Islamic Theology quiz

The Hadith of Gabriel (book info)-Intro (week 1)

-Any explanation of the beliefs, practices, and institutions that make Islam a major religion can benefit from a model that makes sense in terms of modern scholarship and has a basis in traditional Islamic learning Important quotes from the text, the hadith: -"Faith means that you have faith in god, his angels, his books, his messengers, and the Last Day, and that you have faith in the measuring out, both its good and its evil." -"Doing what is beautiful means that you should worship god as if you see him, for even if you do not see him, he sees you" -situation: the messenger of god, at at the time the greatest human being on the face of the earth (as far as his companions were concerned- and the historical record bears them out), is sitting at the edge of an oasis in Medina with a group of his companions, that is, people who have accepted that he is the mouthpiece of god. Suddenly a man appears whom no one recognizes. -Medina, a tiny community in the midst of the desert (with a population of several hundred or perhaps a few thousand) -Strange fact regarding the situation: the man is obviously on familiar terms with the prophet of god. He comes right up to him and kneels down in front of him, his knees against the prophet's knees. prophet himself is kneeling. But the stranger from the desert obviously knows Mohammed very well. He even places his hands upon Mohammed's thighs, man addresses Mohammed by his name, whereas people always address him by his title, Messenger of God. *it is essential in islam (the strange events of this day)

Lecture notes (9/10/19)

-Birth of Mohammed 570 -Beginning of revelation 610 -Hijra: Emigration 622 -conquest of Mecca 630 -Mohammed dies + end of revelation 632 Ascension with Mohammed Prophet goes to hell and sees Angel Gabriel before being brought through the heavens in the presence of god. Sura - chapter (in Arabic) Right before ascension, explanation Mohammed was going through a low and bad time and his family was going through a violence-related event Wanted to kill Mohammed So he had to leave and then this ascension occurred Al-amin, the trustworthy one One of the nights, Ali, Mohammed's brother/cousin stays with him to sleep, and stay outside. All tribes plan to kill him that night, each tribe grabbing a knife to all at once go on him, to kill him , that way the blame is on all. *one of the nights before he tries to leave, tribes don't want him to escape so that he does not become more powerful. First two communities 1)Muhajirun -Emigrants (Muslims who emigrated from one city to the other) 2) Ansar- Helpers Jews Hypocrites Qibla- direction of prayer The Qibla was changed, once he got to Medina Previously, they were praying to Jerusalem Later, started praying towards Mecca Rituals and rites were finalized Ramadan gets established (fasting 1 month a year) Rules of alms giving (zakat) -once a year, you have to give 2.5% of your wealth Zakat-purification (your wealth is not pure until you give part of it to the poor/needy) 1)Battle of Badr Fantasy/miraculous event Supposedly god sends angels to stop the fighting outside of Medina Meccans bring army in their caravans (want to attack the Muslims) Muslims defeat meccans in war 2) Battle of Uhud Prophet tells archers to not leave their place, if winning, stay Muslims are winning Archers don't listen, start collecting this warrior guesto attack Muslims Prophet almost gets killed Regroup and then survive 3) Battle of Trench Meccans came to Medina, outnumbering Muslims Salman, travels to Mecca to find prophet Becomes Muslim in terms of a dream Works in a land , hard laborer Salman says build trenches for war, so horses can't cross Built big trench across Medina before Meccans arrive After a whole month, Meccans lose and many were killed. Ali and his wife Fatima -give birth to al-Hasan and al-Husayn Important b/c they are the only ones next in the line of succession after Mohammed Years pass, religion grows, more people become Muslim Mohammed sent letters to kings to Christian places Different reactions to letters The Ethyopian accepted their religion and believed even though his region is Christian. Prophet gets poisoned by food 630, conquer Mecca Meccans have to submit Become powerful Cleanses the kaba Finds a painting of baby Mary, Jesus He protected it Then established it as the center of Islamic world Goes back to Medina, dies there Makes hajj every year (the last 3 years of his life) He led some of the hajjs The last year, many signs Division of sunnis and shittes Abu Bakar represented as next one after Mohammed (succession) END OF LIFE OF MOHAMMED Before death, he has a connection with god Asks him if he wants more life time instead of death Mohammed chooses god over life Within less than 100 years of prophets death, they are in Spain, and other locations (the faith) Has stayed there in some places. -Arabic, Poetry, and Q'uran Allah=God Allah u (god)= theme of the Q'uran No name, actual word for God (in Arabic) Pre-Islamic Arabia Desert, nomadic tribes Tribal leaders had some art forms (telling stories) Oral literature/texts is what there was at that time. 'Kahan' Poets at that time had the power to: -could praise people or opposite Poets and the poetry of culture was loved so much that formed the language classical Arab united by poetry- tribes Kahin Okaz - poetic training ground Would make pilgrimage to Hajj and stop there and have an art competition of poetry and decide who's best Mu'allaqat- the hanging poems -would hang them in the walls of kaba Desert poems Word in Arabic for poetry: shi'r Shu'ur - poetry All inside knowledge between tribes communicated with this poetry in Arabic Etymology=science of the root of words Greater Etymology-shows how three letters, if reversed, meanings still related, but on different levels. EX: JBR BRJ JRD (all related to power, big) KTB -kitab=book -katib=writer -maktub=something written down -maktaba=library/office

