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Chapter 10 Islam
Learning Objectives
10.1 Describe pre-Islamic Arabia.
10.4 Summarize the central teachings of Islam.
10.8 Describe the key aspects of Sufism.
10.10 Explain the spread of Islam in the West.
10.11 Discuss the main issues facing contemporary Islam.
Chapter Overview
Pre-Islamic Arabia
The Prophet Muhammad
The central teachings
The Oneness of God and of humanity
Prophethood and the compass of Islam
The Five Pillars
Belief and witness
Daily prayers
Religion in Practice: Salat
Zakat
Fasting
Living Islam: An Interview with Dr. Syed M. Hussain
Hajj
Sunnis
Sufism
The development of Islam
Teaching Story: Transformation by Islam
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Outreach and education
Key Points
Introduction
Islam began in the seventh century CE with the Prophet Muhammad (born ca. 570
CE), who is believed to be the last prophet sent to restore the truth religion.
Islam is not a new religion but the original path of monotheism, which was also
10.1 Pre-Islamic Arabia
Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, traces its ancestry to the patriarch Abraham,
whom Muslims know as Ibrahim.
o
and Isaac of Sarah.
o When Isaac was born, Islam teaches that Ibrahim
10.2 The Prophet Muhammad
Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe.
o Muhammad was raised in poverty and sympathetic to the poor and
underprivileged.
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As a young man, Muhammad went to work for a wealthy woman named
Khadijah, and the two married when Muhammad was twenty-five. With
contemplation.
When Muhammad was forty, the angel Gabriel came to him and instructed him to
recite. Thus bega
The Abyssinian slave Bilal was imprisoned, his captors insisting that he worship
the old gods. He refused and became the first muezzin (one who calls people to
prayer).
Residents of Yathrib, north of Mecca, invited Muhammad to live in their city.
o Muhammad and his followers accepted the invitation in 622 CE.
In Medina, Muhammad instituted a constitution that later became the basis for
Islamic social administration.
Meccan leaders feared that Muhammad posed a threat, and conflict broke out
between the two cities. After an initial success, the Muslims were badly
Many Meccans converted to Islam. Muhammad went back to Medina from where
he undertook campaigns to spread Islam further.
proper form of worship there.
Recognizing that he was at the end of his life, he gave final instructions to his
followers.
Prior to his death in 632 CE, Muhammad gave no instructions as to who should
succeed him. His close friend Abu Bakr was elected as the first caliph
(successor to the Prophet), but this election later caused controversy.
o -in-
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Fatima be
10.3 The
unity and also direct life in human society. Muhammad dictated the revelations
to scribes, and they were carefully recorded.
understood to have a healing and protective effect.
o It is divided into 114 surahs or chapters.
o
all the prophets.
10.4 The central teachings
The basic teachings of Islam (Arabic word for peace, voluntary surrender to the
The Oneness of God and of humanity
The Shahadah
is a central focus of Islamic theology. The theme of unity, the chief concern of
Muslim theology, extends to human life and human social organization.
More than 90 percent of Muslim theology deals with the implications of Unity,
not just with God, but in every aspect of life.
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Prophethood and the compass of Islam
Islam is considered the universal religion of all peoples, and Islam honors all
prophets as messengers from the one God, sent when religions decayed into
polytheism.
the ultimate
Human relationship to the divine
God is all-knowing and has created everything for a divine purpose. Islam
encompasses all religions and honors all prophets as messengers of God.
of bestowing mercy and protection on believers.
The unseen life
Muslims believe that our senses do not reveal all reality and that there are
angels, nonphysical beings who serve God but who are not to be worshiped.
Satan, originally one of the jinn or immaterial beings of fire, is a non-
The Last Judgment
actions recorded in a book bound to his or her neck.
Unrepentant nonbelievers and hypocrites go to hell, but only nonbelievers
remain there for eternity.
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10.5 The Five Pillars
The basic spiritual practices for all Muslims are known as the Five Pillars.
The intention with which a Muslim undertakes each practice is of prime
importance; the pillars are not simply outer rituals.
Belief and witness
The first is pillar is the Shaha
Daily prayers
The second (salat) is that Muslims should pray facing Mecca five times daily.
When prayers are performed in a mosque, women and men typically pray
separately.
o There may be an imam or prayer leader, but there is no priest.
o Prayer should involve both outward performance of the prayers and ritual and
inward concentration and awarenes
Zakat
The third pillar is zakat
income to charity each year.
Fasting
Fasting is the fourth pillar, and it is obligatory during the month of Ramadan,
when Muhammad first began receiving revelations.
Those who are able must abstain from food, drink, sexual intercourse, and
smoking from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan. The holiday of Eid
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Hajj
The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is the fifth pillar, expected of all Muslims at
least once in their lifetime if they are able.
traditions. Being a hajji is a badge of pride among Muslims.
