ISLAM IN INDIA: AN

OVERVIEW

Dr. Doris Jakobsh

Adherents.com

WORLD-WIDE MUSLIM POPULATIONS

900 MILLION

Country Number of Muslims (approximate)

Indonesia 170 million

Pakistan 137 million

Bangladesh 106 million

India 103 million

Turkey 62 million

ISLAM:� Meaning =

Submission/Surrender

� To ‘Allah’ (‘the God’)

� ‘God alone is great’

4

CONTEXT:

3 great ‘super-powers’:

� Byzantine Empire - Christian

� Ethiopian Empire – Christian

� Persian Empire – Zoroastrian, with Jewish and Christian minorities

� Arabia of Muhammad - polytheistic

5

HANIFS

� Already a movement towards monotheism,

due to the belief that worldview of the

‘super-powers’ was more progressive than

that of polytheism

� Movement that affirmed monotheism, but

distinct from Christianity, Judaism,

Zoroastsrianism

MUHAMMAD:

� 570-632 CE

� Born in Mecca

7

MUHAMMAD

� Merchant family

� Part of Quraysh tribe (custodians of

sacred places of Mecca)

� 25 years old – entered service of Khadija,

a wealthy widow much older than

Muhammad

� Fatima – their daughter

Muhammad leads a caravan

MUHAMMAD AND GABRIEL

� 611 CE

� Solitary meditations in

caves

� Archangel Gabriel

10

HIJRA

� 611-621 Muhammad preaches to fellow

Meccans about the oneness of God

� 622 – accepts an invitation to Yathrib

(Medina)

� This journey is called HIJRA

� This is the date from which the Muslim

calendar starts

MUHAMMAD IN MEDINA

MUHAMMAD RETURNS TO

MECCA

13

� USING MEDINA AS A BASE, ALL OF

ARABIA IS BROUGHT UNDER

MUHAMMAD’S CONTROL

� HE WAS THE RELIGIOUS LEADER,

POLITICAL RULER, MILITARY

COMMANDER

14

� HIS DIVINE REVELATIONS CONTINUE

TO THE END OF HIS LIFE

� THESE REVELATIONS TOGETHER

MAKE UP THE TEXT OF THE QUR’AN,

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF ISLAM

MUHAMMAD’S DEATH

In 632, he was suddenly taken ill. on June 8, with his third wife Aishah beside him, the Messenger of God "died with the heat of noon."

ISLAM’S EXPANSION, 25 YEARS

MECCA TODAY

18

5 PILLARS OF ISLAM

�SHAHADA - WITNESS

�SALAAT - PRAYER 5 TIMES DAILY

� ZAKAT - ALMSGIVING

�SAWM OR SIYAM, FASTING,

RAMADAN

�HAJJ - PILGRIMAGE

1) SHAHADA: CORNERSTONE

OF ISLAM

“There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger (Quran, 48:29).’’

20

SHAHADA

� In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa'Allah -'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God--wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa'Allah: 'except God', the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu'Llah: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves. It is taken directly from the Qur'an:

21

QUR’AN 3:18, BEARING

WITNESS

� "God bears witness that there is no god

but God and so do the angels and those

possessed of knowledge. In justice, there

is no god but Him, He is the exalted, the

wise."

22

2) SALAAT: PRAYER

� dawn

� noon

� mid-afternoon

� sunset

� nightfall

� Prayers determine the rhythm of the entire day

� Prayers can be performed anywhere, but preferably in a mosque

23

SALAAT, POSTURES

� The Salaat consists of standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting positions.

� Before, during and after each of these positions, Muslims recite verses from the Holy Qur'an and glorify Allah as directed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who was taught the details by Archangel Jibril (Gabriel, pbuh).

� Muslims performing

Salaat facing

toward Ka'bah.

RIGHT: Pilgrims in

prostration.

25

CALL TO PRAYER:

� “God is most Great. God is most Great.God is most Great. God is most Great.I testify that there is no God except Allah.I testify that there is no God except Allah.I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.Come to prayer! Come to prayer!Come to success (in this life and the Here after)! Come to success!Allah is most great. Allah is most great.There is no God except Allah.”

� (heard in Muslim mosques)

MUSLIMS, CALCUTTA

27

3) ZAKAT: ALMSGIVING

� all things belong to God

� wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.

� Zakat literally means grow (in goodness) or 'increase', 'purifying' or 'making pure'.

� So the act of giving zakat means purifying one's wealth to gain Allah's blessing to make it grow in goodness.

