ISLAM Taylor Carrasco Natalie HirmezSara McAuliffe

Jade MillerIB World Religions, Period 1

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What is the human condition? Humans must submit themselves to the will of God because without guidance, they are likely to slowly distance themselves from the path of holy actions that God has set in place to prevent moral error Where are we going? The faithful will go to Janna (heaven), a paradise if God’s will is abided. The disobedient will go to Jahannam (hell) to be punished for committing sins and not repenting How do we get there? Salvation is attained by submission to God’s will. This can be accomplished by acknowledging tawhid, which is the oneness of God, and submitting to his will, as revealed by the prophet Muhammad.

RITUALS

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Salat (prayer)- Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day facing the sacred city of Mecca. Before prayer, Muslims must purify themselves through the washing of the hands, face, arms, and feet with water. 2. Sawm (fasting)- To refrain from having any food, drink, and sexual conduct from dawn to sunset. Muslims are required to fast during the month of Ramadan every year. 3. Pigrimage (hajj)-Physical and spiritual journey to Mecca that every financially and physically able Muslim is expected to make once in their lifetime. Specific rituals are performed such as walking around the Ka’ba 7 times 4. Zakat (charity)- Important aspect to give charity to the poor. Muslims are required to give certain percentages of any type of wealth they have accumulated. Most donate weekly during Friday prayer services 5. Shahadah (creed)- “La ilaha illa Allah”- Confession of faith, relaying devotion of Muslims to Allah, the Supreme God

Birth, Marriage, and Death

Birth- The Shahadah is recited to the newborn baby and a naming ceremony takes place

Zawaj (marriage)- Contract of marriage, dowry paid by the female. Divorce allowed only if husband repeats “I divorce you” three times and the couple tries to work it out for a year and it fails

Death- The dead body is cleansed, prayers are said, and a burial ceremony ensues

Animal Sacrifice

Muslims believe it is God who has given us the right to kill these animals and kill them

Thus, Muslims are required to mention God at the time the animal is killed

Festivals

Feast of the fast breaking- feast that comes after the fast of Ramadan Feast of Sacrifice- Commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael to GodThe New Year- Month of Muharram, believed to be the month of Hijrah Birthday of Muhammad- Twelfth day of third month Shia Festivals only- Ashura (day of martyrdom), Id al-Ghadir (Muhammad’s final sermon festival), birthdays of imams

Gender and Society

Men and women are separated during worship; Friday prayer services at mosque mandatory for menHajj depends on pre and post menopause for women Purity issue for women and dress, especially the hijab (head veil)Ju’ma (Friday) prayer day Halal and Haram are diet laws to unite the community (e.g. prohibit the consumption of pork)

SACRED TEXTS

The Qur’an

The primary text of Islam Required reading for anyone who wants to understand Islam Means “the recital” in Arabic Angel Gabriel required Muhammad to recite it. Loses its value when translated in any other than its original language of Arabic Tafsir was the interpretation of the Qur’an that had to follow certain rules and conditions

Hadith

Second only to the Qur’an

Collections of Islamic traditions and laws

Included traditional sayings of Muhammad and later Islamic stages

Sufi Texts

Sufism is a mystical belief system

Renowned for contributions to world literature

Beautiful, symbolic poetry and devotional story-telling

Translated in the 19th century by European travelers and scholars

DOCTRINES AND BELIEFS

Doctrines and beliefs came from the Qur’an, Hadith, Sufi texts, and Islamic law (Sharia)Eschatology- Day of judgment (Yawm al-Din) and that there was rewards and punishment in the life to come in the formsJanna and Jahanam (heaven and hell) Cosmogony and Cosmology- Allah is the creator, Angels such as Gabriel

The Qur’an and Hadith are textual authorities Muhammad, imams, caliphs, other leaders of different sects are all authoritative figuresThe ulama, or group of scholars, and the umma give a sense of communal identity Sunnis have 4 schools of law

Religious Experience

The umma is the community of Muslims. In a largely personal religion, it brings people with common beliefs together

-The five pillars also contribute to the unity of Islam (Sunnis, Shiites, and Sufis all participate in the five pillars)

-Shared by all Muslims

Conversion

Anyone can convert to Islam

Repetition of the Shahadah is necessary to convert

Mosque

There is no central temple because Islam started as a nomadic religion

Friday is a day of prayer

Prayers are led by an imam

Muslims are required to pray at the mosque one day a week

Also functions as a place of study called madrashas

Women and Islam

Muhammad raised the status of women

He forbade female infanticide

Allowed restricted polygamy

Women subordinate to fathers, husbands, and brothers (may vary)

Divorce was permitted

Hijab is considered as a protecting shield against the evil minds of men

Gender in the origins of Islam

Women contributed significantly to the early development of Muslim community Women were the first to learn of Muhammad’s initial revelation Played an important role in the processes of collecting all the revelations from both written and oral sources into a single, authoritative text The Prophet often consulted women and considered their opinions seriously. His first wife, Khadija, was his chief adviser as well as his first and foremost supervisor

ETHICS AND MORAL CONDUCT

Islamic taboos: Haram- cannot eat pork, dogs, mules, birds of prey, smoke, gamble, or drink alcohol

Most women must veil their heads to refrain from provoking lust with their hair, and are subject to the patriarchal society, even though Muhammad increased their status significantly

Ethics and Moral Conduct cont…

Akhlaq- moral conduct and moral principles

Jihad- Most see it wrongly as Holy Wars, but is actually the struggle in the path of God

Sharia (Islamic law) and Qanun are both guiding forces in following the sacred rules of the Islamic religion

Case Study- The Hijab http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/12/generation.islam.hijab/

Pro-Hijab: • Makes women feel liberated• Makes women feel they are doing their religion proud• Doesn’t make them worry about being attractive or cute enough- stresses

against materialism of aesthetic appearance• Allows women an identity- men can like them for their mind, not their body• Represents beauty and keeping their “inner jewel” hidden until it’s meant to be

found

Anti- Hijab:• Exhausts women in the West• People who see women with hijabs believe they are subjugated to their fathers• View them as terrorists• Can be viewed as a political expression- not a positive one

Wearing the Hijab is a choice and sometimes confuses mothers that escaped Middle Eastern countries like Iran when their daughters decide to wear the hijab

• Gilrs who wear the hijab often wonder what it’s like to go to prom, get a tan, and have a boyfriend but feel it is noble to honor their faith and that it is already paying off