2. ◦ ISLAM OVERVIEW
◦ HOW MANY? 1.6 billion Muslims, second only to Christianity
◦ WHERE? in South and Southeast Asia mainly, Indonesia, Pakistan,
India, Bangladesh (not as many in Arabic-speaking countries of
Middle East—who are only 20% of Muslims!); also in Africa; 3
million Muslims in the U.S.; almost 10% of population in France
◦ ORIGINS? In Arabian Peninsula, then spread through the Middle
East, Asia, and Africa; a global, diverse tradition
◦ BELIEFS? ALLAH is ONE; MUHAMMAD is his prophet (570-632 CE);
the QUR’AN is Allah’s revelation; FIVE PILLARS
◦ “Islam” is Arabic for “submit”—submit to the will of Allah
◦ Islam is not a new revelation, but a reawakening/reintroduction of
the original monotheism given to Abraham (Ibrahim): the true
oneness of God
4. ◦WHAT IS ULTIMATE REALITY?
◦God is the creator and sustainer of the
universe, world, and everything in it!
◦God is evident in elements of the beautiful
natural world.
◦God reveals ultimate reality in revelations
communicated through prophets like
Muhammad in the Qur’an, THE source of
God’s teachings about the nature of ultimate
reality and nature of the world.
5. ◦HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?
◦Humans are part of God’s creation.
◦Islamic tradition offers many guidelines
about the right way to live: worship God, be
generous to the needy, live righteously.
◦Muhammad’s (PBUH) life is an example.
◦The Five Pillars of worship are the
foundation.
6. ◦WHAT IS OUR ULTIMATE PURPOSE?
◦All humans will be judged on the Day of
Judgment based on their actions, choices,
and deeds in life.
◦The righteous will enter paradise. The sinful
will be cast into the fire.
◦Humans have free choice and must submit
to the will of Allah.
◦Submit (“Islam”) to the will of Allah, follow
the Five Pillars and Muhammad’s example.
8. ◦ MUHAMMAD AND THE REVELATIONS
◦ Muhammad is the final messenger in a series of prophets sent by
God, including Noah, Moses, and Jesus; all prophets are human,
divine
◦ Muhammad is the most important prophet; an extraordinary man,
“IDEAL HUMAN” but not divine; the religious and political leader of
the first Muslim community and 14 centuries later, still the prime
example for Muslims
◦ His life is in the Qur’an and early biographies and legends; little
about his early life...mostly about his life as a prophet
◦ He was a spiritual religious seeker even before the revelation of the
Qur’an; a devout monotheist in a culture of polytheists; he
alone on the oneness of God
◦ At age 40 in 610 CE, the Angel Gabriel (Jibril) visited Muhammad
while he was praying in a cave outside Mecca and said, “RECITE!”
(“Qur’an!”); he hesitated three times in awe and disbelief since he
illiterate; but did repeat the angel’s words...the first verses of the
Qur’an
◦ The rest of the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad over the next
years
9. ◦ MUHAMMAD AND THE REVELATIONS
◦ Khadija, Muhammad’s wife (a wealthy
businesswoman) listened to his revelations and
believed his message. Khadija is the first convert to
Islam. Then his cousin Ali who married
Muhammad’s daughter Fatima.
◦ After his first revelations, Muhammad began
preaching in Mecca, emphasizing the oneness of
God (the core of Islam); also taught morality, social
justice for the poor and oppressed, and the
Day of Judgment
10. ◦ THE QUR’AN
◦ The literal word of God, taught by “recitation” (“qur’an”) just as
Muhammad received it; eventually written down, but corrected
those who had memorized it (even today, memorizing and
reciting the Qur’an is prized!)
◦ The Qur’an is inimitable and uncreated (unique and eternal); it
was controversial to call the Qur’an “eternal” because only Allah
eternal and the Qur’an was created, but the “eternal Qur’an” is
now orthodox
◦ Revealed over 23 years to Muhammad until his death in Arabic
poetry, but Muslims do not consider it to be poetry (which is a
human creation); rather, it is the pure, literal word of Allah
◦ Reciting, reading, and studying the Qur’an daily is important to
Muslims
◦ The Qur’an is not a narrative story, but 114 chapters (surahs)
arranged from longest to shortest, from 300 verses to only a
each has a title added later
◦ The Qur’an was compiled during the 7th and 8th centuries
11. ◦ THE QUR’AN’s OPENING, recited by a devout Muslim several times a
day, evoking the oneness of God, the all-powerful nature of God, the
Day of Judgment, and God’s guidance for a righteous life
◦ 1 In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful.