Islamic Learning (book info)-intro (week 1)

-Islam has mosques. These are locally established places of worship without any central authorities that might allow us to talk about "the mosque". -Islam has *ulama (instead of priests in Christianity) *ulama are individuals who play a special religious role. The word simply means "the learned" -certain muslims have a specifically religious vocation. -ayatollahs and mullahs -the ones who come to devote their lives to Islamic learning come to play a special role b/c they preserve and maintain the knowledge that the tradition needs in order to survive. -their function is to be "resource people" have gained specialized knowledge about Islam and are willing to employ it for the good of the community. women rarely become ulama. -Many students were sent to a large madrasah (Arabic madrasa, "place of study") in the cities by their teachers -Learning was looked upon as a religious activity, and all people in society were expected to participate to the extent of their abilities. -Islamic learning can be divided into three major categories represented by Islam's three dimensions, and into numerous subcategories. -ulama who specialize in the first dimension are those who usually become most closely involved with the affairs of this world, b/c they tell people about right and wrong activity. in traditional islamic society, they are the legal experts and the judges, referred to as jurists (fuqaha) have a great deal of power and influence -jurists in islamic society function as advisors to kings on legal matters. -to say "ulama" is to say "jurists" -foundation of all islamic learning is the koran -'tafsir' meaning koran commentary or exegesis, is a specialized field of learning. -usually a koran commentary provides a verse by verse explanation of the whole book, but often scholars wrote commentaries on single suras or on selected portions of the koran -investigation of the meaning of the Muslim scripture is called 'tafsir' then, all islamic learning represents koran commentary -jurisprudence focuses on the systematic elaboration of koranic teachings on activity. koran becomes the primary source or "root" (asl) of jurisprudence -building on the koranic teachings and adding to them the Hadith and certain other sources, the jurists established a major branch of Islamic learning. -Learning the koran was the primary goal of traditional education, and it normally began early in life. -what was important in education was memorization of the word of god. -"recitation" : the text was recited, not simply read out loud

Messenger of God (book info)-Intro (week 1)

-Muhammad is the messenger of God -important for islamic religion (importance stems from relationship to koran) -born in 570 into respected family in city of Mecca in Arabia -Meccans were connected to various Arab tribes, some of whose members still lives as nomads -city of Mecca had certain importance as a trading center -city marked the location of the Kaaba, an ancient temple that, tradition said that it had been built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham -Kaaba was home for a large number of idols representing the gods of the Arab tribes -Mohammed's father died before Mohammed was born and his mother died when he was 6 years old -was placed for a time with a nomadic tribe so that he could learn pure language and unspoiled habits -was not content with the rituals of local tribes and preferred a monotheistic current of ancient Arabian religion, whose scattered followers were known as hanifs. -used to go to a cave in the mountains to be alone and meditate, and it was in this cave that an event occurred that was to have enormous repercussions for world history while meditating, an angel appeared to him, told him that god had chosen him as his messenger, and revealed to him the first few words of the Koran -In islam, when turning 40 years old, you mature and become adult -Muhammad underwent a period of self-doubt after the event especially when the angel did not return, he even considered suicide finally, angel returned and confirmed that he was god's messenger, and after that came regularly -Muhammad then submitted to god's will and began to proclaim his mission. -then people began to acknowledge the truth of Muhammad's message -He told the people: "God had chosen him to warn the people of the last judgement; people must accept god's sovereignty over them and mend their ways. This meant that they had to give god the worship that was his due and to adhere to certain ritual and moral instructions in both their individual and social lives. -earned himself the title "al-Amin", "the trustworthy" -spoke the pure language of the tribes -Koran often refers to the objections of the locals to the new message - called it "fairy tales of the ancients," or "myths of those who came first." -"Faith," as muslim scholars have often said, "is a light that god casts into the heart of whomsoever He will." -the turning point came in the year 622-Hijra: Emigration it was the prophet's move to Medina, called "Al-hijra" (the emigration) was grand turning point of his career -Hijra is taken as the first year of the Islamic calendar -Muhammad died in the year 632 and is end of his revelation -the 10 years in which the prophet lived in Medina was a period of consolidation. By the time of his death, Mecca had surrounded to the Muslims without bloodshed-"poetry" had won another battle- and all of Arabia had embraced the new religion. -consolidation of islam that took place during the Medinian period meant that the focus of the Koranic verses that were being revealed shifted from threats of doom and promises of salvation to concrete instructions on how life should be lived in keeping w/ god's wisdom. -Muhammed acted as prophet, king, judge, and spirited counselor to the whole community -he was the recipient of the divine message, he issued commands concerning political and social goals, decided disputes and handed out punishment or pardon for transgression of God's law, and advised people in their personal attempts to gain nearness to god -the records of his words and the reports about his activities (and activities that he sanctioned) camed to be called hadiths each individual saying or report=hadith -hadith qudsi (holy sayings) "holy sayings" b/c Muhammad possessed inspired knowledge about God's words -government should be run w/ god's guidance -After death of prophet, Islam underwent many growing pains and internal conflicts (most important one was: the split between the majority of Muslims and a minority over the issue of the prophet's successor two groups came to be called the Sunnis and the Shi'ites -When Muhammad died, a small group that centered around Ali and his wife, the prophet's daughter Fatima, held that the prophet had chosen Ali to lead the community after his death. but community took no notice and elders of the community met together and chose Abu Bakr as the prophet's successor. his duty would be to rule over the community and act as its judge on the basis of God's law. -caliphs (khalifa, "successor") -within one hundred years of the prophet's death, muslims had become a ruling elite throughout a good portion of the civilized world, from southern Spain to India.

