Islam

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Islam History, values and culture
Shahbaz Younis
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Introductory Remarks
• Historical overview
• Islam as a monotheistic religion
• the Quran
• God or Allah
• pillars and values
• social code and reforms
• relation with other faiths
• the Sunni and Shiha sects
• Science and civilization
• Islam today, and Arab Americans
• Suggested reading, distribution of
• educational material
• Qs As

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Islam

• Founder Muhammad Ibn (son of) Adballah
• Born 571 AD in Mecca, Arabia
• Descendant of Abraham
• Nicknames Almustapha (the chosen), Alamin (the
  faithful)
• Titles The prophet, the messenger (Alrasul)
• Tribe Quraiysh
• Holy Book The Quran, derived from read

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Abraham Ismail Adnan
Quraiysh Qussaiy Abdmanaf Abdshams Hashem
(Amneh) Abdallah Abutalib Hamzeh
Alabbas Abulahab Alhareth
Adbelmuttalib
Muhammad
Ali
Ummayah Dynasty Abbbassides Dynasty
(661-750)
(750-1258)
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Historical Overview
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The Levant
Mesopotamia
The fertile Crescent
H I j a z
ARABIA
EGYPT
Medinah
Mecca
Dynasties of the South
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Middle East, 7th Century

• The Arabian Peninsula
• The source of Arabs and the Semitic race
• Mostly desert, few urbanized areas
• Urban centers, Mecca
• Mainly tribal society
• First mention of Arabs, 854 B.C.
• Arabs of the North and Arabs of the South
• Dynasties in the south
• Religions
• Christianity (inclusive), Judaism (exclusive),
  polytheism
• The Sassanid or Persian Empire
• Ailing
• The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire
• Christianity is the state religion, 3rd century
• A foreign occupying power
• Sectarian conflicts with the locals

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Byzantine Empire

Persian Empire

An Arabian dynasty
An Arabian dynasty

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Islam, 610-632

• 571 Muhammad born in Mecca.
• 610 First revelation in the Harraa cave (27
  Ramadan).
• 622 Hijraor Escape. Muhammad and followers
  escape prosecution
• and go to Almadinah (Yathrib).
• Year 1 in the Islamic calendar
• Missionaries sent all over Arabia
• building peaceful coalition
• 629 Muhammad conquers Mecca peacefully (NO
  REVENGE)
• destroys idols in Alqaaba.
• single-handedly, brings peace to war-torn Arabia
• 632 Muhammad dies in Almadinah. Unmarked grave
  (his will)

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Islam by the death of Mohammed 632
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632-661 the Four Elected Successors (Caliphs)

• Abu-Bakr - 632-634
• The first elected official. Wise leader, crisis
  manager
• Omar Ibn Elkhattab - 634-644
• A first-rate statesman. Honest, modest and just.
• Conquered the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, Persia
• Damascus (9 / 635) and Jerusalem (5 / 638)
  surrender peacefully
• Omars pledge to the Jerusalemites
• A modern state Treasury, communication,
  defense. Engraved currency.
• Othman bin Affan - 644-656
• Collected and compiled the Quran
• Emergence of power struggle
• Ali Bin Abitalib - 656-661
• Power struggle escalated to armed conflict
• Emergence of political parties
• End of democracy. Ummayah Dynasty in Damascus,
  Muawyia (661-680)

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Islam at 644, the year Omar died
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The Ummayah Dynasty, 661-750

• Empire center and capital move to Damascus
• Expansion All N. Africa (Atlantic), W. Europe,
  much of C. Asia, the wall of China
• 711 Conquer of Spain and Portugal. Tariq Bin
  Ziyad
• Expansion into W. Europe blocked in France by
  Charles Martial, 732
• Power Struggle continues, but the Caliphs
  brutally liquidate all rivals
• Karbalaa in S. Iraq (10 Nov, 680) and the emerge
  of the Shiha
• Addelmalek builds Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of
  the Rock in Jerusalem (691)
• Massive translation of Greek and Indian writings
• Arabization of the empire
• Bloom of architecture, arts, agriculture, and
  science

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732, 100 Yrs after Mohammed
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The Abbassides Dynasty, 750-1258

• The center of the Empire moves to Iraq and Iran
• Baghdad, built 762 AD by Almansur (2nd Caliph).
• With over 2 M, Baghdad becomes the glamorous
  center of the world
• Science, art, architecture, learning, and wealth
  
• Lighted streets, public baths, public libraries
  and hospitals everywhere
• Other dynasties in Egypt, Spain, and parts of the
  Levant.
• A 2nd Ummayah dynasty in Spain, 9th century
• Qurtoba (Cordova) competes with Baghdad
• Cairo, built 968 AD

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Islam as Monotheistic Religion
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• Islam
• Surrender, related to salaam, or peace.
• Abraham, father of all prophets, is the first
  Muslim
• Islam is also a code for social conduct
• Quran plus the authentic statements of Muhammad
  (Hadith) Shareeha (constitution), as
  Interpreted by Islamic scholars
• Muhammad is the last prophet (33 40).
• Gabriel highest ranking angel
• The Quran
• Islams holy book, an inspired scripture. Gods
  word inspired to his messenger,
• 114 Chapters (chapter Surah), 4 to gt200
  verses/chapter (verse Aiyah)
• Confirms most narratives and prophets of the
  Jewish and Christian faiths
• Special place for Virgin Mary, the only female
  (the Chapter of Mary)
• Allah is the word for God used by Christian and
  Muslim Arabs
• God Allah (Arabic) Eluhim (Hebrew) El
  (Aramaic)
• One and only one God, no trinity
• Arabic as the language of the Quran