◦ 2 Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the
Worlds.
◦ 3 Most Gracious Most Merciful.
◦ 4 Master of the Day of Judgement.
◦ 5 It is you we worship and serve and it is you we seek
help from.
◦ 6 Show us the straight way.
◦ 7 The way of those upon whom You bestowed Your
Grace, not those upon whom is anger, nor those who
go astray.
12. ◦ THE QUR’AN: TEACHINGS
◦ ONENESS OF GOD (tawhid): Abraham’s one God,
eternal, omniscient, omnipotent. Creator of the
universe and revealed in nature. Transcendent and
yet present. “Closer than the jugular vein.”
◦ God is merciful, just, good (Muslims don’t know
why bad things happen to good people, but they
should have faith in God’s purpose without fully
knowing God’s ultimate purpose or reality.
◦ The same God of Judaism and Christianity, but
NOT the Trinity (Jesus was not God).
◦ The only unforgivable sin is shirk (denying the ONE
God alone).
13. ◦ THE QUR’AN: TEACHINGS
◦ PROPHECY: Important component mentioned in
the Qur’an; share prophets with Judaism (Moses)
and Christianity (Jesus), but Jews and Christians
have been misinterpreted or forgotten God’s
revelation. Through prophecy, humans know
God’s desires and laws. Also revealed in Scripture
through prophets who bring major messages like
Muhammad, or simply news from God.
◦ “Muslim” (one who submits). Adam and Hawa (Eve)
disobeyed God’s will and ate a forbidden fruit.
People have free choice and must submit to God’s
will.
14. ◦ THE QUR’AN: TEACHINGS
◦ DAY OF JUDGMENT: The Day of Judgment and
Afterlife are central teachings in the Qur’an
◦ After death, a person resides in the grave in a sleep
until the end of days (the world will be turned upside
down in great calamity) when the judgment happens
◦ All believers will stand alone in front of Allah to be
judged according to their actions, as written in a book
(held in the right hand if righteous, and in the left if
sinful). The righteous enter heaven, a bountiful
paradise with food, drink and beautiful young men and
women. Hell is “the fire,” for nonbelievers and Muslims
who rejected their faith and failed to live up to
prescribed duties and morals.
15. ◦ THE QUR’AN: TEACHINGS
◦ ANGELS and JINN: mentioned in the Qur’an, angels
are part of God’s creation (no bodies or gender);
humans are made of clay, angels are made of light
◦ Angels are messengers and assistants to God.
◦ Angel Gabriel (Jibril) brought the revelation of the
Qur’an to Muhammad
◦ Jinn (cf. genie) are made from fire and can be good
and evil, helping or harming humans
16. ◦ THE QUR’AN
◦ COMMENTARY: Because the Qur’an is ambiguous and repetitive, a long
tradition of commentary emerged. TAFSIR (“interpretation”) takes many forms,
originally focused on grammar/language/inconsistencies to clarify meaning.
Some Muslims say interpret the Qur’an based on/within the Qur’an. Speculative
tafsir looks outside the Qur’an to reason and rationality (because God gave us
reason; but opponents to speculative tafsir say that prefers reason over the
words of God).
◦ SUNNAH: The example of the prophet Muhammad, the ideal human, the
“tradition” he lived (his actions, words, judgments of disputes in the community,
his relationships, business, even how he brushed his teeth)
◦ HADITH: How Muslims know the Sunnah...is from the hadith (a form of
literature that reports the details—sayings and deeds-- of Muhammad’s life.
Recorded by his companions—friends and family who saw his importance as a
righteous man. The validity of the hadith depends on the source (the person
who transmitted the hadith) and ranges from “solid” to “weak” based on its
authenticity. There are several thousand hadith. SACRED SAYINGS are “hadith
qudsi”: sacred sayings that are the words of God given to Muhammad and
written down, but not intended to be part of the Qur’an.