Religion (book info)-Intro (week 1)

-The hadith of Gabriel provides us with a picture of the religion of the followers of Mohammed . -The first three questions and their answers suggest that in the Islamic view, religion comprises three main elements. These elements are referred as dimensions. The fourth questions raises another issue -establish a picture of Islam as a three-dimensional reality -First dimension of Islam is submission, and it comprises a series of activities, such as bearing witness, praying, and fasting. *word for submission is Islam -Second dimension is faith tells what the objects of their faith should be what is it they must have faith in? - god, angels, the scriptures, the messengers (the prophets) -Third dimension is doing what is beautiful motivation for the activity is key an act cannot be beautiful if it is done without the awareness of god. god is the criterion for the beautiful, the good, and the right -Gabriel=the angel -the four answers to the four questions is what is called "your religion" -din=religion (translation) -primary resource for understanding the Arabic language employed by Mohammed is the Koran and the various learned commentaries that have been written upon it. -root meaning of the word din is to obey, to be submissive, to serve -dayn=debt -there is a connection between the words obedience and debt (connection suggests some of the moral weight that he wanted to give to what he was explaining to his companions. Muslims look at Islam as a debt they owe to God. indebted to god b/c he gave them existence and b/c he offered them eternal happiness -hadith of Gabriel describes "your religion", so also it describes what you owe to god, and god is reality itself -koran uses the term for a set of rules and regulations, or a collection of norms for correct activity. koran employs it to refer to the ways followed by the people of Pharaoh( koran's most important human villain) -din refers to the message brought by all the prophets , including Mohammed -Prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammed share the declaration , "There is no god but god," along w/ the worship of the one god who is designated by this declaration. *this declaration and worship are called "tawhid" which means "the assertion of god's unity" koran says that all god's messengers were charged w/ tawhid -in koran, "the religion" refers to tawhid and submission to god -this religion has been established by god and that it functions for God's purposes -several koranic verses insist that religion must belong to god -"Religion" or "the religion" (al-din), is a set of teachings , including tawhid and submission to god, that god perfected for Muhammad and his followers. -koran also uses the word din to refer to specific prescriptions or regulations of Islam

Part 1 -Islam (before Ch.1) (book info) (week 2)

-a group of bedouins- that is, tribespeople who lived in a nomadic existence in the desert - had seen that the new religion was the rising power in their region and that they could gain advantages by joining up w/ it. Came before the prophet and swore allegiance to him, in the time-honored manner of the Arabs. -submission means obeying god and the prophets -obeying god and the prophets pertains to the domain of activity, to the realm of commands and prohibitions. the prophet has come w/ specific instructions from god for the people. if they obey the prophet, they obey god's instructions -the hadith of gabriel, in defining submission, simply lists a set of activities that must be performed in order for people to obey god -there are four basic meanings for the word islam, 1)the submission of the whole of creation to its creator; 2)the submission of human beings to the guidance of god as revealed through the prophets 3)the submission of human beings to the guidance of god as revealed through the prophet Mohammed 4) the submission of the followers of Muhammad to god's practical instructions

the Koran (book info) -Intro (week 1)

-history/historical events included -god works through these historical events -significant events of past have direct impact on people's present situation and situation in next world -one event of overwhelming significance is god's revelation of the koran -variety of interpretations provided for some verses -language of koran is synthetic and imagistic - each word has a richness having to do w/ the special genius of arabic language -says that god never sends a message except in the language of the people to whom it is addressed; revelation conforms to the needs of its recipients -tells us that Mohammed was sent to all the world's inhabitants -each translation represents one person's understanding of the text, each is significantly different from the others, and none is the koran itself -it possesses an obvious power to transform those who try to approach it on its own terms -submission to the will of god as revealed in the koran- but not a simply voluntary submission -establishes an existential submission in people so that they come to express its fundamental message through their mode of being, no matter how "original" their interpretations may be -between 200 and 400 pgs in length -koran was issued from the mouth of a single person, who recited what he heard from the angel Gabriel -divided into chapters or *suras of unequal length *sura, meaning "a fence, enclosure or any part of a structure." shortest of the suras has 10 words longest sura has 6,100 words first sura (al-fatihah ("the opening") from second sura onward, they decrease in length suras are divided into short passages, each of which is called an *aya , often translated as verse, but literally means "sign" -tells stories about many of the same persons and draws conclusions for its listeners -calls the great human exemplars of the past prophets and mentions as the most important of these (Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus) -Moses mentioned most followed by Pharaoh, his greatest enemy who is the Koranic archetype of human evil -issues instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. tells people that they should pray, fast, and take care of the needy. goes into detail about human interrelationships - such as laws of inheritance and marriage tells people they should observe god's instructions for god's sake -warns that those who deny god's messages that they will be thrown into hell and those who accept the messages will be sent to paradise -talks about god -koranic worldview is closely tied to the Arabic language -each word derives from a root that is typically made of 3 letters from the 3 letter root, many hundreds of derived forms can be constructed, though usually only a few score of these are actually used