28

ZAKAT: ‘RELIGIOUS PAYMENT’

� Zakat is a religious ‘payment’ made by Muslims from their wealth or income, or business, or crops,

� In the form of money or crops or animals –usually 2.5%

� Often Zakat committee set up, or, in Islamic countries, government

29

ZAKAT: QUR’AN 9:103

� "Take from their wealth a portion for

charity, in order to clean them thereby,

and sanctify them."

30

4) SAWM OR SIYAM

� Fasting

� Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations.

31

SAWM OR SIYAM

� Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and

women who are pregnant or nursing are NOT

required to complete the entire fast

� They can break the fast and make up an equal

number of days later in the year

� They can also feed a needy person for every

day missed.

32

RAMADAN

� Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim

calendar

� The Month of Ramadan is also when it is

believed the Holy Qur’an was sent down

from heaven to guide humankind and offer

the way of Salvation

33

RAMADAN

�Ramadan is a time when Muslims

concentrate on their faith and spend

less time on the concerns of their

everyday lives. It is a time of worship

and contemplation

34

QUR’AN

� One may eat and drink at any time during

the night "until you can plainly distinguish

a white thread from a black thread by the

daylight: then keep the fast until night."

35

ID/EID-AL-FITR

- Begins with the sighting of the new moon:

� Fasting is forbidden on this day, as it marks the end of the month long fast of Ramadan

36

EID:

� One is encouraged to rise early and eat a

light snack

� Then bathe, as always, but with the

remembrance that this is a special day.

� Muslims are encouraged to dress in their

best clothes, new if possible.

‘EID MUBARAK’

EID GREETING CARDS

38

5) HAJJ: PILGRIMAGE

� a once-in-a-lifetime obligation upon male

and female ADULTS whose health and

means permit it

� about two million people go to Makkah

each year from every corner of the globe

39

HAJJ: PREPARATIONS

�Before setting out, a pilgrim should

redress all wrongs, pay all debts, plan

to have enough funds for his/her own

journey and for the maintenance of

the family while he/she is away, and

prepare him/herself for good conduct

throughout the Hajj.

40

HAJJ: LUNAR CALENDAR

� Although Makkah is always filled with

visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the

twelfth month of the Islamic year

� so Hajj and Ramadan are at times

celebrated in the fall or winter

41

QUR’AN, 22:26-30

Behold! We gave the site to Abraham of the (Sacred) House (saying): "Associate not any thing (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round or stand up or bow or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer)."And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;"That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them and celebrate the name of Allah through the Days appointed over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want."Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them perform their vows and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House."Such (is the Pilgrimage): whoever honors the sacred rites of Allah for him it is good in the sight of his Lord. Lawful to you (for food in pilgrimage) are cattle except those mentioned to you (as exceptions): but shun the abomination of idols and shun the word that is false.

MINA:

� On the first day of the

Hajj, pilgrims sweep out

of Mecca towards Mina, a small uninhabited village

east of the city.

� Pilgrims generally spend

their time meditating and

praying, as the Prophet

did on his pilgrimage.

43

HAJJ: CLOTHING

� Pilgrims wear simple but special white clothes: simple because no distinctions of class and culture are to be shown

� ‘Ihram', a garment made of two seamless white sheets or towels symbolising purity and equality that must be worn by men

� all are equal before God

44

HAJJ: RITES

� Ablutions (as before prayer times)

� Abstention from any killing, sexual activity,

cutting hair or nails

45

TOUCH KA’ABA

� The Ka'aba is a stone building located near the center of the quadrangle of the Grand Mosque in the Holy City of Makkah. Set in a silver surround in the east corner of the Ka'aba, some four feet above ground level, is the Black Stone. This sacred Stone, the focal point of the Hajj, is the only remnant of the shrine which Abraham built when it was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel.

� Kiss or touch KA’ABA

� Circumambulate 7 times (Tawaaf)

KA’ABA, DRAWING

Each year an Arab nation

provides the beautiful drapes

which cover the

Kab’ah for the Hajj.

47

REFLECTIONS AT KA’ABA

� “To touch and kiss the stone is to travel back in time and follow in the footsteps of all those pious and noble greats in history who have touched it. It is not easy to do that, though. It seems there are always too many people ahead who are trying to do the same. The closest we came to it was about ten feet and there we raised our hands in salutation and to say that 'God is great.”