17. FYI JUDGMENT DAY
Here's an Arabic recitation (with English subtitles) from the Qur'an about Judgment
Day (it's poetry rather than descriptive narrative, so basically a horn blows and then
the judgment...then heaven or hell)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n1IHcb81Zk (4 min.)
***
The hadith (not the Qur'an) reads like sci-fi (or Revelation in the NewTestament)
with more elaborate descriptions of signs of the Last Days on Earth before its
annihilation (then the resurrection and Judgment Day for everyone).
Basically (and remember this is from the hadith not Qur'an):
The Mahdi (Messiah descended from Muhammad) will be alive on earth, perfected
in one night as the final Messiah in the last days.Then Isa (Jesus) will return to join
him and defeat the Dajjal (Anti-Christ). ISA (Jesus) and the MAHDI (the
final Messia) will reign for 40 years until Isa dies and is buried with Muhammad in
the tomb in Medina.Then the Kaaba and the Beast/Anti-Christ (ad-Dajjal) will be
destroyed; then the resurrection of the dead; and the final judgment when the
righteous will be separated from sinners.
Source:Wikipedia "Islamic Eschatology" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_eschatology
18. FYI:The final signs of the Last Days:
1.Sexual immorality appears among people to such an extent that they commit it openly, except that they will be afflicted
by plagues and diseases unknown to their forefathers;
2.People cheat in weights and measures (business, trades, etc.) and are stricken with famine, calamity, and oppression as
a result;
3.They withhold charity and hoard their wealth, and rain is withheld from the sky from them; there is rain only for animals;
4.They break their covenant with God and His Messenger and God enables their enemies to overpower them and take
some of what is in their hands;
5.God causes those who do not live according to His book to fight among themselves.
FYI: Major signs of the Last Days:
1.The false messiah—anti-Christ, Masih ad-Dajjal—shall appear with great powers as a one-eyed man with his right eye
blind and deformed like a grape. Although believers will not be deceived, he will claim to be God, to hold the keys to
heaven and hell, and will lead many astray. In reality, his heaven is hell, and his hell is heaven. The Dajjal will be followed
by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.
2.The return of Isa (Jesus), from the fourth sky, to kill Dajjal.
3.Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog), a Japhetic tribe of vicious beings who had been imprisoned by Dhul-Qarnayn, will
break out. They will ravage the earth, drink all the water of Lake Tiberias, and kill all believers in their way. Isa, Imam Al-
Mahdi, and the believers with them will go to the top of a mountain and pray for the destruction of Gog and Magog. God
eventually will send disease and worms to wipe them out.
4.A huge black cloud of smoke will cover the earth.
5.The Dabbat al-ard, or Beast of the Earth, will come out of the ground to talk to people.
6.The sun will rise from the west.
7.Three sinkings of the earth, one in the east, one in the west, and one in Arabia.
8.The second blow of the trumpet will be sounded, the dead will return to life, and a fire will come out of Yemen that shall
gather all to Mahshar Al Qiy'amah (The Gathering for Judgment).
20. ◦1) DECLARATION OF FAITH:
◦ “There is no God but God
◦ and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
21. MUEZZZIN’S CALL TO
PRAYER: ADHAN
◦2) DAILY PRAYER (SALAH) (491-94)
◦ Morning Prayer (3 min video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRey7TFwfkY
◦ a five-minute full prayer session
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5l2iKSe1h8
◦ FIVE TIMES A DAY (1:30 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtyeRaMxrMI
◦ ADHAN, MUEZZIN’S WORDS (2 min. video)
◦ https://www.learnreligions.com/what-do-the-words-of-the-adhan-mean-in-
english-2003812
◦ Muezzin calling to prayer in Jerusalem (30 sec.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtLULoxmJlw
◦ In Istanbul (30 sec.)
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRPJXsFVOSA
God is Great! God is Great!
God is Great! God is Great!
I bear witness that there is no
god except the One God.
I bear witness that there is no
god except the One God.
I bear witness that Muhammad
is the messenger of God.
I bear witness that Muhammad
is the messenger of God.
Hurry to the prayer. Hurry to
the prayer.
Hurry to salvation. Hurry to
salvation.
God is Great! God is Great!
There is no god except the
One God.
22. ◦3) ALMSGIVING (ZAKAT)
◦ Required almsgiving as part of a believer’s devotion to God and the Muslim
community: 2.5% of property (including cash).