Part 2 Iman (book info) (week 2)

-in hadith of gabriel, prophet said that faith was "that you have faith in god, his angels, his books, his prophets, and the Last Day, and that you have faith in the measuring out, both its good and its evil." -faith must also have other objects, and unless one has faith in all the mentioned objects, one's faith will not be counted as Islamic faith, but rather as some other kind of faith. -faith v. iman -iman involves confidence in a truth that is really true, not a supposed truth -the object of their faith expresses the objective reality of things. -faith means that when people have this confidence, they commit themselves to acting on the basis of the truth that they know. -iman by saying, "faith is a knowledge in the heart, a voicing with the tongue, and an activity with the limbs." -faith involves knowing, speaking, and doing -someone who has iman first knows or recognizes in the heart that something is true. -faith is also a "voicing with the tongue." the human quality of intelligence becomes a manifest in rational speech, a faculty possessed only by human beings, at least in our world. The heart's recognition of the truth must be expressed, and its first expression must be in the most human of ways-through speech. -god provides guidance by speaking through the prophets -the koran is god's speech to muslims and the foundation of everything islamic -human beings return to god by speaking to him; that is, through prayer -the shahadah, the 1st pillar of islam and the fundamental act of muslims, is a speech act -the ultimate importance of this speech act is indicated by the fact that it alone suffices for a person to be a muslim. -the centerpole of islam, the salat, is a series of bodily actions accompanied by speech, and if, for some reason, a person cannot perform the bodily movements, it is sufficient to recite the words. -"voicing with the tongue" is the most important act a person can perform: it marks the person's humanity and makes possible the establishment of a relationship with god. -speaking is not the only requirement for faith -third element in the prophet's definition of faith, "activity with the limbs" having recognized that something is true and acknowledged its truth verbally, people must commit themselves to this truth and show their commitment in their activities. -iman demands islam -iman and islam are two different things the fact that people have submitted to the commands of god does not mean that they have faith in god. -faith is located in the heart. -submission is the domain of obedience and works (a'mal) people obey god by doing what he asks them to do -kufr, a word that is usually translated as "infidelity" or "unbelief" kafir- a person who has the quality of kufr-is someone who does not accept islam -kufr not only the opposite of islam but also the opposite of shukr which means gratitude -gratitude is the first character trait that people owe to god -"praise belongs to god" = (al-hamdu lillah) -two meanings of kufr-as the opposite of both faith and gratitude -are practically inseparable -faith is nothing but a form of gratitude, and gratitude is a form of faith -iman is the natural and normal reaction of human beings to the marvelous fact of their own unwarranted existence -faith begins with recognition of the truth in the heart. -kufr begins w/ denial of the truth in the heart -iman for muslims is the acceptance of self-evident truths and commitment to them -kufr is the rejection of the same truths and refusal to abide by them -muslim view of faith: "the object of faith being thought of as pellucid and incontrovertible" -kufr represents a rejection of objects that are pellucid and incontrovertible that are completely self evident and utterly undeniable -kufr is to conceal something understood as a covering over and a concealing of the truths that one knows -faith is a state of mind and heart that has to do with recognition of truth, commitment to the truth one recognizes, and activity on the basis of one's commitment. The three principles -tawhid, prophecy (nubuwwa) eschatology or the return (ma'ad) roots (asl) -justice ('adl) and imamate (imama) -justice is looked upon as specifying the nature of tawhid, while imamate explains how certain dimensions of prophecy are extended through the imams -tawhid as accepting that there is no god but god and worshipping him -as a principle of faith, tawhid explains the nature of god and how the various creatures, including angels, are connected to god. -prophecy explains who the prophets are and the function of their scriptures -The Return explains the last day, or what happens after death. -the word tawhid is derived from the same root as the word wahid, which means one. -tawhid means to recognize and acknowledge that god is one -the term sometimes translated as "unity" or "divine unity" the assertion of the divine unity or the declaration of god's oneness -tawhid implies far more than the simple fact that god is one, and no single english expression could possibly render the full range of its nuances. -Tawhid is concerned primarily with three of the six objects of faith: god, the angels, and the measuring out, although this does not begin to exhaust what it entails. -god is the foundation and beginning of everything islamic -the angels are the creatures nearest to god in the cosmic hierarchy, and they play a central role in god's interrelationship with human beings -the measuring out , both its good and its evil refers to how god interacts with creation. -god measures out a certain limited amount of good and as the negative consequence of exactly the same act, a certain amount of evil . -when we ask how god determines who gets what and whether or not his creatures have anything to do with this determination, we enter into the thorny domain of free will and predestination. -prophecy is concerned with the prophets and the books -the return looks at human destiny in terms of tawhid -this going back has everything to do with the human response to prophecy -the second and third principles are implied in the first principle. -Tawhid is an all-embracing concept, in keeping with the all-embracing nature of the divine reality which it expresses.

