Religions of the World Notes Chapter 12 PDF

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Chapter 12 Notes...

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Religions of the World

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Chapter 12: Islam Islam: Youngest Major World Religion o Muslim translated: one who submits to God o Growing religion in the developing world o Religious/theological roots in Judaism and Christianity African American Islam o 1913: Islamic movement in the USA o Rejected racism o Stated that African history and culture identified with Islam o 1930s: Lost-found nation of Islam in America o Moral uprightness o Cleanliness o Discipline o Education Malco Malcolm lm X: Minister & Human Rights Activist o Leader in the civil rights movement o All Muslims belong to a brotherhood of believers in Islam o Transcends race and ethnic ties o Islamic symbols and black nationalism Jihad: Spiritual, Moral Development o Fighting injustice and doing good works o “Struggle in the path of god” o Struggle can mean physical labor o Struggle can mean interior battle with one’s own vices and temptations Islam & Women o Muslims women talk about how Islam is liberating for women o The west does tend to condemn Islam as being oppressive towards women o Muhammad raised status of women o Muhammad allowed polygamy but limited number of wives to four o Provided husband could afford them and treated them equally o Muhammad forbade female infanticide o Muhammad allowed divorce o Woman is allowed to keep her dowry o Modern Muslim societies allow wives to divorce cruel or unjust husbands Native Religion of the Arab People o Polytheists with supreme high god o Animism: a meteor fell on Mecca o Object of religious veneration in shrine called Ka’ba o Muhammad was born into the clan that controlled Ka’ba shrine in Mecca Muhammad o 570 – 632 C.E. o During retreat in mountains to meditate o Gabriel appears throughout Muhammad’s life o Revelation from god

Religions of the World

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o Later revelations written down in Qur’an o There is only one god, Allah o Muhammad is the last in series of prophets of Allah o Earlier prophetic preaching’s incomplete o Muhammad brings final, complete revelation Muslims Become Established Clan o Religion not widely accepted o “Medina charter”: Muhammad receives political authority over city, guarantees religious freedom for non-Muslims o Military conflict breaks out between Medina under Muhammad’s authority and city of Mecca Early Islam o Full scale military conflict breaks out between Muslims and regional Jewish tribes o Jews ridiculed Muhammad, supported Meccans against him o Muhammad gives Jews in Medina ultimatum: convert to Islam or exile o 627 C.E. 10,000 Meccans attack Medina, fail to take the city o Muslims increase support in Medina o Truce with Mecca allows Muslims to visit on pilgrimage The Last Years of Muhammad o After final pilgrimage to Mecca in 632 C. E. Muhammad delivers farewell address in Medina o Muhammad dies without making any arrangements for a successor The Qur’an o The Qur’an is god’s last word to humanity, fulfilling but surpassing the Hebrew and Christian scriptures o Muslims believe Qur’an eternal scripture, written in heaven and revealed chapter by chapter to Muhammad o The Qur’an is central to Muslim faith, read and memorized as primary religious duties Recitation of Qur’an: Ritual Act o First surah (chapter) begins with “recite: in the name of the lord who created…” o Reciting Qur’an believed a source of Allah’s blessing because it reproduces Allah’s divine speech Women & the Qur’an o Women have certain rights according to the Qur’an o Men and women are equal before god in terms of ethics, moral obligations, and rewards The Nature of God o Strict monotheism of the one sovereign god o Allah: creator o Omnipresent = god is everywhere o Omniscient = god has infinite knowledge o Omnipotent = god has unlimited power Allah

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o Allah has 99 names o Allah is sovereign and majestic but also just, merciful, and compassionate o Allah surrounded and aided by numerous heavenly figures Predestination o Islam stresses freedom and responsibility o Allah gives freedom and reason o Allah allows humans to make evil decisions, but Allah does not cause people to be evil or good o Judges people based off their decisions Eschatology o Allah’s judgment of humanity o Body dies, soul sleeps until end of time o Bodies raised at the end of time, reunited with souls o Eternal destiny o Faith o Virtue/infidelity and vice The Mosque o Muhammad decrees Friday to be a day of prayer in mosques with fellow Muslims o Prayer led by an imam o Imam = non-clerical figure chosen by community to lead prayers The Five Pillars o Repetition of the creed (Shahadah) o Means witness o Statement of faith o “There is no god, but The God (Allah) and Muhammad is His prophet” o Daily prayer (salaht) o Five times a day pray facing Mecca o Dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and nightfall o Men and women pray separately o Muslims must wash before prayers o Pray in a mosque o Almsgiving (zakaht) purification o Muslims expected to give 2.5-10% of income o Help the needy members of a community o Social justice o Muslim relief agencies worldwide o American Muslims o Soup kitchens o Refugee relief o Ramadan o Sawm: daily fast where they abstain from food, drinking, smoking, sex during daylight hours for one month o Self-discipline: spirt and body o Reminds us of those who are hungry