◦ Like a “tax” on “clean” wealth, to “purify property and improve one’s
community.
◦ Proceeds are donated to the poor or used to maintain mosques or schools
23. ◦4) FASTING DURING RAMADAN (SAWM)
◦ Mandatory fast during Ramadan (the 9th month of Islamic calendar)...this is the
year 1440 AH, by the way. This is the sacred month when the Qur’an was revealed
to Muhammad.
◦ Fast from dawn to sundown (no eating, drinking, sex, negative thoughts,
smoking).
◦ All adults are expected to fast, with exceptions of children, the sick, mentally ill,
and elderly. Children can fast as soon as they are comfortable with it.
◦ Fasting builds community and focuses on the needs of the poor and hungry.
◦ A challenging, but meaningful month of joy and sociability—the evening meal is
often shared with friends and family.
◦ Break the fast at sundown with DATES, like Muhammad. Indonesians drink a very
sweet coconut milk because it is SO sweet to focus on God all day.
◦ The last day is the Night of Power: the night the Qur’an was revealed to
Muhammad. A wish can be granted on this night (some say).
◦ CSU Sacramento holds a “fast for a day” event: fasting by day, and having a
special meal at night with guest speakers sharing about Ramadan.
24. ◦5) PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA (HAJJ)
◦ The holy pilgrimage to mecca in Saudi Arabia. Required of
humanity... All Muslims who are physically and financially (no
borrowing money—but you can accept donations!) able must take
it once in a lifetime (many do it multiple times).
◦ The annual five-day pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for 2 million people.
◦ These millions descend upon Mecca in a devotion—unparalleled
spiritual experience, intense feelings of connection to God and
humanity.
◦ You MUST join a travel group (Saudi law).
◦ Taken during the last month of the Islamic calendar.
◦ IHRAM: state of equality and purity; don’t wear any status symbols,
just two pieces of white cloth. Women wear what they choose, but
most avoid makeup, jewelry, and perfume. No sex, arguing, or
frivolous conversation. Focus only on God and the hajj.
25. ◦5) PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA (HAJJ)
◦ The pilgrimage involves a number of highly specific, ritualized
acts determined by Muhammad before his death.
◦ Some rituals of HAJJ:
◦ 1) The pilgrim first arrives in Mecca, entering the Great
Mosque around the Ka’ba while reciting verses of the Qur’an.
Circles the Ka’ba seven times counterclockwise (FYI the
tawaf)—imitating the angels circling God’s throne. This is
performed three times during hajj.
◦ 2) Visit a spring, commemorating Hagar (Ishmael’s mother)
searching for water in the desert by rushing seven times
between two hills. God made this spring appear.
◦ 3) Visit the plain of Arafat where a tent city houses pilgrims.
They stand from noon to sundown in praise of Allah.
28. ◦ (Reviewed in class to reward students for participation/attendance and to help
audio, visual, and tactile learners be involved in your own learning.)
◦ INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY OF ISLAM (498-99)
◦ pp. 498-99 HIJRA AND THE GROWTH OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
◦ pp. 502-3 CRISIS OF SUCCESSION AND THE RIGHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS
◦ pp. 503-4 UMAYYADS AND THE ABBASIDS
◦ pp. 505-6 LATER ISLAMIC EMPIRES
◦ pp. 506-8 ISLAM AND NATIONALISM
◦ pp. 508-11 ISLAM REFORM MOVEMENTS
◦ WAHHABISM
◦ RESISTING COLONIALISM AND WESTERNIZATION
◦ MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
◦ pp. 511-13 SUNI AND SHI’A
◦ pp. 513 POLITICAL CONFLICT TODAY
◦ pp. 514-7 MUSLIMS IN NORTH AMERICA
29. ISLAM AS
A WAY OF LIFE
READ: p. 518 interview “being a Muslim in North American today”
and “being a young Muslim woman in the U.S.”
30. ◦THE QUR’AN IN DAILY LIFE (519)
◦ Revered and respected; authentic only in the
original ARABIC (translations are only
interpretations)
◦ Pursue a life of learning and study the Qur’an
throughout life
◦ Beautiful recitations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWnLENDSdfA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEvJNIcuAjQ
31. ◦JIHAD(520)
◦ Jihad (“struggle/strive”); “jihad (strive) in the service
of God”; not an armed struggle in the Qur’an, as
some Muslim groups call for military jihads against
the enemies of Islam
◦ In the hadith literature, Muhammad is reported to
have said after a battle, “We return from the little
jihad to the greater jihad.” The greater jihad is the
struggle to be a better person, striving against
one’s sinful tendencies and living in accord with
God’s will.
