Islam Preliminary

Origins
Pre-Islamic Arabia the cultural and historical context for the development of Islam
Before Muhammad, the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by nomadic people (Bedouin). Arabia had many different faiths and was experiencing some clashes. Mainly pastoral agricultural practices took place. Central area was considered to be area around Mecca, which was Muhammad's birthplace. Most important to people then was their family clan. Upholding clan’s reputation was vital. Term used by Muslims to describe this period of time 'Jahiliyya.' The Ka'ba did exist, built earlier by Abraham. It was (before Islam's creation) used by polytheists as a place of worship.
The Prophet Muhammad
Life of Muhammad
Born approximately 570 CE, Muhammad is responsible for : * Being main prophet of Islam * Being the last prophet * Being receiver of Allah (God)
Messages through the Qur'an * Qur'an = final and complete book of Allah's revelations * Belonged to Quraysh tribe * This tribe was responsible for Ka'ba and was main tribe in Mecca.

Muhammad's father died just before he was born and mother died when he was 6.
He had to represent himself a lot and earned a reputation of being honest and hardworking. His efforts impressed a wealthy widow, Khadijah who then married him. They had 6 kids. While in Mountains reflecting at 40 years, as angel (Gabriel) appeared. He recited 1st 5 verses to him. 3 years passed and more verses came, which Muhammad taught to his family and friends. Muhammad got some threats from people in Mecca and had to move. He went 400 kms north to Al-Yathrilo who welcomed his ideas and wanted peace to come with him. Al-Yathribi is now known as Medina. This fleeing journey is known as 'hijra' and happened in 622 CE.
619 CE (approx) Khadijah died. Other wives were married.
The people back in Mecca were unhappy. Muslims were being successful and tried to block trade routes. Battles started and in 628 CE Muhammad and followers were ale to get through the Ka'ba. Muhammad had more issues but kept pushing to have access to Ka'ba. Instead of enacting revenge on Mecca, he removed all other idols from Ka'ba, making it for 1 God only, Allah. In 632, Muhammad died aged 63. He made a final journey to Mecca before dying.

Muhammad as the Final Messenger * Muhammad could have had a life of comfort, instead however felt a stirring to lead him to seek God. * Gabriel taught "Recite in the name of your Lord who created (all things), created humankind from blood. Recite your Lord is gracious, He taught by the pen, taught humankind what it did not know. (Sura 96:1-5). This date, in 610 CE is generally thought to be the beginning of the Qur'an. * It transformed Muhammads perception of himself, instead into a leader.
Muhammad as a Role Model * Man who gave up comfortable life. * Man who is honest, caring, loving and a very careful and considerate administrator. * Thought for those in his community * Ideal person and role model for Muslims.

The development of Islam under the Leadership of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
4 Rightly guided Caliphs were the people put in charge after Muhammad died who were to continue to spread Islam and manage the new Muslim Community.
1 - Abu Bakr * Reigned from 623 - 634 * Was close friend to Muhammad, father of Aisha (Muhammad’s wife) and therefore the Prophets father in law. * He was close with Muhammad and clearly devoted to Islam. * He was elected in and this signified a democracy where best person chosen to represent, not just inner family. * Ali (son in law and cousin) blood relative was overlooked. * Bakr focused on defending Medina, and also sent expedition to Syria.
2 - Umar * Reigned 634-644 * Worked with Bakr on managing community. * Nominated by Bakr and also elected in. * Expelled Christians and Jews from Arabia, expanded Muslim borders - gained Persia and the Byzantine. * Was very strong in organisation and worked well with the army. Also developed financial and legal institutions. * Was stabbed but nominated some suitable successors.
3 - Uthman * 644 - 656 CE * Early convert to Islam, son in law of Muhammad and was also elected in against 6 others. * Came from a family clan from Mecca (Umayyad) * Caused some upset as he appointed more Umayyads to key positions. Divided community and was eventually murdered. * Did achieve mass circulation of the Qur'an with his efforts in organising standard version on the text.
4 – Ali * 656 - 661 * With sudden death of Uthman, Ali was appointed. This caused division even though he was a cousin and son in law of Muhammad. * He refused to punish those who killed Uthman. * Ali was not liked by Aisha and she raised forces to battle him. * Other groups such as the Kharijites, wanted to elect leader. * Murwiya (Governor of Syria) and friend to Uthman also did not accept Ali. He expanded lands and then claimed himself to be a caliph * Ali was killed in 661 and Muawiya did establish himself as caliph of Umayyad people until 680. Muawiya wanted this for position so his son could have it. Heriditary monarchy started. They ruled from Damascus until 750 when Abbasids took control. * By this time Islam had spread to China, India and northern Africa

