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Remember that we are outsiders. Islam can never mean as much to us as it does to believers
For 14 centuries Islam has spiritually nourished hundreds of millions of people, giving them a way of life and a way to finding meaning in life, achieving holiness and encountering the Transcendent Islam has produced saints, mystics, artists and beauty
Islam is practiced across a large spectrum of cultures, geographies and languages Whereas the essentials of Islam may be the same across time and space, it
is a living religion that shows differences across time, cultures and geographies
The Qur’an is the considered the literal word of God revealed to Muhammad by Gibra’il (Gabriel) One would not quote the Qur’an beginning,
“Muhammad says . . .”
The Qur’an is considered a miracle (Muhammad did not perform miracles—the Qur’an was the witness to his legitimacy as a prophet)
The Qur’an is God’s guide to humanity and Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets (2:185, 3:3, 33.40)
To those who question its authenticity, the Qur'an challenges them to produce a Surah like that of the Qur’an (2:23,10:37-38, 11:13, 52:33-34)
Artistic Giant Qur’an
Even though 85% of Muslims do not speak Arabic, it is the language they believe that God spoke to reveal it Translations are considered interpretations and are
inherently inferior to the Arabic Qur’an
During prayers, the Qur’an is always recited in Arabic following complicated rules (tajwid)
Hearing the sound of the Qur’an is a deep and powerful religious experience for Muslims
The Qur’an has content, but, to a Muslim, it is a book with power beyond what it says
A Qur’an from Andalusia
The Qur’an is written in rhymed prose (saj’u) This imposes a restraint on the language that makes the Qur’an
elliptical, i.e., a lot must be assumed before one can understand the text
A tension exists between the meaning of the words and their sounds—both are important in a way that is foreign to us
The Blue Qur’an
The Qur’an is ~ the size of the New Testament with 114 Sura (chapters) The Sura are roughly arranged by size and not
in the order of their revelation
Each Surah, except 9, begins with the bismilla
Muhammad received the revelation and then he recited it to his followers who memorized it It is considered a virtue to memorize the
Qur’an
Smaller Surah were often revealed in their entirety whereas longer Surah were more often revealed piecemeal
Copies of the Qur’an are often produced with the text centered on the page and commentary written around it. Explanatory notes, especially of the historical setting of the revelation, and meanings of words are often included
Muslims very early developed an elaborate and detailed method of interpreting the Qur’an
One interpretation technique is naskh or abrogation which Westerners question
Surah 4:82 indicates that there is no discrepancy in the Qur’an because a divine book cannot be self-contradictory
Faced with the fact that some verses are not compatible with each other, a later verse is declared to be nasikh (abrogating) and the earlier verse to be mansukh (abrogated)
Example: 4:10-11, which gives detailed instructions on apportioning inheritances, abrogates 2:180, which regulates inheritances in a general way
A Qur’an from Syria
Each Surah has a traditional name Examples with animal names: “The
Cow,” “The Spider,” “The Ant” Examples with names of Biblical
people: “Jonah,” “Joseph,” “Abraham,” “Mary”
Often, but not always, the name is suggested by the opening line of the Surah
The Surah may not deal with the topic of the title
A Qur’an from Egypt
Stories about biblical persons are often different from those in the Bible This led to early disagreements with
Jews Denial of the divinity and sonship of
Jesus Christ and even the fact of his crucifixion has led to contention with Christians
To a Muslim, the Qur’an, God’s direct revelation, always takes precedence over other sources
A Qur’an with Large Calligraphy
1. Sheheda or Creed
2. Salat or Prayer
3. Zakat or Almsgiving
4. Sawm, the Fast of Ramadan
5. Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca
The pillars of Islam are practices considered essential for every Muslim
Professing the sheheda before an adult witness makes one a Muslim—it is an act of profession and submission
Part 1 God is radically one (tawhid)—utterly unique, single, and
transcendent The unpardonable sin of Islam is idolatry (shirk) (4:48) It is a grave sin for a Muslim to associate anything with God
Belief in the Trinity is considered unbelief (5:73) Jesus cannot be the Son because then he would be in partnership with
God (4:171)
There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of God
Part 2 Muhammad is human and only human
Muslims disapprove of any portrayal of the Prophet
Calling a Muslim a “Muhammadan” is offensive—they submit to God, not Muhammad
Muslims have a tremendous devotion to the Prophet
He is the perfect model of what a human life should be
His words, deeds, practices, likes and dislikes have been gathered to provide a path by which a Muslim can walk in righteousness
After pronouncing his name, a pious Muslim will add, “Peace be upon him.”