32. ◦ISLAMIC YEAR (521)
◦ Islam calendar begins with the hijra (migration of Muhammad and Muslim
community from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE)
◦ This is the year 1440 AH
◦ Lunar since the moon is the measure of time; Muslims today use the solar
and lunar calendars; the Qur’an names the 12 months of the year
◦ The Feast of Sacrifice, Id al-Adha, is primary holiday at the end of hajj;
celebrated by all Muslims (not just those on pilgrimage); commemorates
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael, but God provided a ram;
so an animal is sacrifices on this holiday and two days are spent with
and friends
◦ Second most important holiday is Id al-Fitr, Feast of Fast-Breaking at the
of Ramadan; a time of joy and forgiveness when Muslims attend prayers,
friends and family, and wear elegant clothes
◦ Also Muhammad’s birthday is celebrated with all-night recitations of the
Qur’an and devotional poetry; but some Muslims (e.g. in Saudi Araia)
this holiday since it turns Muhammad into a God
33. ◦SHARI’A (ISLAMIC LAW) (522)
◦ God established guidelines, SHARI’A (the “road” or “way”; usually “law” in
English--but it has a much broader range of law and legal activity than in
Western culture, regulating EVERY aspect of daily life like marriage, divorce,
inheritance, commerce, and crime, as well as generosity, obedience,
prayer...and food and drink (no pork or alcohol)
◦ The “outer way” to God through relationships, life in a community, how to
worship (in contrast to the “inner way” of the mystics)
◦ Drawn from the Qur’an primarily. And the Sunnah: the example of the
human, Muhammad—his words and actions, and his actions as a judge
mediator of disputes in Medina (as recorded in the hadith)
◦ Sunni and Shi’a differ on additional sources. Sunnis use the Qur’an and
Sunnah, then turn to human reason if it’s not addressed—the Muslim
community. Shi’a do not recognize consensus as a source of law, but they
turn to IMAMS as infallible judges.
◦ Most modern countries do not use Islamic Law (Shari’a) in courts and state
legal systems, only in Iran and Saudi Arabia. European powers had legal
codes when colonizing Islamic countries and determined centuries-old laws
were not appropriate for modern contexts.
◦ Muslims may choose to follow Shari’a in their personal lives.
34. ◦SUFISM (523-26)
◦ The mystical branch of Islam, seeking the “inner way” to
drawing closer to and personally experiencing God, based
the Qur’an and the example of Muhammad, passed on
through SHAYKH (master) to disciples
◦ Hasan of Basra preaches asceticism and wept out of fear of
God; Rabia of Basra had giddy happiness in the love of God,
walking streets with a pitcher of water and torch to set
paradise ablaze and put out fires of hell so people would
God for the sake of God (not out of hope of paradise or fear
of hell!)
◦ Muhammad is the ideal human, so Sufis emulate him; the
miraculous night when he journeyed from mecca to
Jerusalem and then ascended to heaven to meet God (the
MIRAJ), making Jerusalem a holy city (along with Mecca—
birthplace and Qur’an revelation-- and Medina--burial);
Muhammad was the first to have personally experienced the
presence of God, the first Sufi and source of special spiritual
knowledge
35. ◦SUFISM (523-26)
◦ Formed in response to worldly excesses and
materialism, seeking a simple way of life; same
goal (personally experiencing God) through
different meditation techniques and spiritual
practices
◦ DHIKR (recollection, meditation) to recollect God
so completely that one loses self; could be
reciting the shahadah, or whirling to lose the self
as the Whirling Dervishes
◦ Saint veneration--revered as “friends of God” for
religious learning and spirituality; tombs of these
saints are sites of pilgrimage where people seek
blessings from saints on the saints’ death date
◦ Tension arises between Sufis and other Muslims
who criticize saint veneration (compromises the
oneness of God by exalting humans) and for
neglecting Five Pillars (for esoterica)
36. ◦SUFISM (523-26)
◦ Focused on the intense love for God, search for hidden
meaning, God’s love for creation and closeness to
in the poetry of RUMI, a 13th c. Sufi poet
◦ Rumi on God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpA1tyo2qmY
◦ Rumi Wisdom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHmGedZ8XU
◦ Lover whispers to my ear,
"Better to be a prey than a hunter.
