Talking Islam Saeed A Khan Wayne State University

Talking Islam Saeed A. Khan Wayne State University

Pre-Islamic Arabia (c. 570 CE) • Tribal Culture • Patriarchal Society • Polytheism

Mecca • Major Commercial & Trade Center • Major Religious Focal Point – Kaaba- Noble Sanctuary 360 Idols

Muhammad • Member of the Quraysh (ruling tribe of Mecca) • Born c. 570 CE • Businessman with trustworthy reputation

Revelation • 610 CE during month of Ramadan • Angel Gabriel ordered Muhammad to recite “In the Name of Allah” • First revealed verse of Qur’an

First Muslims • Muhammad’s Wife (Khadija) and close friends & family • Low key community • Persecution from Pagans • Flight to Madinah (622 CE)- Hejira- Start of Islamic Calendar

Madinah Muhammad the Statesman Islam establishes the first state Battles against Pagans Ultimately, Muhammad takes Mecca with no bloodshed • Muhammad’s death- 632 CE • •

5 Pillars of Islam • • • Declaration of Faith Prayer Fasting Alms-Giving Pilgrimage

Declaration of Faith (Shahada) • “There is no God but God, & Muhammad is His Messenger” • Affirmation of Monotheism • Affirmation of Muhammad as A Messenger, not the ONLY Messenger

Prayer (Salat) • 5 Daily Obligatory Prayers – Pre-Dawn (Fajr) – Early Afternoon (Zuhr) – Late Afternoon (Asr) – Post-Sunset (Maghrib) – Nighttime (Isha)

Fasting (Saum) • Month of Ramadan – Abstinence from Sunrise to Sunset from Eating, Drinking, Marital Relations – Pursuit of Higher Level of Spirituality & Reflection

Alms-Giving (Zakat) • 2. 5% of Assets at Hand • “Cleanses” One’s Income • Prevents Hoarding of Wealth • Promotes Charity

Pilgrimage (Hajj) • Journey to Mecca • Once in One’s Lifetime if Physically & Financially Able • Reenactment of rituals from the family of ABRAHAM

The Ka’aba (Mecca, Saudi Arabia)

Prophet’s Mosque (Medina, Saudi Arabia)

6 Articles of Faith • • • Belief in the Oneness of God Belief in God’s Messengers Belief in God’s Revealed Books Belief in Angels Belief in The Final Day Belief in Divine Predestination – God knows, records, wills and has created everything

Levels of Islamic Responsibility • God – Rituals – Remembrance • Society (Family & Community) – Social Justice – Civic Duty • Individual – Dietary Regulations – Health Issues

Sources of Authority in Islam • Qur’an (“Recitation”) – 114 “Chapters” (Surahs)/6000 Verses (Ayats)/30 “Sections” (Paras) – Revealed to Prophet Muhammad over a 22 year period (610632 CE) – Source of Law, Ethics, Spiritual Development • Sunna – Embodied in the Hadith –chronicle of Prophet’s teachings, sayings and actions – Corroborates and Expands on Quranic principles • e. g. , Prayer

Major Sects of Islam • Sunni • Shi’i

Comparison of Sunni and Shi’i • Sunni – Decentralized Clergy – Caliph- administrative leader – Leader chosen from Ulema through consensus • Shi’i – Centralized Clergy – Imam- considered infallible – Leader chosen through patrilineage

Islamic Contribution to Civilization • Philosophy – Translation & Preservation of Greek Philosophy Works – Expansion of Philosophical Concepts • Architecture & Art – Gothic Architecture; Arabesque Design; Geometric Patterns – No Depiction of Humans or Animals – Calligraphy • Science & Mathematics – Arabic Numbers & Zero; Fractions; Plane & Spherical Trigonometry – Algebra – Translation of Greek Texts • Medicine – Institutional Hospitals: Baghdad- first mental health hospital (10 th Century) – Surgery under Anesthesia (12 th Century) – Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (d. 1037) • Poetry & Literature – Omar Khayyam (d. 1131) (Persia) Rubaiyat – Rumi (d. 1273) (Turkey) Mathnawi

Islamic Eras • Age of Growth: 1 st Four Caliphs, Umayyad & Abbasid Dynasties • Age of Tolerance: Muslim Spain • Age of Empires: Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal • Age of Decline: Colonialism • Age of Uncertainty: Today & the Future

History of Islam in America • Pre-“American” Era • Neo-American Era • Immigration • Indigenous Growth • Islam in the US Today

First Mosques in America 1 st mosque: Ross, North Dakota (1929) Oldest standing mosque: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1934)

Changing Face of Islam for America Malcolm X Muhammad Ali Lupe Fiasco (musician) Shaquille Sal Khan O’Neal (NBA) (Khan Academy)

Changing Face of Islam in America Fareed Zakaria CNN Congressman Andre Carson Congressman Keith Ellison

Changing Face of Islam in America Dr. Mehmet Oz Shahid Khan, Owner: Jacksonville Jaguars, Fulham FC) Ahmed Zewail, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1996

Changing Face of Islam in America Linda Sarsour Farrah Pandith (fmr. State Dept) Janet Jackson

Islam in the US Today • 2. 35 to 6 -7 Million Muslims in the US (0. 6 -3%) out of 1. 7 billion worldwide – 40% African American – 40% South Asian, Anglo-European, African & Hispanic – 20% Arab • Over 2500 Islamic Centers (most built in last 20 years) • Concentrations in New York, Detroit, Chicago & Los Angeles

Islam in the World • 1. 7 billion worldwide – 33% South Asian – 20% Southeast Asian – 20%African – 20% Arab – 7% European/Latino • Majority religion in 57 countries • Largest Muslim country: Indonesia • Second largest Muslim population: India • Second largest religion in many European countries