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o Ramadan commemorates time Muhammad received first revelation Pilgrimage (Haji) o Pilgrimage to Mecca o Story of Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael o All are equal before God o Simple white garments Caliphate o Muhammad left no clear successor o A caliph, from Khalifa, means deputy or representative o Originally caliph elected but later hereditary o First caliphs friends and relatives of Muhammad Islam o Variations within Islam o Sunnis o Shi’ites o Sufis o Wahhabi The Sunnis o 85% of Muslims are Sunnis (traditionalist) o Base belief and practice o Qur’an o Hadith: commentaries on the Qur’an by Muhammad and his early followers o Analogy and consensus o Religious questions not explicitly treated in Qur’an The Shi’ites o Movement begins in political dispute over succession to Muhammad o Followers of Ali and son Husayn o Known as Shia Ali, the party of Ali o Comprise 10-15% of all Muslims o Shi’ites believe imams divinely inspired leaders who speak on behalf of Allah o Shi’ites believe in a series of imams o Some imams did not die o Hidden imams with return to earth o Shi’ites believe in existence of a Mahdi o A Messiah-like figure who will appear one day to establish era of justice o Shi’ites prize martyrdom o Believe Sunnis misinterpret the Qur’an o Failure to mention Ali as Muhammad’s designated caliph o The Qur’an had hidden meaning that can only be understood through allegorical interpretations Sufis o The mystical element and the Sufis o Asceticism is a marginal element in mainstream Islam, but important to some sects

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o Probably origins in 9th century C.E. o Mansur al-Hallaj: experiences oneness with god o Executed as heretic o Spiritual reform movement o Develops the emotional-mystical aspects of Islam o Appealed to the common people o Abu-Hamid Al-Ghazzali seeks to unite Islam o Eventually gives up on orthodoxy o Lives as a wandering beggar o Maintained importance of ritual o Sufis bound by ritual duties Islam’s Conservative Nature o Suspicious of changes originating outside Islam o Sense of superiority and self-satisfaction relative to European bred complacency o Development of ultra-conservative groups o Resist changes in Islam Contemporary Resurgence of Interest in Islam o Reform movements o Practicing modern scientific study of the Qur’an o Seeking to reconcile science and religion o Rise of Islamic feminism o Missionary movements Ultra Ultra-Conservative -Conservative Groups o Muhammad ibn-Abd al-Wahhab o Wahhabi movement o 19th and 20th century Saudi Arabia o Anti-Sufi, puritanical o Well-funded o Established bases in most Muslim countries Muslim Calendar & Holy Days o Muslim Calendar o 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days o Total 354 days per year o 103 Muslim years equal 100 solar years Feast of the Fast-Breaking (‘Id al-Fitr) o First day of Shawwal o Month after Ramadan o Time of feasting, visiting family, exchanging gifts, and sending cards Feast of Sacrifice (‘Id al-Adha) o Held on tenth of dhul-Hijah, the month of pilgrimage o Commemorates time when Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Ishmael New Year o Month of Moharram

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o The tenth commemorates Battle of Karbala for Shi’ite o The tenth day of fasting for Sunnis Holy Days o Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad o The twelfth day of the third month o Recitations of prophet’s biography and prayers for him Islam Today o Islam growing o Western European Muslim population increasing due to immigration o American Muslim population increasing due to migration and conversion o 2nd most popular religion in USA o The rise of Islamic Fundamentalism o Backlash against presence of Western culture and values in Islamic societies o Secularism demonized o Source of moral, political decay o The Israel-Palestine Conflict o Early stages o Balfour Declaration o Creation of the State of Israel o Dispute between two religious and nationalistic groups concerning the same land...