Make yourself My fool.
Stop trying to be the sun and become a speck!
Dwell at My door and be homeless.
Don't pretend to be a candle, be a moth,
so you may taste the savor of Life
and know the power hidden in serving.”
37. ◦ MARRIAGE AND FAMILY (527-8)
◦ Marriage and family life are the cornerstones of Muslim communities;
Muhammad was ideal husband and father, so marriage is enforced for
and having children
◦ Dating is NOT accepted; and single Muslims live with parents until marriage
◦ Arranged marriages in some countries, but according ot shari’a, an
unacceptable partner can be rejected
◦ Marriage contract is signed, and bride receives a gift (from $50 to
given by groom (through imam); large weddings and feasts with Qur’an
recitation and music and dancing; some communities separate men and
women (unacceptable for men and women to socialize together)
◦ Most Muslims consider polygamy legal, and the practice varies around the
world. (Children are a blessing in Islam.) Some cultures accept up to four
wives if he can support them and treat them equally (one verse in the
says marry as many as seem good to you—2, 3, 4; but marry one if you
be equitable” than a later verse says “you will not be equitable between
wives, even if you try”); Muhammad married Khadija...and after her death,
others!
◦ Divorce is permitted according to the Qur’an and hadith, and varies by
country. Can be unilateral in some countries by the man: “I divorce you.”
Conditions can be written into the marriage contract (e.g. if a man marries
another woman).
38. ◦ WOMEN AND ISLAM p. 528-30
◦ Patriarchal norms prevail. Women and men are equals in the eyes of God
will be judged on their own accord. All Muslims must live a righteous life. A
woman has the right to divorce and inherit and hold property.
◦ Uncommon in some areas for women to work outside of home. A man
provide for family; women’s earnings are her own.
◦ Modest women’s dress takes many forms. (“Hijab, Niqab, or Nothing” video
on syllabus!) Some cover their head (hijab) or nose and mouth (niqab) or
burqa (full-length body covering) out of religious commitment, or in
equality so they can enter the workplace and public sphere; to be valued as
an equal and not based on appearance; and/or to resist Western cultural
imperialism and pleasure-based female forms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXzUuKdfnRE
◦ Taliban in Afghanistan deny women the right to work outside the home, be
educated, or walk in the street. This is viewed as strict, radical, and even
unlawful.
Theo van Gogh’s 2004 film,
Submission, showed a nude
woman with Quranic verses
on her naked body. He was
assassinated by a Muslim for
the film about injustices
towards Muslim women
(they can be raped and can’t
refuse sex in marriage; they
are slapped when
disobedient).
39. ◦ REFORM AND WOMEN’S STATUS (530-31)
◦ In 19th-20th c.—to improve women’s status and properly understand
sources and Islamic law...especially upper-class women with time and
◦ Huda Shaarawi, an Egyptian upper-class woman who removed her face veil
a train station in 1923; Shaarawi was president and founder of Egyptian
Feminist Union and founded schools and hospitals; ”cast off headscarves in
quest for liberation”
◦ In the West, Muslim women believe Islam provides equal rights and argue
the Qur’an must be reinterpreted to eradicate misogynist cultural practices
◦ In Egypt, debates about whether or not to wear veils or headscarves
generations
41. ◦ CALLIGRAPHY: imagery is prohibited by the sacred
sources of Islam, so calligraphy from the Qur’an decorates
the Qur’an itself, and mosques
42. ◦ DAILY PRAYER: five times a day, a Muslim faces the Kaaba
in Mecca and stands, kneels, and bows his/her head to
the floor. The cycles of movement are accompanied with
recitation (raka).
Just FYI (do not learn Arabic
postures for each step!)
43. ◦MIHRAB: the direction of prayer is indicated in
a mosque by the MIHRAB, highly decorated
with Qur’anic verses
44. ◦ KAABA: the black cube in Mecca about 30’
x 30’, built and dedicated to the one God
by Abraham and Ishmael