Three Dimensions of Islam (book info)-Intro (week 1)

-religion in the islamic view has three dimensions these are: islam (submission) iman (faith) ihsan (doing what is beautiful) -when, saying Islam has 3 dimensions, implying that it is helpful to think of Islam in geometric imagery -we separate out the dimensions only to suggest that they fit together as a whole -have to take into account the inner dimensions of a person - a dimension of human experience having to do w/ knowledge, understanding, and world view Islam approaches these issues from the vantage point of faith -religion is a right or correct way. The hadith of Gabriel suggests that in the Islamic understanding, religion embraces right ways of doing things, right ways of thinking and understanding, and right ways of forming the intentions that lie behind the activity. -In this hadith, the prophet gives each of the three right ways a name. Submission is a religion as it pertains to acts, "faith"is religion as it pertains to thoughts, and "doing what is beautiful" is a religion as it pertains to intentions

A fourth dimension (book info)- intro (week 1)

-the last section of the hadith of Gabriel -prophet provides a rather cryptic description of the signs that will occur at the end of time. -the implication is that religion includes knowledge of the way in which time will unfold and come to an end. -geometrical metaphor of dimensions -time is a fourth dimension -think of the islamic conception of time and history as a dimension of the religion -time also has something to do with the dimensionality of human beings, since everyone has a beginning and an end.

Chapter 2 the historical embodiment of islam (book info) (week 2)

-the ulama are those that have knowledge about the religion -al-alim= the knowing -the primary teachers of the shariah are god and the prophet The Koran and the Sunna -koran repeatedly commands people to perform the salat this performance involves standing, bowing, prostrating oneself, and sitting people need to be pure before they perform the salat -Many of those who were close to the prophet played an extremely important role in the transmission and dissemination of Islamic learning his wife: A'isha, his cousin and son-in law Ali -islam is fundamentally a practice, a way of life, a pattern for establishing harmony w/ god and his creation. -islam signifies, in its most universal meaning, the submission of all things to the divine wisdom and command, so also in its more specific, human senses, it signifies the proper functioning of the human being and human society through submission to the divine pattern. -criterion for being a muslim is fundamentally the outward activity that people perform. -to be a good muslim means following the sunna of the prophet-doing things in the way that Muhammad did them. -the most important thing that Muhammad did was to receive the Koran from god, thereby establishing the religion of Islam -you receive it by learning it, memorizing it, and reciting it. -memorization of the koran is considered one of the most beneficial religious acts, and, as we have seen, it provides the basis for traditional Islamic education. -The salat itself is the daily renewal of the koran in the muslim -first and primary embodiment of the koranic revelation in human existence -muslims look first to activity in judging the extent to which Islam is observed. -fundamental activities go back to the prophetic period, and that muslims have always been extremely attentive to what exactly should be done in every circumstance. -shariah was later elaborated and codified on the basis of what pious and sincere Muslims were doing. and these people traced the pattern for their own activities back to the prophet's sunna. The Madhhabs -the areas within which islam became established continued to go through the vicissitudes that mark human existence - the differences of opinion, the struggles for power, the loves and hates, the natural and man-made catastrophes. in other words, history went along as usual, but now the koran and the sunna of the prophet became added factors in human relationships. -at the beginning of islam, observing the sunna of the prophet was part and parcel of being a muslim, and one learned it by following the example of those who were muslims before. -gradually the community-as religious community, rooted in Islam's three dimensions- became dissipated, especially when the early conquests brought enormous wealth. -the idea that islam is the attribute of right activity and embraces the whole of creation meant that nothing could be ignored by those who were trying to put the sunna into practice. -the formation of a number of different "trodden paths", each representing a slightly different understanding of what exactly the sunna of the prophet was and how it could be applied to human life. -madhhab, which derives from a root meaning "to go". a madhhab is a way of going, a route, a road that is walked, a trodden path, it is sometimes translated as "school of law" or "school of jurisprudence". Each correct way of practicing islam is a way of walking in the sunna. Each represents one way of interpreting and applying the shariah. -the four madhhabs of Sunni islam are named after those who are looked back upon as their founders, the ones who took the most important steps in codifying the rules and regulations of the madhhab and differentiating it from other ways of interpreting the sunna. -there are two specific instances where Ja'fari law establishes minor practices that set it apart from the four sunni schools. the first is the permissibility of a form of temporary marriage (mut'a), and the second is in the establishment of a specific form of alms tax (the khums), which is the share of the imam. -the "gate of effort" in determining the rulings of the shariah -saying that the "gate of effort" is always open and that it is forbidden to follow the juridical rulings of someone who is dead. Jurisprudence and Politics -the jurists are those ulama who specialize in the shariah each jurist is typically a specialist in one madhhab, although some may be familiar with other madhabs as well. -Jurisprudence is a science that revels in nit-picking -the shariah, after all, sets down many rules and regulations that have a general social relevance, especially the teachings on transactions and contracts. -the koran says a great deal about the importance of justice and honesty in human relationships. It establishes concrete rules for redistribution of wealth through zakat and encourages other forms of charity. -For the majority of muslims, kings and caliphs retained their legitimacy so long as they did not reject the shariah in public. -islam does not exclude government from the realm of the sacred. -muslims have always recognized that government should put the shariah into practice and be run by good muslims, but they have also recognized that this has been the exception rather than the rule. -By and large, religion has simply become the latest tool of those who crave power. -many islamic authorities have criticized the jurists for their tendency to congregate in centers of power -jurists' duty is to try to provide guidance as to how the shariah can be properly observed -every king has had an official mullah or two who was willing to issue whatever "Islamic" edicts were necessary for the government and political science, often in the attempt to make islam fit the mold of "democracy" dictated by western models -politics was never a very important issue for the vast majority of muslims throughout history.

