3. Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Muhammad born in Mecca (570 C.E.)
– Founder of Islam
– Orphaned as a child and raised in poverty
– Married a rich widow who had a daughter
Fatima (Muhammad’s daughter)
– Ancestor of all followers of Islam
– Highly revered as a model of piety and purity
• Married the first Imam (authoritative religious leader)
of the Shiites
4. Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Muhammad retreated into caves to meditate
and ponder reasons for his good fortune
Received revelations of God through angel
Gabriel
– Preached against idolatry in Mecca; taught
worship of one God
– Encountered severe opposition from citizens of
Mecca
Fled From Mecca to Medina - Hegira (622)
– Beginning of Muslim calendar
5. Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Developed a successful following in Medina
Returned to Mecca 10 years later
Made Qa’aba (Arabic for “cube”), the once
pagan shrine, the focal point of the new
religion
“Islam” means submission to God
– Fundamental principal of the faith is monotheism
– belief in one god
– Rejection of Christian doctrine of the Trinity
7. Five Pillars of Islam
1. Recitation of the Muslim act of faith
– One God; Muhammad is God’s messenger
2. Obligation of prayer
– 5 times a day in a direction that points to the
Qa’aba in Mecca
3. Charity – give of one’s wealth (surplus)
4. Fasting during Ramadan –
– Abstinence of all food and drink from sunrise to
sunset
8. Five Pillars of Islam
5. Pilgrimage (Haj)
– Travel to Mecca at least once in a lifetime
Muhammad traveled to the purified and
restored Qa’aba in 632
– Muhammad’s Haj
– Died the same year
Millions of people participate in the
pilgrimage each year
9. Practices of Islam
Other characteristic pracatices:
– No pork, alcohol
– Male circumcision
– Polygamy acceptable, but not practiced
worldwide
– Usury (loan interest) forbidden by Islamic law
– Observation of feast days
10. Practices of Islam
Simplicity of the teaching:
– Submission to the will of the one God
– Insistence on daily prayer
– Appeal for charity
– And demand for asceticism (self denial)
All these led to rapid growth and spread of
religion
– In less than 10 years, Islam had spread to all of
Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and parts of North
Africa
11. The Qur’an
Central text of Islam
– Collection of Muhammad’s oral revelations
– Revelations were maintained orally, but soon after
Muhammad’s death, followers wrote down the
revelations
– Uniform edition of the revelations: Qur’an (AKA
Koran) is Arabic for “recitation”
Divided into 114 chapters (sûras)
– Arranged in terms of length: longest to shortest
– Roughly as long as Christian New Testament
12. The Qur’an
Opening chapter in the form of a short prayer
invoking the name of God
Other 113 chapters (sûras) are arranged by length:
longest to shortest
Written in Arabic
– Cannot be translated into other languages b/c it came as
the result of divine dictation
– Written and read from right to left
Vernacular (common language) versions exist, but
are considered paraphrases or glosses
13. The Qur’an
Source of unification for all Muslims
– No matter where Muslims live, they will hear the Qur’an
recited only in Arabic
– Literally God’s word to the people and is held in the
highest regard
Memorization and recitation
– Sign of devotion
– Competitions for reciting the Qur’an
– In cities having a Muslim majority, it is not uncommon to
find radio stations that feature reading of the Qur’an 24
hours/day.