Split of Sunni and Shi'a * Ali's rule saw parties start to divide. Those who supported Ali came to be known as Shi'a whereas those who didn't (or the rest) were Sunni.
Sunni
* Considered more orthodox as they practise Prophets actual word and early Muslim life * Focus on community. * About 80% of Muslims today are Sunni.
Shi’a
* No great difference in the practice and devotion. * Shi'as give more centrality to Ali's role and believe he should have been only Caliph. * Most Shi'a people are centred in Iran/Iraq. * Shi'a Muslims will mourn the death of Ali and Ali’s 2 sons.
Principal Beliefs
• The articles of faith explained in the Aqida as:
– Tawhid (Oneness of Allah) * It is the first article of faith * He was the creator of all that exist, but he was not created. He is eternal. * Muslims should worship Allah alone; no one else is worthy of worship. * The sin of idolatry is called shirk (attributing Allah's divinity and qualities to someone else) and is the worst sin. * Ninety nine names of Allah describe the attributes of Allah.
– Angels (Mala’ika) * They are created from light have no gender and do not eat or drink. * They witness God's creative glory in the universe and therefore express absolute praise, service and obedience to God. * They often serve as God's messenger. * Jibril is the greatest of God's angels. * Each person has two recording or guardian angels who record their good and bad deeds.
– Books of Allah (Kutubullah) * It is seen as the final and complete message from Allah to humanity. * Along with the quran, the holy books that contain allah's revelation to revered prophets are the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Gospels * Belief in priesthood is closely linked with beliefs in holy books - the books of allah * Prophets are important as they received special revelations and performed their work * The quran consist of 114 sure subdivided into 6238 ayat.

– Rusul (Prophets) * Five prophets are considered the most important as they received special revelations, they are Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and muhammad. * Prophet is someone through who allah speaks * The quran names 25 prophets * Allah sent prophets to every nation on earth. * For muslims, muhammad is allah's last prophet
– Akhira (Life after Death) * Islam sees the real universe more than what is visible * The quran states that for each person after death, there is an intermediate period where souls wait for ressurection. * On judgment day allah will call these souls and they will be brought to judgement before allah. * Every human who has ever lived will be rewarded for their goodness or punished for their sins. * Good people will be rewarded forever in paradise whereas the wicked people will be but to hell, which is ruled by satan.
– Fate/predestination (al-Qadar) * Muslims are held responsible for their own sins * They believe that nothing happens unless it is the will of allah * Allah knows the past and future actions of every person * Individuals have the free will to act for good or for evil * Muslims do not believe in absolute predestination since they consider it incompatible with God's justice.
Sacred Texts and Writings
The Qur’an and Hadith

Qur'an * It is the central sacred reality of Islam. * It is believed as the direct Word of God, the interpreter of the universe and human being, and the embodiment of God's Will * It is considered the essential guide for the life of Muslims. * Is it the universal source of all Islamic beliefs, practices and ethics. * It is also the source of the intellectual and spiritual aspects of Islam. * Arabic is the sacred language of Islam because, in a very real sense, it is the language God chose to reveal his word. All Muslims, regardless of their national language, memorise and recite the Qur'an in Arabic whether they fully understand it or not. * Quran, as the holy book and God revelation to Prophet Mohamed, is the main constitution and guide to Muslims to follow the right path in worshiping God (Allah), lead a good life, live in harmony and mutual respect with other cultures and religions. Muslims learn from Quran: * morals of life to benefits of Muslims and all mankind. * guides and commands for rituals and worshiping God including prayers, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. * rules of marriage, divorce, inheritance, finance, .... etc. * tales about old nations to get advice and wisdom * Reminding Christians and Jewish with the right path of their religions and the correct commands and guides in their holy books. Quran explains the deviations in their holy book texts and the basic deviations from the natural evolutionary course of religion that were introduced, namely the divinity of Jesus and the Judaic exclusiveness (claiming arbitrarily a special position with God exclusively for themselves), and inviting them to the new message which subsumes all what is true in their Scriptures. * calling Muslims to think deliberately in God creations that is the right way to believe in God. In this regards, Quran contained a wide variety of scientific statements that become only proven by state of art of technology, science, and information. These scientific statements are considered as miracles of Quran that prove Quran is a God revelation and not human wrote text. Hadith * It refers to the recorded sayings, actions and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. * Most Muslims accept sic collections of hadith as being the most trustworthy. These are known as 'The Accurate Six' . * It underlines the importance of acting with justice.
The hadiths are very important in Islam because they fill in the details on Islamic life. Where the Quran gives Muslims a broad framework for how we should live, the Hadeeths give us specific information. Here are some examples of how the hadiths give us specifics on general commandments from the Quran. * The Quran commands Muslims to pray. - However, Prophet Muhammad has informed us how and when to perform Islamic prayers in several hadiths. * The Quran commands Muslims to make Hajj. - However, narrations describing the Hajj and Umrah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tell us how to make Hajj. * The Quran commands Muslims to give Zakah. - However, it is hadith quoting narrations from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that tell us who must pay Zakah, and how much to give.
To put it simple, the hadith explain the Sunnah (practice or tradition) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him

Extracts * Sura 49 lists moral and ethical judgements i.e. Do not contradict Allah (verse 1), Do not talk over the prophet (verse 2) etc. The core ethical teachings in sura 49 encourage socially acceptable behaviour. Encouragement against abuses. * Hadith: 109 contains injunctions against anti-social behaviour. The hadith and Qur’an press strongly on keeping oaths. Sura 5 (verse 91)