10.6 Sunni and
Sunni (roughly 80 percent of Muslims) and the .
At the time, two customs existed: a hereditary leader or one chosen by
designation.
A caliph was elected to lead; this was an appointment that lasts a lifetime. The
first three caliphs were Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman.
-in-
e first caliph, as the hereditary successor), but
Sunnis
Sunnah.
Their understanding is that Muhammad did not appoint a successor but rather
left this up to the Muslim community or ummah.
rightful successor to the Prophet. It is believed that spiritual power and temporal
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Husayn.
uharram, commemorates
10.7
law emerged in the second century of Islam when the Abbasid
dynasty replaced the Umayyads out of concern for regulating social and
political life consistent with Islamic spiritual tradition.
For Sunnis, the caliph is the leader of worship and the administrator of
A jurisprudence system called fiqh was developed, which is the process of
understanding, in
o Fiqh may incorporate different forms of reasoning in determining shariah-
applicable to all areas of life from diet to inheritance to social justice. It is
As Islam developed, Sunnis came to believe that
Sunnah should be continually interpreted by a consensus of opinion and the
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10.8 Sufism
Sufism (Arabic: tasawwuf), the mystical tradition of Islam, dates back to
in contrast to more legalistically oriented approaches to Islamic life, to the extent
that some orthodox Sunnis do not consider Sufis to be Muslim.
Sufi practice may include asceticism, a way in which they developed a deeper
piety.
Sufi teachers spoke, sang, and wrote of a fervent love for God, seeking fana or
total annihilation in the beloved. This experience of profound union led some
Sufis to make statements that authorities deemed blasphemous.
Sufi murshids (teachers) and shaykhs (spiritual masters) offered training to their
initiates.
Sufi orders or tariqas established spiritual lineages, understanding that the
barakah (blessing, sacred power) was passed from one shaykh to the next.
10.9 The development of Islam
Islam spread rapidly as both a spiritual and secular power. The spread is
attributed mostly through personal contacts through trade, attraction to
charismatic Sufi saints, appeals to Muslims from those feeling oppressed from
foreign rule, and unforced conversions.
society as the reason behind the rapid success of Islam.
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Monotheistic followers of revealed religions Christians and Jews were
designated as dhimmis or protected people. They were allowed to maintain their
own faith but were not allowed to convert others to it.
A period of great intellectual and artistic activity followed. Islam absorbed,
transmitted, and expanded on traditions from other cultures, such as Persian art
and poetry.
The system of nine Arabic numerals and the zero derived from Indian numbers
revolutionized mathematics by liberating it from the clumsiness of Roman
numerals. Other areas of study flourished as well.
The ulama, funded by religious and private endowments, remained a key force
in holding together Islamic society, taking positions such as judge (qadi),
jurisconsultant (mufti), and mosque imam.
Baghdad remained the Abbasid capital, and independent caliphates were
established in Spain and Egypt.
In the eleventh century, the Fatimid caliph broke from the Islamic tradition of
Eastward expansion
Islam also moved eastward through central Asia into India and beyond. The
Mongols and the Turks converted to Islam.
In 1453, the Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul, turning the
Hagia Sophia church into a mosque.
Some rulers of the Muslim Mogul Empire encouraged interfaith explorations.
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There are also sizable Muslim populations in China and the former Soviet Union.
Africa, too, has a substantial Muslim population, with some Muslims maintaining
10.10 Relationships with the West
Many Christians in medieval Europe denounced Islam and Muhammad,
portraying Muhammad as an idolater and Islam as a polytheistic faith.
The legacy of such negative characterizations of Islam persists in the West to
the present.
By the nineteenth century, scholars began to study Arabic classics, but the fear
about Islam remained. Ignorance and stereotyping of Muslims remains today.
Both Christianity and Islam consider themselves the ultimate religion.
Islam in the West
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States and may be the second–
largest religion in the country.
About two-thirds of American Muslims are immigrants and their descendants;
the remainder are converts, most of whom are African American.
Other early movements were based on missionary movements, such as the
Ahmadiyyah movement from India who were publishing English translations of
rophet is a
self-proclaimed Messiah.
Muhammad.
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modestly, and to behave appropriately. Public school encounters are quite
There are more than 20 million Muslims in western Europe and they have
maintained their own cultural identity not adopting European practices or
standards.
Since 2004, the French government has banned the wearing of religious symbols,
10.11 Muslim resurgence
-rich nations are predominantly Muslim. Oil wealth led to
social change in many Muslim nations; in response, some Muslims turned to
Islam as a blueprint for modern political rule.
The traditional Muslim view of the different portions of the world is that there is
dar al-Islam), where Muslims are in the majority, governed
dar al-sulh), where Muslims are in the
Contemporary Islam in public and private life
Much of the discourse regarding Islam, especially in the Western world, focuses
fe.
linear entity.