Insulting Muhammad is a grave sin punishable by death in many countries
They expect those in dialogue with them to be respectful of Muhammad
In general, Muslims oppose portrayals of people in art and prefer decorative calligraphy
instead
Not prayer in general, but the obligatory prayer said five times a day by every healthy adult Muslim
Times Dawn (fajr)—2 rakat
Noon (zuhr)—4 rakat
Afternoon (‘asr)—4 rakat
Sunset (maghrib)—3 rakat
Night (‘isha)—4 rakat
Announced by a muezzin (mu_adhdhin) He calls allahu akbar “God is most great” followed by the
sheheda with slight variations for the time of day
Casablanca Mosque with the Muezzin’s Tower or Minaret
In 620, Muhammad mystically traveled to Jerusalem and from there to God’s throne in heaven
As he ascended to the throne, he met Jesus and other prophets of Israel
God told him that Muslim’s were to pray 50 times a day
On the way down, he met Moses. Moses told him that 50 times was too much and he should ask God for a lower number
He did this several times until the number was reduced to 5 times a day
Even though Moses thought this was still too large, Muhammad was too embarrassed to go back to God again so the number was fixed at 5
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem—the place where
Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is on the site of the ancient Temple
Before salat, there is a ritual washing of hands, feet, face and head
The believer must make a conscious intention to pray in fulfillment of the obligation
Each rakah begins with allahu akbar and ends with a kiss of peace (assalam ‘aleikum)
Prayer consists in recitations from the Qur’an— some aloud and others in a whisper, with bows and prostrations
The first recitation is the opening Surah, the al-Fatiha
On Fridays, there is also a sermon at the noon prayer
Communal prayer takes place in a mosque (masjid), but the prayers can be performed anywhere
Imams lead prayers Imam literally means “the one up front” There are preaching imams (educated) and
non-preaching imams
In addition to the obligatory prayers, Muslims have a rich tradition of other personal prayers and devotions One of the more common devotions is the
recitation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God—often with a circular string of beads (subha) similar to the Rosary
A subha
All Muslims are required to give a certain percentage of their goods to the poor
There are four schools of jurisprudence that have different ways of calculating the percentage
Traditionally, the zakat is given at the Feast of ‘Eid al-Fitr which breaks the Fast of Ramadan
Sawm is the solemn fast of the holy month of Ramadan The fast is between sunrise and sunset each day of the month
Forbidden are
Eating
Drinking
Smoking
Sexual activity
After sunset the fast is broken (iftar) and normal activity may resume
Not penitential but focused on self-discipline and re-dedication
Pilgrimage to Mecca with accompanying rites Required once in the
lifetime of every Muslim who is physically and financially able
Once performed, a Muslim has the title al-Hajji or al-Hajjiya Great Mosque of Mecca (al Masjid al Haram) during
Hajj facing the King Fahd Gate
The Hajj predates Islam The Quraysh tribe maintained a polytheistic shrine
that was a significant source of income
The site (the Holy Sanctuary of the Great Mosque ) commemorates Abraham, Ishmael and Hagar The Ka’aba is built around the Black Stone found by
Abraham and Ishmael
The Black Stone came from heaven (it is probably a meteorite)
The Well of Zamzam is where Hagar found water for Ishmael after being sent to the desert
The sacrifice of ‘Eid ul Adha commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice of a sheep after being willing to sacrifice Ishmael
Rites—solemn version (Ihram) on 8 Dhu al-Hijjah Bathe and put on the white pilgrimage
vestments in the prescribed manner
Tawaf (circumabulation of the Ka’aba)
Enter the Holy Sanctuary of the Great Mosque preferably through the Bab-as-Salam gate
Recite prescribed prayers
When you reach the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad), begin circumambulation of the Ka’aba
Man in ihram dress
Rites—8 Dhu al-Hijjah continued
Tawaf –continued
Express your intention to make tawaf (niyyah)
Kiss, touch or point to the Black Stone
Circumambulate the Ka’aba 7 times with the Ka’aba on your left
Stop at the Place of Abraham (Makam Ibrahim), face the Ka’aba and recite prayers
The Black Stone
Rites—8 Dhu al-Hijjah continued Sa’y (shuttling between two small
hills, Safa and Marwah)
The rite commemorates Hagar searching for water for her son, Ishmael
Proceed to Safa
Say appropriate prayers then walk /run to Marwah and say prayers
Repeat 7 times
Walk to Mina and camp for the night
Begin gathering stones
Rites—9 Dhu al-Hijjah Pray morning prayer and
walk to Arafat Attend the sermon at
Namirah Mosque Perform Wuquf—stand
praying to Allah while facing Mecca
Before sunset, walk to Muzdalifah and camp Gather more stones (need
70)
Mecca (Makkah) to Arafat is ~6.5 miles
Rites—10 Dhu al-Hijjah Pray morning prayer and walk to
Mina
Stone the pillar representing the devil
The act of stoning the pillar commemorates Abraham’s resistance to the devil’s temptations by stoning him and driving him away
Perform the sacrifice of ‘Eid ul Adha. Give uneaten meat to the poor
Men shave their heads and women clip their hair
Bathe and change to normal clothes
Mecca (Makkah) to Arafat is ~6.5 miles
Rites—10 Dhu al-Hijjah continued Return to Mecca and
perform Tawaf al-Ifadha and Sa’y
Drink water from the Well of Zamzam
Return to Mina The Great Mosque of Mecca