Reflections of a devotee at the Haj,

http://users.erols.com/ameen/hajjexp.htm

HAJJ: KA’ABA

49

KA’ABA

� Islam's holiest place was not built by its

last Prophet Muhammad

� tradition has it that the Ka'bah was

originally built by Prophet Adam and was

rebuilt by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and

his eldest son Prophet Isma'il (Ishmael),

nearly four thousand five hundred years

ago.

50

TALBIAH (prayer during Tawaaf

circumambulation)

Here I am O Allah, at Thy Command. Here

I am, at Thy Command.

There is no partner unto Thee. Here I

am, at Thy Command.

Verily Thine is the praise, the blessings

and the sovereignty of the universe.

There is no partner unto Thee.

51

ZAMZAM

� Zamzam – well

� Where the water sprang up under

Ismael’s feet

� Now enclosed in a marble chamber in

the Ka'bah

52

REFLECTIONS, ZAMZAM

� “As we drink from

Zamzam, we know it

is the same well that

sprang up in the

middle of the desert

so Hagar and

Ishmael could drink

from it.”

http://users.erols.com/ameen/hajjexp.htm

53

SA’Y: ‘RUNNING’

� Run 7 times up and down a colonnade between 2 hills (450 yards apart) – SA’Y - ‘Hagar searching for water for Ishmael’

� Hagar, is said to have run back and forth seven times between two rocky hillocks, al-Safa and al-Marwah and then found the sacred water known as Zamzam

54

Reflections at Hajj

� “As we walk and run between Safa

and Marwah, the two hillocks in the

northeast of Ka'bah, we know

these are the same hills where

Hajerah (Hagar) ran to search for

water for infant Ishmael.”

Reflections of a devotee at the Hajj

http://users.erols.com/ameen/hajjexp.htm

56

RETURN TO MINA:

� Before daybreak on the third day, pilgrims move

back to Mina. There they throw white pebbles

that have been collected earlier.

� According to some traditions, this practice is

associated with Prophet Ibrahim.

� As pilgrims throw seven pebbles at each of

these pillars, they remember the story of Satan's

attempt to persuade Ibrahim to disregard God's

command to sacrifice his son.

57

REFLECTIONS AT MINA

� “As we gather pebbles at Muzdalfah to throw at the pillars designated as the place where Satan tempted Prophet Abraham, we realize that some of the very pebbles may have been touched by the Prophet and his companions. At this place, we are in the grip of history. We can see it, hear it, feel it, touch it and drink from it. It is in Mina where Satan tempted Prophet Abraham and he threw pebbles at Satan to keep him at bay. In the memory of that incident, we also throw pebbles at the symbolic Satan reminding ourselves the satan within us exploiting our weaknesses and tempting us with riches, pleasures, and non-productive activities. ”

http://users.erols.com/ameen/hajjexp.htm

58

FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE

� Following the casting of the pebbles, most

pilgrims sacrifice a goat, sheep or some

other animal. They give the meat to the

poor after, in some cases, keeping a small

portion for themselves.

CAMELS, FOR FESTIVAL OF

SACRIFICE

60

END OF HAJJ:

� Men either shave their heads or clip their hair, and women cut off a symbolic lock, to mark their partial deconsecration. This is done as a symbol of humility. All proscriptions, save the one of conjugal relations, are now lifted.

61

REFLECTION: END OF HAJJ

� “The most difficult time comes when

leaving the House of Allah. One is never

completely satisfied with the time spent

here. There is always a desire for visiting it

again and to enjoy the peace and

tranquility of this holy place of the

Prophets. We make the farewell Tawaaf

and pray that we come back here soon.”

http://users.erols.com/ameen/hajjexp.htm

62

HAJJ, REFLECTION"It would require a master pen to describe the scene, poignant in its intensity, of that great concourse of humanity of which I was one small unit, completely lost to their surroundings in a fervor of religious enthusiasm. Many of the pilgrims had tears streaming down their cheeks; others raised their faces to the starlit sky that had witnessed this drama so often in the past centuries. The shining eyes, the passionate appeals, the pitiful hands outstretched in prayer moved me in a way that nothing had ever done before, and I felt caught up in a strong wave of spiritual exaltation. I was one with the rest of the pilgrims in a sublime act of complete surrender to the Supreme Will which is Islam."

Lady Evelyn Cobbold, 1934

http://www.islam.org/Mosque/jlthajj/hajj.htm

ISLAM IN INDIA

FIRST MUSLIMS: 711

� Caliphate of Damscus

MAHMUD OF GHAZNI

� Afghanistan

� 1001 – 1026 CE

� 17 invasions

� ‘The Idol Breaker’

GHAZNI VICTORY TOWER, GHAZNI,

AFGHANISTAN

ANANDPAL, RAJA OF PUNJAB

� 1008 CE

� Peshawar

� Runaway

Elephant

TIMUR

"I am the scourge of God appointed to chastise you, since no one knows the remedy for your iniquity except me. You are wicked, but I

am more wicked than you, so be silent!"