Core Ethical Teachings Beliefs and teachings of Islam influence behaviour. * Faithfulness to one’s word, honesty in trading, never to murder, trustin gods providence, guard against impurity
(Sura4:36, Sura107:1-3)
Godliness
* Work ethics, family and community loyalty and modesty of dress. * One who gives of his property, frees slaves, faithful to pledges, patient (Sura 2:177) * Islamic jurisprudence * The Qur’an * The Sunna and Hadith * ijma’ – consensus among religious leaders * qiyas – comparison with teachings of the Qur’an or Hadith * Jurisprudence is the discovery and revelation of laws according to Islamic scriptures. The Qur'an and Hadith form Sharia law. * Ethical practices are assisted by: * Ijma - "My community will never agree upon an error". Hence scholars and religious leaders influence the law. Consensus where Islamic scholars make rulings for the Umma where there is a debate e.g royal family in Saudi Arabia. * Qiyas - Comparing teachings/ discussion and referring to all references in the past. Deductions made from inference from the Qur’an and Hadith. E.g. alcohol is not allowed the cocaine would not be either. * Qur'an - backbone to Sharia law. * The Hadith - Model and practise of 'good' Islamic life. Mohammed’s words, habit and acts are preserved. Source for authority when Qur’an is not exact.

* Halal & Haraam * Halal is what is permissible under Islamic law but often only gets reduced to meat preparation. E.g. if beef is halal it is permissible for Muslims because it has been prepared under halal laws. Other things can also be halal. e.g. Relationships etc. * Haraam is the opposite of halal. Anything in defiance of Sharia law and Muslim codescan be considered haraam. Therefor eating pork is haraam. * Halal | Haram | Linked to meat and preparation of meat. But applies to many aspects of life and behaviour.e.g.: Having 4 wives and treating them with justice | Opposite of Halal. It is forbidden. Anything that is in defiance of Muslim law.e.g.: believing in paradise and not hell, visual symbol of Allah |

Expression of Faith * The Five Pillars as the expression of the faith of Islam
The Muslim goal of devotional submission to God is put into practice through Arkan al-Islam – the five pillars of Islam. 1. Shahada – declaration of faith * First duty of a Muslim is to publicly declare his or her faith, ‘I testify that is no god but The God. And I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.’ * When a person utters this sentence in front of other Muslims, he or she is accepted as Muslim. * Testify there is only Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of God. * Recitation in public to confirms one’s membership. Stresses the uniqueness of Allah. * Should be the first words a newborn child should hear and the last when dying. 2. Salat – daily prayer * Salat is obligatory five times each day for every Muslim ‘who is sane, mature and, in the case of women, free from menstruation and confinement due to childbirth.’ * It is the distinctive mark of believers and it provides them with opportunities for direct communication with God five times a day, helping them to avoid too much attachment to non-essential things. * Reaffirm that every day is a gift from Allah. * Five daily prayers determined by position of the sun. Fajr (dawn), Zuhr (Noon), Asr, Maghrib, Isha. 3. Zakat – obligatory (religious) almsgiving * Zakat is a compulsory welfare contribution by economically well-off Muslims for the needy, wherever they may live. * It is paid once a year based on their cash savings, and gold, silver and jewellery if their savings are above the certain threshold. * It is an act of devotional duty of worship and obedience, and is paid to gain Allah’s favour. * Payment of ‘poor tax’. Set at a rate of 2.5%. Emphasis to focus on Allah and letting go of possession. Complexities e.g. different rates, methods of collection, those obliged etc. Means to purify.

4. Sawm – fasting in Ramadan * Muslim adults are required to fast from dawn to sunset each day during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. * This means Muslim should not eat, drink, smoke or have sexual intercourse during the hours of fasting. * As well as fasting, they should spend time, where possible, in prayer and meditation. * The month of Ramadan is of special significance to all Muslims. The Qur’an was first revealed during Ramadan. * It is a time of spiritual focus, moderation, forgiveness, patience, kindness and concern for the welfare of others. * All Muslims desire to achieve a good disposition through self-control, and fasting in Ramadan is designed to achieve this. * Fast of Ramadan, ninth month of Muslim year. Must not eat, drink, smoke or have sex between sunrise and sunset. Sura 2:185. Turn away from sin, seek forgiveness. Share in the suffering of the poor. Iftar (breaking fast at sunset) 5. Hajj – Pilgrimage * Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is the pilgrimage to the Ka’ba in Mecca, the symbolic house of Allah dedicated to belief and devotion to one God. * Hajj is performed during the period 8 – 13 Dhu’l-Hijja, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. * During this period all the barriers of language, territory, colour, race and culture disappear and the bond of faith is uppermost. * Set out a place for pilgrimage. Muslims who are healthy of age, financial means should travel to Mecca. Considered city of Allah. Ka’ba revolves around Adam and Eve being reunited at Mecca. Adam building the Ka’ba as the first place of worship. After the flood Abraham rebuilt it. Mohammed wanted to restore back to the one true god. People from around the globe meet at Mecca.