14. The Qur’an
Qur’an, Hadith, Shari’a (“law”)
– Hadith – authoritative commentators on the
Qur’an and explication (interpretation) of certain
oral traditions about the Prophet and early
Islamic community make up this body of
literature
– Shari’a – complex legal code based on Qur’an
and Hadith
– Islamic law for their governance
• Both traditional and conservative yet adaptable to the
needs and circumstances of time
15. Calligraphy
Greek for “Beautiful writing”
Kufic (most characteristic form of writing)
– Used to render adequate honor to the written text
of the Qur’an
Used as a decorative feature of mosques as
well as on the text of the Qur’an
– Decorates great halls erected for assemblies for
Friday prayers
– Muslim church:“mosque” (from “masjid”) – a place
for ritual prostration, show submission to God
17. Calligraphy
Abstract, geometric designs with calligraphy
text decorate interior and exterior of mosques
– No depictions of divinity – Allah is beyond all
imagining
– Arabesque – highly complex interlaced lines (See
Fig. 8.3)
• Used with sacred texts for decoration
– No narrative scenes
• Scenes usually depict nonhuman images of plants and
flowers
20. Islamic Architecture
Functions of Islamic mosques
Large gathering area for prayer and meeting
• Especially for Friday prayers
• Gathering area is covered with rugs
– Steps lead up to a Minbar (the pulpit), which is the
only furniture in a mosque
• No furniture in a mosque
21. Islamic Architecture
Michrab – niche in wall that indicates direction
of Mecca (prayers are oriented faced East)
Fountains – in traditional Friday mosques
Devout may ritually cleanse their hands, feet, and mouth
Muezzin – they call the faithful to prayer five
times a day from tower or minarets next to
the mosque
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--_GmNo-gYc
22. Islamic Architecture
Mosques serve as community gathering
centers
• Scholars meet to study and debate
• Courtroom proceedings
• Place to sit and relax in courtyard
– Gathering place for the community to
express itself
23. Islamic Architecture:
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
One of the earliest achievements of Islamic
architecture
Caliph Abd al Malik - architect
– Built on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem toward the
end of the 7th
century
• An elevated space that was once the site of the Jewish
temple destroyed by the Romans in C.E. 70
Octagonal building, capped by golden dome
Roman+Byzantine architecture
Lavish mosaics in interior
24. Islamic Architecture:
The Dome of the Rock (see Fig. 8.4)
Qur’anic verses in interior
Uncertain original functionality
– Mausoleum?
– Mosque?
– Counterpoint to Church of the Holy Sepulcher?
• Rebuff in stone to Christianity
– Possibly built as a rival to the Qa’aba
– Scholars don’t agree on the original purpose of
the building
27. Islamic Architecture:
Mosque of Damascus (Figs. 8.5 & 8.6)
Abd al Walid – builder of mosque
– Built on the site of a Roman temple turned into a
Byzantine church
• Used walls surrounding the church complex for walls
of mosque
Lavish interior decoration
– Marble – paneled lower walls
– Byzantine mosaics – on upper walls
• Depiction of heaven with palaces and fountains
Caliph’s palace (now gone) – next to mosque for easy
movement between both
31. Islamic Architecture:
Mosque in Córdoba, Spain (Fig. 8.7 & 8.8)
Muslim capital in Spain
Construction began in 8th
century, courtyard and prayer hall
additions were added in 9th
and 10th
centuries
Al-Hakam – ruler of Córdoba
– Al-Hakam wanted a rival of Great Mosque of Damascus
• Interior columns support Roman arches (Fig. 8.8)
– Requested Constantinople artisans, workmen
– Emperor sent 17 tons of tesserae (cubes that make up a
mosaic) along with the workers
32. Islamic Architecture:
Mosque in Córdoba, Spain (Fig. 8.7 & 8.8)
Survived the Reconquista – Christians drove Muslims
out of Spain in 1492
– Destroyed other Islamic buildings
36. Islamic Architecture:
The Alhambra – Granada, Spain
Exterior : complex of towers and walls provide no hint to
beauty of the interior
Built in 13th
& 14th
centuries: Consists of two adjacent palaces:
Both have central courtyards w/ covered walkways or
porches
– Palace of the Myrtles
• Named for the myrtles that grow there
• Used for public occasions
– Palace of the Lions (Fig. 8.9)
• Used as a private residence
• Pinnacle of opulence – slender columns, wooden
ceiling work, molded plaster
37. Islamic Architecture:
The Alhambra – Granada, Spain
Possibly used for Islamic university
– Study, teaching, and research
Lavishly Decorated:
Colored tiles and intricate woodwork
Infusion of interior streams that spring up into
fountains
– Water runs throughout all parts of the palaces
38.
