Transcript Islam

ISLAM AND THE
ISLAMIC SECTS
WORLD RELIGIONS
ANTHROPOLOGY
NEW DIMENSIONS
Demographics
 Those who practice the Islamic faith are
Muslims
 Islam is distributed throughout Africa, the
Middle East and parts of Asia and Europe
 Growing population is in the United States
 More than 6 million+ Muslims are U.S.
residents
Origin/History
 Abrahamic Faith: Originated in the Middle
East after Judaism and Christianity
 Founded by the prophet, Muhammad
 Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (570-632 C.E.)
 Islam means “to submit” in Arabic
 Jihad means “fighting or striving”
 Holy war is not literal, applied to historical wars
with non-Muslims
Deity
 Monotheistic: belief in one God, Allah
 Allah is the sole God, the creator, the
sustainer and restorer of the world
 Muhammad is the last, perfect of God’s
messengers
 Others include Adam, Abraham, Moses and
Jesus
Sacred/Holy Texts
 These form the basics of Islamic law
 The Qur’an ( or the Koran)
 Written by God and revealed to Muhammad
 Never been corrupted
 Hadith
 Muhammad’s sayings and stories of his life
 Second to the authority of the Qur’an
 Contains specific details/laws on how to live
Spiritual Leaders
 Imam
 Leads community prayers
 Performs marriages and funerals
 Gives advice about Islamic law, chosen for his
wisdom
 Muezzin
 Crier, proclaims the call to worship
 Khatib
 Preaches the Friday sermon
Main Tenets
 5 Pillars of Islam
 1. Profession of Faith
 No God but God, Muhammad is the prophet of God
 2. Prayer
 Must pray 5 times a day, facing Mecca
 3. The Zakat
 Must pay an obligatory tax annually to the state gov’t
 4. Fasting
 Must fast for the month of Ramadan (9th month)
 Daybreak-sunset: No eating, drinking, smoking, sex
 5. Hajj
 Must make a pilgrimage to Mecca in their life
Creation
 Allah is the Creator
 A “day” is equivalent to 50, 000 years
 Do not believe God rested on the 7th day
 Why would God need to rest?
 It is a sin to confuse the Creator and
creation
 Nothing else should be associated with God
 Reject Trinity and Jesus as incarnate
Death/Afterlife
 The Qur’an posits that life is a test
 Deaths are predetermined by Allah
 Day of Judgment
 Good to Paradise
 Others to the Fire
 Dead are buried in 3 linen shrouds
 Martyrs are buried in the clothes they
died in
Rituals & Customs
 First thing a baby should hear is the call to
prayer whispered in each ear
 Boys must be circumcised (7 mos-12 yrs)
 Parents choose the marriage partners for
their children
 Divorce is discouraged
 More than one wife allowed
Holidays/Holy Days
 Muslims follow a different calendar than
Western world
 Based on Muhammad’s move to Medina in 622
 Ramadan
 9th Muslim month
 Many other holy days (see pages 78 & 79)
Worship
 Fridays: all men to mosque for midday prayer
 All must remove shoes and wear a habit, or hiram
 Women to mosque
 Cover hair completely
 Seated in a separate area
 Believed to distract opposite sex
 When in a congregation, stand shoulder to
shoulder with no gaps
 All Muslim prayers are memorized
 Worship of idols is forbidden
 No images of Allah or Muhammad
Lifestyle Practices
 Islam is a way of life, not simply a religion
 Family life is central: care for one another
 “ummah”=community
 Alcohol is forbidden
 Gambling is forbidden
 Consuming the meat of a pig is forbidden
 Shirk: sin regarding intercessions, astrology
 Blasphemy or idolatry
Subdivisions/Sects
 SUNNIS
 90% of Muslims (1 billion people)
 Consider themselves traditional, mainstream
 SHIITES
 10% of Muslims (80 million people)
 Voice of militant Islamic fundamentalism
 Their disputes center around the rightful successors
of Muhammad
 SUFISM
 Mystical sect: believe in a direct experience with Allah