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Introduction to Islam
Mohammed M. Hafez, Ph.D.National Security Affairs Department
Naval Postgraduate SchoolNS3330 Middle East
2009
Islam – Definitions and Demographics Islam - Submission to Allah, which is Arabic for God Approximately 1.1 to 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide
Most Muslims Are Not Arabs
Islam – Demographics
85-90% of Muslims are Sunnis
10-15% are Shiites
Origins of Islam - Muhammad Pre-Islamic Arabia - Jahiliyyah
Social inequality Internecine fighting among tribes Polytheistic (idol worshiping) society
570 A.D. - Ordinary man, Muhammad, was born
610 A.D. - Muhammad receives a revelation from God
632 A.D. - Muhammad dies after spreading Islam to Arabia
After Muhammad’s death, he was succeeded by four leaders:
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Umar Ibn al-Khattab
Uthman Bin `Afan
Ali Bin Abi Talib
Sunnis consider these to be Al-Khulafa al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
Majority of Shiites (Twelver) only see Ali as the legitimate leader
Origins of Islam - Successors
Origins of Islam – Five Pillars
Shahada ~ Confession of faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet”
Salaat ~ Prayer toward Mecca observed five times a day
Zakat ~ Almsgiving or purification tax (approximately 2.5 percent of one’s wealth) for the poor
Siyaam ~ Fasting from food, water, and all other pleasures of life from sunrise till sunset observed during the holy month of Ramadan
Hajj ~ Pilgrimage to Mecca once during a lifetime
Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs Monotheism - In line with the Judeo-Christian tradition,
Islam is a monotheistic creed that believe there is only one God. The unity of God (tawhid) is central to Islam
People of the Book - Muslims recognize the divine origins of Jewish and Christian doctrines, but believe the
original message has been subverted by Jews and Christians. Islam is the final prophecy
Origins of Islam – Essential Beliefs Universalism - Islam is a religion for all humanity and
applies at all times and places
Judgment Day - Muslims believe that one day – when the world comes to an end – everyone will stand for
judgment in front of God.
Eternity in Heaven or Hell - Muslims believe in life after death, when believers and sinners will live in heaven or hell based on their deeds as well as God’s mercy and compassion
Shariah – Islamic Law
Shariah as “the way” of God and His divine laws for humanity
Shariah has come to denote specific rules and laws that could be implemented by Muslims in personal lives as well as in public matters and disputes
Sources of Sunni Shariah
Qur’an - Revealed word of God sent to the Prophet Muhammad, the final of all monotheistic apostles that began with Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc.
Sunna - Sayings (hadith) and outward conduct of the prophet Muhammad as recalled through a chain of oral transmission from one person to another beginning with the companions of the Prophet
Sahih (Bukhari, Muslim)
Da`iif (Apocryphal, weak)
Ijma`a - Consensus of the companions, scholars, Muslims
Qiyas – Analogical reasoning based on accepted sources
Schools of Islamic JurisprudenceFour major Sunni schools of jurisprudence: Hanafi, Shafi`i, Maliki, Hanbali; Shia have their own jurisprudence, the best known is the Ja’afari school
Sunni-Shiite Divide
Shiite comes from Shia of Ali … “Followers of Ali”…”Partisans of Ali”
Shiites are a minority in Islam, but majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain 10-15% of Muslims worldwide
Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide Origins is a political dispute over
who should lead the Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad – Who has the legitimate authority to rule?
Should rule go to any Muslim?
Should it go only to the companions of the Prophet?
Should it go only to Prophet’s family and blood descendants?
Origins of the Sunni – Shiite Divide Shiite view is that only those who
are from the Prophet’s family and their direct male descendants
should rule
After death of the Prophet, Shiite view is that Ali should have been chosen as leader
Sunni view is that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was correctly chosen
Sunni View
Sunni view is that the four caliphs that came after the Prophet
are legitimate leaders and are considered Rightly-Guided
After the four, Muslim rulers were not so great (or as great)
Prophet
Muhammad
Abu BakrUmar
Uthman
Ali
Sunni View as
Legitimate
Rulers
Twelvers (Imamis) Largest Shiite sect; largest
number of Muslims after Sunnis
Iran (90%) Iraq (60%) Lebanon
(South and Beirut, 35%) Bahrain (80%) Kuwait (35%) Saudi Arabia
(Eastern province 10-15%)
Prophet
Muhammad
Fatima married to…
2. Hassan (d. 669)
3. Hussein (d. 680)4. Ali Zayn al-Abidin
(d. 714)5. Muhammad al-Baqir
(d. 731)Zayd (d. 740)
6. Jafar al-Sidiq (d. 765)
7. Musa al-Kazim (d. 799)8. Ali al-Rida (d.
818)9. Muhammad al-Jawad (d. 835)
1. Ali (d. 661)
Isma`il (d. 760)
10. Ali al-Hadi (d. 868)
11. Hasan al-Askari (d. 874)12. Muhammad al-Mahdi
(occultation)
Shiite Divisions
Twelvers
Zaydi
Isma`ili
Druze
Alawites
Key Terms You Must Know Tawhid (verb: Affirming God’s monotheism; No God but
Allah)
Sunna (Way of the Prophet Muhammad)
Hadith (Saying of the Prophet Muhammad)
Khulafa al-Rashidun (Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet Muhammad)
Key Terms You Must Know Ijtihad (Reasoning or deriving an Islamic ruling based on
Islamic texts)
Fatwa (Islamic legal ruling based on a question or issue)
Hijra (Migration; referring to Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina)
Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
Ulema (Muslim scholars of Islamic jurisprudence)
Key Terms You Must Know Fitna (civil discord, chaos, fighting among Muslims)
Imam (Person who leads prayer; for Shiites it has the added meaning of ultimate religious authority after the Prophet Muhammad and source of religious knowledge)
Kafir (Infidel; unbeliever)
Takfir (verb: Act by one Muslim calling another Muslim kafir, infidel)
Key Terms You Must Know Murted (Apostate; person who abandons Islam by
renouncing the faith or converting to another religion)
Jahiliyyah (Literally means ignorance; when Islam came, the period preceding the rise of Islam came to be known as the age of jahiliyyah. Sometimes defined as paganism)
Shirk (Polytheism or belief in multiple Gods; opposite of monotheism)