39.
40. Islamic Architecture:
Taj Mahal in Agra, India
Mughal reign 1526-1858 – height of Muslim culture
Emperor Shah Jahan
– Built Taj Mahal as a tribute to wife, Mumtaz Mahal (palace
favorite) - House her body and honor her memory
Set on the river Jumna
Dome atop octagonal structure, has 4 slender minarets
Building made from highly polished white marble
– Restrained exterior decoration, little attempt to add color
Large garden setting w/ reflecting pools
Inspired by the description of paradise in the Qur’an
42. Sufism
Sunni and Shi’a traditions
– 85% of Muslims belong to Sunni (“well trod”) tradition
– Significant minority (the majority in Iran) belong to Shi’a
branch of Islam
– Within these traditions are minor traditions
From literary perspective, Sufism is one of the most influential
traditions
– The name “sufi” derives from Arabic word for unbleached wool
Sufism describes an ancient and complex movement of
communities or small groups of sheyks and their disciples that
emphasized practices and disciplines that would lead a person
to a direct experience with God.
43. Sufism
Sufism = represents mystical dimension of
Islam
– Sheyks (teachers of immense religious authority)
and disciples
– Sufi mystics live retirement in poverty
– Preach about piety and repentance
– Sometimes embraced with enthusiasm; other
times viewed with suspicion
Sufi tariqas (communities) are found in North
Africa, Egypt, and other Muslim lands
44. Sufi Writers
Two writers give insight to Sufi thought and
expression: Saint Rabia & Rumi
Saint Rabia: Sufi woman, known as the flute player
– Was a mystic poet
– Expressed convictions in aphorisms (short saying
that embodies a truth), poems, meditations
– Focus on the love of Allah was central
– A focus on Allah’s love excluded any fear of
damnation as well as hope for paradise
– “possess nothing…except Allah”
45. Sufi Writers
Rumi – mystic poet (13th
century)
– Wrote many Persian poems (uses rhyming
couplets)
• Wrote more than 3000 poems
• Body of work: “the Qur’an in Persian”
– Discourses on mystical experiences
– Recitation of poetry and movement (dervishes)
• Recite poetry while dancing in a formal but ecstatic
fashion
• Poetry and movement would focus total attention on
Allah
• Founded community of dervishes (see Fig. 8.11)
46.
47. The Culture of Islam and the West
Abbasid Dynasty – centered in Baghdad (present day Iraq) –
one of the high points of Islamic culture
– Built paper making factory in 794
– Learned the technique from a Chinese prisoner, and the
process would eventually pass to the West
Caliph Al-Mamun – built library & study center
– Bait al-hikma: “House of Wisdom”
– Translated texts into Arabic
• Preservation of works of Aristotle
• Translation of Platonic works; medical texts of Galen, &
other treatises
– Translations of Greek texts
48. The Culture of Islam and the West
Advances in mathematics, medicine
– Al-Khwarizmi – greatest single scholar in House of
Wisdom
• Polymath researcher
• Invented algebra
• Adapted Hindu numerical system, and created the
“zero” as a place holder and number
– Al Hazen – crucial work in optics
• Technology of grinding and making lenses
– Rhazes – doctor; clinical observation of smallpox and
measles (distinguished between the two diseases)
49. The Culture of Islam and the West
Exchange of goods / ideas with Europe
– Quality swords (Damascus, Syria & Toledo, Spain), silk
(damask), coffee
– Windmills (West learned from the Muslims)
– Lexicon contributions (orange, lemon, sugar, saffron,
syrup, alcohol) – Arabic words
Al-Ghazali
– The Incoherence of the Philosophers: attacked Greek
philosophy
50. The Culture of Islam and the West
Averröes – responded to Al Ghazali and
showed how Islam could be reconciled with
Greek philosophy
– “He of the Great Commentary”
– The Incoherence of Incoherence