Some Muslim thinkers have argued that Islamic jurisprudence already has a
Many forms include local adaptations, such as veiling and seclusion of women, a
feature of Persian and Byzantine societies.
Some Muslim women assert that they like dressing more modestly so that men
will not stare at them. Others feel that men are simply treating them as slaves.
In some Muslim majority countries, women can only join the workforce if they
are veiled.
Outreach and education
Muslim outreach is on the increase, often using modern forms of mass
communication, such as satellite television, that unify Muslims internationally
and provide alternatives to Western programming that has sexuality, violence, and
a lack of family values.
Attention has also been given to developing educational systems modeled on
Islam in politics
Muslims and non-Muslims alike are particularly concerned with the role various
forms of Islam play in politics, especially interpretations of Islam linked to
suicide terrorist attacks and forms of Islam that express antagonism toward the
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treatment of prisoners.
One who performs jihad is a mujahid [plural mujahideen].
Muhammad is considered the prototype of the true mujahid. Within Islam,
there are different views as to what form the lesser Lesser Jihad may take.
There are deep disagreements within Muslim states about interpretation of the
After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the United States provided
support to militants fighting the Soviets.
o After the Soviets left, Afghanistan was torn by sectarian fighting and then
ruled by the Taliban from 1996 2001.
Osama bin Laden, an exiled member of the Saudi aristocracy, is the most well–
known self-styled jihadi. He led the militant organization Al Qaeda, believed to
U.S. commandos found and killed bin Ladin in 2011 near the Pakistani capital of
Islamabad.
Many leaders argue that Islam seeks a peaceful, just society.
A destabilizing factor in many Muslim countries, especially in the Arab world,
has been the presence of authoritarian rule.
o
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from at least eighty-four countries.
The behavior counters what Muslims believe is appropriate.
Saudi Arabia remains a powerful force.
o Since 1932, the country has been under the rule of the al- ud family.
o
harkening to Wahhabism.
o In 2008, Saudi Arabia sponsored an interfaith conference in Mecca to
–
existence.
o Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its treatment of women.
Women are forced to wear the traditional (an outer garment that
covers them from head to toe).
Palestine is another area of controversy between religion and politics.
o Two major factions arose to reclaim the homeland from Israel: Fatah and
Hamas.
Fatah was founded in the 1950s to end Israeli control of Palestine.
Recently it supported a two-state solution.
Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist
organization based in Egypt.
between secularists, devout Muslims, and hardline Islamists.
Debates about the role of Islam in modern nation-states are ongoing.
o Islamist groups seek reform of legal, social, and political structures.
In 2014, the Islamic State (IS), a violent militant group under the leadership of
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and an offshoot of Al Qaeda, took advantage of instability
in Iraq and the ongoing fighting in Syria and declared itself a new caliphate.
o The group uses social media to recruit members.
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o IS has drawn heavy criticism from Muslims around the world.
o A group of 126 international Islamic scholars wrote a lengthy open letter to al–
Disasters and wars, such as in South Sudan and Afghanistan, have caused the
displacement of millions of Muslims, who have been forced to live as refugees.
There is an increase in tension between Muslims and non-Muslims, particularly in
the West.
The violence of groups such as Al Qaeda and Palestinian suicide bombers has led
to growing anti-Muslim sentiment despite efforts by many prominent Muslim
Islam for the future
Religious modernists, Islamists, and secularists are all trying to understand the
roots of extremism in Islam and devise alternative means of relating to a
changing world.
While Western media may focus on sensational manifestations of Islamism,
there are many currents of forward-looking thought within Islam.
Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani activist shot by the Taliban and Nobel Peace
Key Terms
Allah Imam
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fiqh jihad Sunni
Review Questions
practice and belief.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the most important religious themes and people that Islam, Judaism, and
Christianity have in common?
2. Discuss aspects of Islamic tradition that relate to gender roles within society and the
Class Activities/Assignments
1. Ask students to describe their impressions of Muslim women and consider how those
impressions have been formed. If their impressions are largely negative, ask them to
2. Using newspapers, magazines, Internet, and other sources, ask students to identify and
investigate a key issue in a country with a Muslim population. Possible issues include
3. Discuss the teachings of Islam and how radical interpretation of teachings has caused
Recommended Films
A Veiled Revolution, First Run/Icarus Films, 1982. 26 minutes. Explores Egyptian
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t veiling and Islamic dress.
Being Muslim in India, South Asia Area Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1980.
42 minutes. Portrays Muslim family lives in India.
I Am a Sufi, I Am a Muslim, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1996. 52
Additional Class Discussion/Essay Questions
1. Compare and contrast what is known about the life of Muhammad with the life of one
of the following religious founders: Buddha, Confucius, Zarathushtra, or Jesus. What are
the most significant similarities and differences between Muhammad and the selected
founder? Explain.
2. What have been the interrelationships between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
3. Describe the basic features of the hajj and their significance.