What are the 5 pillars of Islam?

1) the *shahadah: to testify or to bear witness or described and defined in terms of activity it is to acknowledge verbally that one accepts the reality of god and the prophecy of Mohammed *shahadah- that which is visible or witnessed 2) salat- the ritual prayer the prophet called "salat" the "centerpole" of the religion, the supporting base of the religion. in koranic usage, there are at least 4 forms of salat. First, god and the angels perform a salat whereby they bless God's servants. Second, all creatures in the heavens and the earth perform salat as the expression of universal islam Third, every muslim performs the salat, which is to say that the term is applied to one of the specific forms of worship revealed to all the prophets salat is divided into two basic kinds: required and recommended All must be in state of ritual purity when going to pray -'tahara' 3) zakat - "alms tax" a certain percentage of one's acquired property or profit for the year that is paid to the needy. root meaning of zakat is purity you purify your wealth by giving some to the needy 4) Fasting to fast during the month of "Ramadan" 5) Hajj - pilgrimage to the House of God hajj is a set of rituals that take place in and around Mecca every year. one condition for making the hajj is that people have to pay off all their debts sixth pillar ? *Jihad and Mujahada *Jihad : struggle, to undertake a jihad is "to fight for the preservation of democracy and freedom".

Chapter 1 -The 5 pillars (book info) (week 2)

A pillar is a support, something that holds up a structure. The structure is the religion of Islam Practice:Embodied Submission -practices pertain to the domain of the body -our bodies determine our configuration within reality, so much so that there have always been people who claim that bodies make up the whole of existence or at least everything significant -salvation will be achieved by those who "have faith" in the unseen -correct practice makes people Muslims and that, for most people, correct belief follows upon correct practice -have to embody the book it must become the determining reality of what they do (islam), what they think (iman), and what they intend (ihsan) The Shariah -the whole body of rules and regulations set down by the koran and the prophet gradually came to be codified as the Shariah, or "the broad path leading to water," the road or right activity that all muslims have to follow -the term 'shariah' is often translated as "Islamic law" or "revealed law" the study of this domain of islamic learning is called "fiqh" (jurisprudence). the specialists in this kind of learning are the "fuqaha" (jurists). -There are many other koranic and prophetic injunctions that Muslims have to observe . Many of these pertain to moral prescriptions and have a universal applicability. Among forbidden activities are lying, stealing, murder, adultery, and fornication. -shariah tells people what they must do and what they must not do there are 5 categories of action: the required, the recommended, the indifferent, the reprehensible, and the forbidden -sharia covers a great deal of ground that in modern terms seems to belong outside a legal system. Sin -the sharia sets down rules for right activity god's rules are specified in the koran and explained by the prophet . -the koran and the hadith are the two basic sources of the shariah -Hence consensus (ijma) is recognized as a third source of Sharitte rulings; Sunnis consider reasoning by analogy (qiyas) a fourth source, while Shittes put reason (aql) in its place. -if people accept the instructions of God as set down in the shariah and put them into practice, this is called "obedience" (ta'a) -employs the word obey to refer to right activity. -if obedience is right activity, then disobedience (ma'siya) is wrong activity. -Disobedience is the attribute of anyone who fails to obey God and his messengers -the shariah codifies the instructions of god and the prophet, so disobedience to the shariah is considered disobedience to god. -ma'siya as "sin" -koran uses several other words that are commonly translated as sin, including, dhanb, ithm, and khati'a. -all these terms have in common is the talk of sin which involves judgements about activity, and this is the domain of the shariah. \ -the shariah cannot ignore the issue of intentions, but it deals w/them almost exclusively in relation to acts. -good works=salihat which can be translated as "wholesome deeds" those who perform these deeds are often called al-salihun (the wholesome) -when the koran and the islamic tradition mention wholesome deeds, what is meant is activity that represents obedience to God's command. -The primary wholesome deeds are the five pillars, but every sort of good deed is included in the category, that is, all those deeds that the shariah recognizes as good.

