Islam - Pre-Islamic Arabia Lesson 1
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Transcript of Islam - Pre-Islamic Arabia Lesson 1
Islam
Rapidly growing religion
Dominates in 52 countries
Total population of Islam – about 1,000,000,000 – 1/6 world population
Only 20% in middle east.
The largest Muslim country is Indonesia
Islam
Rapidly growing in Europe – now the second largest religion in Europe
However, only a small percentage of missionaries have been working with Muslims
Islam
Expanded from Arabia into both eastern and western Europe for centuries
Dominated North Africa, the middle east and Central Asia
Extended to Indonesia, Philippine Islands
Islam
It is tied with 7th century Arabian culture, and is a deification of that culture.
You cannot separate the culture and the religion – they are tied together in politics, family structure, food, clothing, religious rites, etc.
Ideal – live like Muhammed; make the whole world Islamic
Islam – submit
Islam = submission of body and soul to Allah
Muslim = those who submit
Pre-Arabian – one who submits even knowing that they will die (Fighting in the Alamo). The hero dies
Difference – in Christianity, He died for us
Islam – submit
Terrorists in the eyes of many Muslims are true Muslim heroes who die for their faith
Caliph = successor; but they are also Amirs, or military leaders
Arabia ArabiaMuhammad
Land area 1/3 size of continental USA
Dry, little rain or agriculture
Nomadic life – Bedouins
Tribe run by head of families – sheik
Moved their herds – also plundered caravans
Pre-Islamic Arabia
No real government – and no law and order
Major restraint is fear of reprisals & vendettas
Only protection was from the tribe
Thus strong family ties
Arabian law
Tribe would protect their members, even when they had committed a crime
Failure to protect was despised
‘asabyya – tribal spirit – dominated
Similar to many primarily oral cultures
Warfare
Ceaseless warfare – intertribal warfare controlled the population
War was a “dangerous sport”, a chance to show their skill at archery, the sword, riding the horse
Heroism & glory for the tribe
Plundering caravans
A way of life
Often paid off for protection
Manslaughter – blood for blood. You paid back with their blood, or occasionally with property…
Code of ethics
Muru’ah – manly virtue, with duty, devotion to what must be done
Sometimes men would join other groups for profit or to avoid restrictions
Code of ethics
Conflicting statements about women –
some said they were free with minimal restrictions;
others say that they were virtual slaves
Arab characteristics
Many described as arrogant, conceit, boastful, vindictive
Love of plunder
Lack of political discipline until Islam
The leader in a fight was leader only till the end of the fight, and sharing of booty
Drunkenness common
Women
Sometimes buried female infants alive
Women were sex objects
If a man died, his son inherited his wives, except for his own mother
Women
No limitation to number of wives
Many women were prostitutes and flew flags over their dwellings
Marriage – 4 types
As now – betrothal, dowry and marriage
Nikah al-istibda Husband sends a wife to another man, first making sure she is not pregnant, and holds himself from her until she is pregnant from another man. He did that to seek a noble child.