Tamerlane

1398, India

BABUR

1526-1530

PURANA QILA, DELHI

Babur's Purana Qila, Delhi

HUMANYUN

� 1530-1556

AKBAR

� 1556-1605

� Son of Humayun

� Greatest of Mughal

line

Jahangir's birth, Rejoicing, Mughal,

c. 1590.

JAHANGIR

� 1605-1627

� Muslim emperor in

power when first

Europeans came to

India

� Built Sikandra,

Akbar’s tomb

SHAHJAHAN

� 1627-1658

� Shahjahan

� Mumtaz

TAJ MAHAL

AURANGZEB

� 1658 to 1707

77

BRIDGES: ISLAM AND

HINDUISM

� Kabir

� Nanak

� Akbar

KABIR, THE WEAVER

79

KABIR

“Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.

My shoulder is against yours.

You will not find me in stupas, not in shrine rooms, nor in temples:

Not in masses, nor kirtan, not in eating nothing but vegetables.

When you really look for me, you will see me instantly:

You will find me in the tiniest house of time.

Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?

He is the breath inside the breath.”

80

KABIR:

“Swan, tell me your story.

What country have you come from, swan, what shores are you flying to?

Where do you rest at night, and what are you looking for?

It’s dawn, swan, wake up, soar to the air, follow me!

There is a land not governed by sadness and doubt, where the fear of death is unknown.

Spring forests bloom there and the wind is sweet with the flower ‘He-Is-Myself’.

The bee if the heart dives into it and wants no other joy.”

81

KABIR:

� 1440 – 1518 CE

� Weaver caste in Varanasi

� (At an earlier time weaver caste of

Varanasi had converted to Islam)

� Advantageous to do so

� Kabir raised as Muslim

82

KABIR’S CRITIQUE OF ISLAM:“I’m asking you, Mr. Muslim

With your red and yellowRags and robes.

Now you, Mr. Qazi [religious administrator]

What kind of work is that,Going from house to house

Chopping heads?Who gave you the order for chickens and goats?

Who told you to swing the knife?

Aren’t you afraid to be called a sageAs you read your verses

And dupe the world?Kabir says, this high class Muslim

Wants to force this way on the world.

Fast all day

Kill cows at night,Here prayers, there blood –

Does this please God?”

83

- KABIR URGED PEOPLE OF

ALL FAITHS TO FIND

SALVATION IN TOTAL

SURRENDER TO GOD

- THIS ALONE IS THE TRUE

PATH

84

KABIR:

“O servant, where does thou seek me?

Lo! I am beside thee.

I am neither in temple nor in mosque.

I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash.

Neither am I in rites and ceremonies,

Nor in yoga and renunciation.

If thou are a true seeker,

Thou shalt at once see me.

Thou shalt meet me in a moment of time.

Kabir says, ‘O Sadhu’

God is in the breath of all.”

85

AKBAR:

� Conquest is not what he is known for

� Unification and consolidation

� Policy of conciliation

86

AKBAR:

� Abolished jizya – special tax on non-

Muslims

� Sought out Hindu holy men

� Employed Hindus

87

GENUINE CULTURAL

SYNTHESIS:

� Began as a policy of conciliation

� Evolved into something much bigger:

� CULTURAL SYNTENSIS OF THE

FINEST ELEMENTS OF ALL THE

WORLD’S RELIGIONS

88

AKBAR LEADS BY EXAMPLE:

� Married 4 wives: Muslim, Buddhist,

Christian, Hindu

FATEHPUR SIKRI

- Visible model of

policy of cultural

fusion

- Combined elements

of both Muslim and

Hindu traditions

Diwan-i-kas - Akbar's audiences

Buland gate, entrance to Masjid

Din-i-Ilahi

� ‘divine faith’

� New religion

� One that would incorporate both the common and the BEST elements of the world’s religions

� Religious syncretism

94

FATEHPUR SIKRI: A DREAM?

� YET, IN A LITTLE MORE THAN 20 YEARS,

FATEHPUR SIKRI WAS ABANDONED

� POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF A SHORTAGE OF

WATER

� TODAY, IT IS QUIET AND DESERTED PLACE