Lecture notes (9/3/19)

Intro to Islam - Pre-Islamic Era -Islam ➡️Christianity➡️Judaism Abraham -two sons 1) Ishmael (with Hagar) * blessed by god in bible 2) another is Isac (with Sara) Ishmael -had 12 sons -which turned into 12 tribes Isac- Ishmael (have strong connection, equal brothers) *storyline -went to Arabia, to Mecca and settled *Isac and Ishmael, through god's will established first house of worship and becomes the kaba -first place he was worshipped harifa Mohammed is born by 70 The Arabian Peninsula is extremely harsh land of scarcity (called the empty quarter) hajaz- western coast of Arabia throughout desert peninsula, there are different Arab tribes very little agriculture Mecca, (important) -it was the center of trade between north and south Bedwin - one of the tribes The tribes were constantly at war with each other Most important is tribal loyalty. Also, bravery and battle A practice would be to bury female babies. Hard, rough life style Arabs lived there at that time Would fight over the boundaries Different empires, had tribe clients Medina -where Mohammed emigrated to and was buried Each tribe had a guard The Kaba, house of worship became dominated by the tribal gods. Allah - word for god in Arabic (the one and only) Illah- a god Practice of worshipping had been eclipsed Hanif- to turn away from, focused on the 1 god Hunafa - very small society, known to go into mountains to meditate, some were exiled, Mohammed was one of them Prior to birth of Mohammed Lot of shake ups 2 empires got weaker 2 events There were wars in Sumah and Yemen (the jews and christians battled) Constant warfare Birth of Mohammed -defecated in church, so ones went to destroy Mecca (the kaba) (occurred same year Mohammed was born) -this event gives the date of birth of Mohammed -Arabs not good at dates (keeping time) -Attested event of the elephant (in Quran) Abdullah - Mohammed's father (part of narrative of Mohammed's birth) This women sees him on his way to get married to Aminah and she gets startled of how great he looks and goes to him and starts telling him to marry her and he just goes to marry Aminah..

What does the term 'Islam' mean?

Islam is: the submission to God's will "to turn oneself over to, to resign oneself, to submit" to surrender to God, or to God's will term is used to prove that true religion is established by God alone

lecture notes (9/6/19)

Pre-Islamic Era Nomadic Tribalism Lived in tribes Dry, largest planet in world is in Arabian Peninsula Prophet born in Mecca, migrates to Medina *Abraham is significant for Islam b/c: -gave birth to Ishmael, other son is Isac -formed the kaba (first house of worship) *Abraham's wife is Sara, Hagart is the other mother Hagar: of different descent, their servant. Ishmael is significant b/c: -has 12 sons that start into 12 tribes Arabs understand themselves coming from Ishmael Zamzam - well of water -Natural fountain outside of kaba in Mecca Tested to be pure water Has been providing water for years Mohammed as rediscovering something that Abraham already established Mohammed's grandfather rediscovers zamzam Hanif -monotheistic Hunafa - to turn away from the polytheism (that was practiced in Arabia) Would go to the mountains to meditate Abraham is a hanif (in Koran) Female infantaside - negative quality of Pre-Islamic time "Instead of the mystery shrouding the origins of other religions, (Islam) is born in full view of history; its roots are clearly visible. Its founder's life is known well.. -Ernst Racion Year of Elephant -war was going on, there were elephants storming and the mecca was storming Birds came with pellets to attack Mohammed is an orphan Noble Arab from noble lineage (privileged) His parents die when he is born Tradition was to send the babies with the wet nurse to the desert to feed it because they want them to learn to powerful sounds only in desert. Splitting of chest (event in his life) -2 kids playing, a man comes to take Mohammed, other kid went to mom to tell, they went to find him, he was okay, took a knife, opened up his chest, described it, take out a black clot, have a basin with snow, put it back in the chest, and it says that he has a scar there (from when it was opened), He said all human beings are born with this clot. Only Mary and Jesus were born without it These angels came and took it out of his heart. Ali - one of the important successors of Islam Mohammed is like family with him and his family (early on in his life) *Mohammed has a birthsign, a mark on his back that many people recognize from their dreams about him. *from journey to Bostra Ages 12-25 Mohammed establishes himself Becomes part of a tribe Is given the name Amin and people's things to take care of Khadija, who has power and money, is given the job to take care of Mohammed's caravan They got married (for 25 years, till she passes away) One year, there is a flood getting in kaba and destroys it. All tribes put it together in to fix it At the end, find stone that is considered godly, divine, descended from heaven. Everyone wants to put this stone back to complete the kaba. They argue and the prophet comes by saying al-amin(so Mohammed is the one who does it) (episode showing how strategic and wise he is in solving problems) b/c he has all tribes at end holding one end of carpet to put back At age *40, he goes to mountain to meditate in a cave(hira) *In Islam, at age 40, you mature Shown in hadith reports, when he receives for first time revelation Angel of revelation= Gabriel Not taught to read, so he couldn't Angel took him, held him with all strength making him read then released him He is *terrified and runs back home. *terrified that he was possessed Yells to his wife, cover me, cause he wants to hide She asks what happened He tells her She tells him something is wrong, it's a prophecy (not insanity, a revelation) He doubts Time passes Sometime later, it happens again For next 22 years, he receives these verses Gabriel (angel) would tell the prophet where to put the verses (in the koran) The community think something wrong with him with some time family believe him and see he is reveling a religion. Things start to change in the community His end period of time in mecca is terrible They want to kill him, throw him dirt They emigrate to Abyssinia -community wants to give him gifts . -ask what Mohammed thinks of Jesus -his followers went to listen to these Most significant event of prophet's time in mecca "Night Journey' He is about 50 years old, He is sleeping outside of Mecca, An angel comes to him He describes a creature being between a monkey and mule Burak wants to get on him Prophet says no Angel says he is important, yes Takes him to Jerusalem, to the dome of the rock There is a footprint there, where prophet stood years ago Old stone still there From there, angel takes him through the seven heavens. Each level of heavens, he meets a prophet, learns different narratives Gabriel then offers him milk or wine Chose milk, the primordial disposition Fitra- idea there is a primordial state of worshipping of god Symbolism of milk, is the new liquid baby has at birth When reaches end of seven heavens, he says a prayer All prophets pray behind him Seen as the seal of all prophets (seen in koran like this) The leader, although all prophets are equal. There is this ascension in the skies like in the prayers done in religion

