Transcript Islam

Islamic and Persian
Literature
Getting Started
Islam is the name for the religion
practiced by Muslims. The word
Islam means "peace."
 Not all Arabs are Muslims; some
practice Judaism, Christianity, and
Druze.
 Islam was founded in Arabia by
Muhammed.

Difference between
Arabs and Muslim
culture
Arabs in various countries have
their own cultural traditions,
which determine such things as
the forms of dress.
 Men might cover their heads
with a turban
 The head might be covered with
a smaller hat called a kufi.
 All adult male Muslims must
have a beard
 All women must cover
themselves.
Path to Eternal Life
Islam demands five things from
the believer:
1. No God but the one Allah
2. Praying five times each day
3. Give to charity (alms)
4. Fast (refrain from eating)
5. Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca
Islamic Afterlife
Soul exists and
lives beyond physical existence.
 Day of Judgment

– Two options: Hell or Paradise
– Physical resurrection
– Warriors gain immediate entrance to
Paradise. Enemies of Islam
immediately descend to Hell
Major Text: The Qur'an
Only book
 means “recitation”
 The angel
Gabriel came to the
prophet Muhammad
in dreams.
 First visit during Ramadan (Islamic
Holiday) 610 CE

Types of Writing
 Qur'an
contains:
–Moral
guidelines
–Laws of God
–Rules of
Islamic Faith
Language & Genre

Written in Arabic
– Any translations
are considered
"interpretations"

Only one type of
writing:
Prophecy
Work Period - Page 578
Answer these questions on
the paper:
– What is the moral/theme of the
Surah?
– What type of literature is the
surah?
– How is this religious literature
similar to other types of religious
literature we have read?
PERSIAN LITERATURE
1001 Arabian Nights
Frame Narrative –
One story that
contains many other
stories
 Includes Sinbad and
Ali Baba
 Told by
Scheherazade to
keep from being
killed by the Sultan
(king)

Sinbad (p.584)
Do NOT write the questions.
1.
Where is Sinbad’s home city?
2.
How does Sinbad become
stranded on the island?
3.
What is a Roc and what does it
have on the 1st island?
4.
What is guarding the diamonds
on the 2nd island?
5.
What does Sinbad find in the cave?
6.
How does Sinbad escape the snakes using a sheep?
7.
What is extracted from the trees on the island that Sinbad is
taken to?
8.
What is another name for a rhinoceros?
9.
How does the rhinoceros kill an elephant?
10.
When Sinbad returns off what does he do with his wealth?
Sinbad Writing Prompt
In 7-9 good sentences describe the
character of Sinbad. Use quotations
from the story as your evidence.
Rubaiyat
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Written by Omar
Khayyam
Language – Persian
A ruba'i is a two-line
stanza with two parts
per line
A rubáiyát (from the
Arabic for "four"),
means "quatrains“ (4
lines).
May have been a sufi
(inner mystical Islam)
or a mystic
Translated and made
to rhyme =
transmogrification
Activity
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the mini
poems from the
Rubaiyat starting
on pg. 594.
Find your
favorite
Get a piece of
construction
paper and write
it on your paper
then explain
what it means.
Draw the images
in the minipoem.
Rumi
Jalal ad-Din Persian poet
 Muslim religious scholar
 Followed mystical Islam – Sufism

– Seek spiritual guidance by
direct personal experience
with God.
– Dancing monks called
Dervishes