Islamic World

• Islamism (salafi Islam, fundamentalism) (15-20%?)– Islam must have political power and a state – Response to European colonialism– Reject modernism and turn to Islam– But no unanimity about democracy

• Jihadism (salafiyya jihadiyya) (<1%?) 15 Mill. – Extremist version of Islamism– No gradual implementation or political process– Only violence can recreate an idealized Islamic state called the

“Caliphate”

• Islam - Ancient religion of 1.5 billion people - Diversity of beliefs, practices, and politics - Modernists, traditionalist and orthodox (80-85%?)

Pre-Islamic Religion

• Byzantine Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism

• Predecessor—Bedouin tribes (polytheist, animistic nomads)

• Local tribal deities, numerous spirits, angels, demons, fairies

• Mecca’s Ka’ba housed the Black Stone and images of 360 gods and goddesses and relics

The Formation of Early Islam

• Invitation to Medina

• Muhammad in Medina

• Early Battles for control of Mecca

• The Last Years of Muhammad

Life of Muhammad• Muhammad born in Mecca in 570

• Orphaned as a young boy and taken in by his uncle—a camel driver for caravans

• In mid-twenties marries widow trader

• While in the desert, he hear Gabriel’s call to be a prophet of Allah “Night of Power”

• He saw himself as the final revelation of both previous traditions: Judaism and Christianity

Muhammad’s Five Pillars of Faith

1. Confession of faith (shahadah)

2. Prayers five times a day (salaht)

3. Almsgiving (zakaht)

4. Observance of fasting and Ramadan (sawm)

5. Making a hajj to Mecca

Origins of the Kaaba

• Islamic tradition states that the Kaaba was built by Abraham and Ishmael as a reminder of the links between Muslims and Jews.

• It is also believed to be the site of the place where Abraham was planning on sacrificing Isaac

Muhammad left his hometown and

moved to Medina (hijrah) in 622. After converting

Medina, he returned to Mecca and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba.

Quran = recitation

• Beliefs about Quran:- Written in Heaven, revealed to Muhammad, surpassing all other scriptures

• Nature of God – Allah, angels, jinn,

• Predestination – fatalism vs freedom and responsibilty

• Eschatology – final judgment of the soul

Under Muhammad 622-632 632-661

661-733

Spread of Islam in just over a century

Expansion of Islam

Paralleled the expansion of Christianity.

Jihad=holy war and internal struggle over sin

There wasn’t much difference between holy wars from both Christianity and Islam

Conversion wasn’t so much forced as much as the advantageousness of being within Islam.

Factors slowing Islamic spread

• Constantinople and Greek fire

• Charles Martel (the Hammer) from Tours

Divisions within Islam

After Muhammad’s death several “denominations” developed within Islam:

• Sunni=the tradition of the Prophet (the orthodox 90% of Islam who believe in election from within the faith)

• Shiites=claim that they are descendents of Ali and only Shiites should be rulers

The First Three Caliphs or “Rashidin” Sustain the Salaf: The Community of Islam as it was under Muhammed

Abū Bakr 632-34 Umar 634-44

Uthmān 644-656

Alī grew up with Muhammed and is revered by Sunni Muslims as the last of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs and an authority on the Qur'an and Islamic Law.

Shi'a consider him the First Imam appointed by the Prophet Muhammad and the first rightful caliph. Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. SHIA is short for šī at Ali "the party of Ali". Shia Muslims adhere to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family who they refer to as Ahl al-Bayt. Ali is killed by the followers of Uthman in a Civil War and the Umayyads rule the Caliphate.

Ali 656-661

Islamic Theology

• One God with many heavenly figures

• Messengers, jinns (between humans and angels)

• Predestination—within limits

• Eschatology—after death one waits for the end time and then one is judged based upon works

• Muslims go to mosques on Friday where imam preaches

• Polygamy and second-class relationship

• No pork, birds, donkeys, etc.

• Jihad—dual nature of personal and defensive wars

Significance of Karbala 680 (Husayn) Muharram, first month of the

Islamic calendar. Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn, (Imam) the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and spiritual leader of the Shi'a people.

He refused to swear allegiance to Yazid, the second Umayyad Caliph. He tried to travel from Medina to Kufa but was surrounded by forces loyal to Yazid in the desert at a place now known as Karbala. Outnumbered, most of the family of Mohammad are slaughtered.

The captive women and children of the family of Mohammad are paraded inchains from town to town. This contributed to the end of Yazid's rule. The tragedy played an enormous role in the development of Shi'a identity. The story of Husayn and the killing of the family of Mohammad heavily influenced the rapid spread of Shi'a Islam. London

Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram commemorating the day of the massacre.

Karbala

Their rule was finally ended in 1258, when Hulagu Khan, the Mongol conqueror, sacked Baghdad. While they continued to claim authority in religious matters from their base in Egypt, the dynasty's secular authority had ended.

Shifted the capital from Damascus to Baghdad.

Went into decline with the rise to power of the Turkish army it had created, the Mamluks.

Abbasid Dynasty 750-1258

Spread of trade and culture• Islamic traders North Africa (salt, slaves, gold, etc.)

• Timbuktu, Damascus, Baghdad, Cordoba, Cairo—great centers of power, libraries, and learning

• Surpassed Western Christendom in wealth, education, libraries, arts and culture

• With the Mongol invasions in 1258 the tide began to turn

• Islamic Culture multicultural (Arab and non-Arab)

Islamic Art and Architecture

Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain 784-787

Alhambra, Spain

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

687-691

Sufi…purification through physical sensation of dance and music

N.B. Recall the differences between the East (emotional) and the West (logical)

Whirling Dervishes

The Clash of Civilizations

Modernity, the Palestinian problem, and terrorism are the central issues facing Islam today. How these issues play themselves out will determine much of our futures.