Lecture notes (9/13/19)

Quran was revealed when Mohammed was 40 in Islam, *40 is the age you become adult 610 (year) It is revealed throughout 22 years How is it revealed? -told to him in *parts from Gabriel (angel of revelation in Islam) *parts-verses Revealed in different parts of suras Some in fragments or assembled Sura=chapter in Quran Aya= verse in Quran "sign" The verses themselves are like signs (in Quran) Haqq=real and true Aya and sura are the form of the Quran "Quran" means 'oral recitation' Mohammed received it as a sign (hearing it) Oral nature of the Quran is essential Referred as 'this is the book' Umm al-kital = mother of the book The Quran: Responds to historical events at the same time of being revealed Responds to 5 historical events Repeating criticisms and refuting them Historical and non-historical b/c it responds to people's needs daily as well 114 suras/chapters in Quran Length=uneven Revealed in pieces and then put together (compiled) How Muslims know it and understand it: How In unequal lengths Gabriel would come to him at end of each year, sit together and tell him Mohammed would recite There was a year he came twice (the year Mohammed died) To assure it was finished Not chronological - Quran In events neither It is mixed Principle of organization: In general, the structure goes from the longest verse to the shortest Quranic sura lengths, 1 -114 Every sura has a name Names not part of revelation, not given to Mohammed Sura al-bakara (the cow) Ex of one sura in Quran (longest) Structure still being discovered, not known entirely yet Every single sura starts with a saying Basmala Except for sura 9 The first verse, Al fatihah (the opening) is the most important (follows a symmetrical pattern) Quran: Repeats and confirms previous scriptures 29 of the suras began with isolated letters (like 3 letters) Emphasizes the Arabic nature of Quran -Arabic alphabet Divided into 30 parts for recitation Of 30 parts, the last part is very significant (one that Muslims memorize) Meccans created it Early Meccan Middle Meccan (610-622) 12yrs Late Meccan _____________________ Medinan (10 years) *Each of these years the Quran has different content Early Meccan verses -the oneness of god (heart of message) -apocalyptic suras As time goes on, content goes into different prophets of all religions, the stories (during middle and late periods) Medinian -when Muslims have their own community founded Verses are about: -more legalistic, society based, inheritance laws How to conduct affairs Laws of reversing idea of retaliation (establishing different policies) The letters are numbers as well Abjad- the name of the system (of letters and numbers) Every letter has a numerical value Meanings with numerical values "Adam" meaning one (in Arabic) The human being Adam and Eve = Allah (god) 66=66 (in system) The letters and shapes also have significance Ex: A=1 (Allah) Content -2nd verse Al fatihah (the heart of Quran) "the cow" Defines all essentials of Islamic faith Al fatihah -speaking how there is the world of 'seen' and world of 'unseen' What to do: Prayer, al-zakat, believe there is a next life you are going to Content -the nature of god And The divine qualities Names of god and his attributes Him being a creator Him being one Fitra- the state a human being is in Islam does not believe in original sin The non-human world worships god Reading : "Symmetry in the Quran" -ring composition Parallel structures, repetition thematicly, things are happening in the same place The middle verse is the most important (when it communicates its central point) Ex: (explanation: A goes w/ A, B goes w/ B, C goes w/ C, D goes w/ D, E goes w E) A B B A C C D E E D