judaism.

Creation: an act of Allah's will, important.

Fitrah: Human nature. Muslims must surrender to Allah is an obligation.

God: monotheistic, got rid of idolatry. His nature is powerful, unrecognizable.

Judgement Day: Main idea: each soul will be held responsible for actions. Qu'ran puts the stress all on the individual.

Huston Smith Section I (221-231)

The Seal of the Prophets/Background
Why is Muhammad called "the seal of the prophets?" and how was Muhammad raised, how did he become the prophet he is best known for being, and what were the initial reactions to the rise of Islam?

-Muhammad is referenced to as the seal of the prophets because he was the last "valid" prophet. There were prophets before him, but none had as much influence.

-Muhammad was brought up in a tumultuous time, the prevailing polytheistic religion focusing mostly on spirits and demons known as jinn. As he grew he frequently visited a cave on Mount Hira, where he began to realize the truth about Allah: that he was the God, the only God, etc. One night he was confronted by an angel where he was told to "proclaim!" meaning, acknowledge and praise Allah. He became his prophet to the people, yet only produced a few followers over the years.

-The initial reactions to the uprise of Islam were not friendly. Muhammad and his followers were severely persecuted, by being ignored, beaten, and out-casted.


The Migration That Led to Victory
What was Muhammad's "migration" all about? What victory came from it?

-Muhammad traveled to Medina (Yathrib) because he had a strong group of followers there. Once there, he became a sort of politician, controlling government, etc, and bringing together the 5 tribes in the area, an unheard of feat.

-The Meccans came to Medina multiple times and tried to force all the Muslims out, and get rid of Muhammad, but failed each time. Muhammad's empire of Muslims had expanded throughout all of Arabia and into North Africa and parts of Europe. In short, where he was once persecuted, he then controlled.