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The 'Five Pillars' of Islam

• The framework for Muslim life. Essential
  practices
• 1. The declaration of faith
• "There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the
  messenger of God"
• 2. Prayer
• Five obligatory prayers each day.
• A direct link between the worshiper and God.
• No hierarchical authority or priesthood
• 3. Zakat
• Obligatory charitable giving.
• Wealth belong to God and it is held in trust by
  humans.
• Zakat, or, "purification" by setting aside a
  portion (2.5) for the needy
• 4. Fasting
• From sunrise to sunset during the holy month of
  Ramadan
• 5. Pilgrimage
• A pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, Arabia. Only those
  who can

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Jihad and the Conduct of War

• Islam is not addicted to war, and jihad is not
  one of its "pillars
• Jihad in Arabic does not mean "holy war. It
  means "struggle or strive.
• It is the difficult effort needed to put God's
  will into practice at every level
• The "greater jihad in the Quran is that of the
  soul, of the tongue, of the pen, of faith, of
  morality, etc. The "smaller jihad" is that of
  arms.
• Many directives in the authentic statements of
  Muhammad (Hadiths)
• He told his companions as they go home after a
  battle "We are returning from the lesser jihad
  the battle to the greater jihad, at home"
• Three levels
• Personal That of the soul
• Verbal Raising one's voice in the name of Allah
  on behalf of justice.
• "The most excellent jihad is the speaking of
  truth in the face of a tyrant" (Hadith)
• Physical Combat waged in defense against
  oppression and transgression.
• Profoundly misunderstood in today's world.

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Jihad and the Conduct of War

• Much of the Koran revealed in the context of an
  all-out war imposed on early
• Muslims by the powerful city of Mecca, and many
  passages deal with the conduct
• of armed struggle.
• While one finds "slay enemies wherever you find
  them!" (e.g., 4 89),
• in almost every case it is followed by something
  like "if they let you be,
• and do not make war on you, and offer you peace,
  God does not allow you
• to harm them" (290 4 90 5 2 8 61 22 39)
  
• Since good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou
  evil with something that is
• better, and love he between whom and thy self
  was enmity may then become
• as though he had always been close unto thee, a
  true friend" (4134)
• God does not allow harm of civilian, and requests
  the protection of women,
• children and the elderly during war (496 9
  91 48 16,17)
• If any one slew a person--unless it be for
  murder or for spreading mischief
• in the land--it would be as if he slew the whole
  people and if anyone saved
• a life, it would be as if he saved the life of
  the whole people. (532)
• You shall feed and protect prisoners of war, and
  you shall not expect a
• reward (4 25,36 524)
• Thus, the only permissible war in the Quran is
  one of self-defense, you
• cannot kill unarmed (civilian), and you have to
  protect prisoners of war

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Jihad and the Conduct of War

• Warfare is always evil. Sometimes you have to
  fight to avoid persecution. e.g., the one Mecca
  inflicted on early Muslims (2 191 2 217), or
  to preserve decent values (4 75 22 40)
• Muslims may not begin hostilities
• "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you,
  but do not transgress limits for Allah loves not
  transgressors." (2 190).
• Notice Defensive war, fight back
• Hostilities must be brought to an end as quickly
  as possible, and must cease the minute the enemy
  sues for peace (2192-3 4134)
• Martyrdom Those killed during fighting or
  while doing civic duties (martyrs) are promised a
  place in heaven (several passages, e.g., 2154
  3169-172)
• However, suicide is not allowed it is forbidden
  and condemned (e.g., 6151, 1733, 2568)
• One of my favorite Hadiths
• 'Do not attack a temple, a church, a synagogue.
  Do not bring a tree or a plant down. Do not harm
  a horse or a camel

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Relation with other Faiths

• Like the Torah, the Quran permits retaliation eye
  for eye, tooth for tooth.
• But, like the Gospels, it says it is
  meritorious to forgo revenge in a spirit of
  charity (5 45)
• Acknowledges Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac,
  Jacob, Joseph, Moses,
• David, Solomon, Zacharia, Jesus, John the
  paptist, and others as the the good prophets of
  God
• A special place for Jesus and Mary (e.g.,
  345,46 4156-158 191-98)
• Accepts that Marys conception is from Gods
  soul.
• Rejects the divinity of Jesus (no trinity).
• Jesus was not killed (e.g., 4155-159 517-19)

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Relation with other Faiths

• Islam did not impose itself by the sword.
• "There must be no coercion in matters of faith"
  (2 256)
• Muslims have to respect Jews and Christians, the
  "People of the Book,"
• who worship the same God (e.g., 262 2946).
• "And dispute ye not with the People of the Book,
  except with means better,
• unless it be with those of them who inflict
  wrong but say, 'We believe in
• the revelation which has come down to us and in
  that which came down
• to you Our Allah and your Allah is one and it
  is to Him we bow.
• In one of his last public sermons Muhammad said
• God tells all human beings, "O people! We have
  formed you into nations
• and tribes so that you may know one another"
  (49 13). Do not conquer,
• convert, subjugate, revile or slaughter but to
  reach out toward others with
• intelligence and understanding
• The Levant remained mainly Christian for almost
  200 Yrs.
• No one was forced to convert to Islam
• The right of all faiths to warship was respected
• Sites of warship, holy places and shrines of all
  faiths were protected

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Social Justice

• Charity, Charity, Charity .
• On top of the Zakat. Help the orphan, the poor,
  the ill, the lost, the homeless, the elderly
• Endless times in the Quran (16 times in Chapters
  2-5 alone)
• Freedom, Integrity, Equality, Justice .
• An hour of justice by a ruler is better than
  sixty days of hard work (Hadith)
• Endless request for justice in the Quran (e.g.,
  2 282 6 152)
• O mankind, Weve created you from a male and a
  female and have made
• you nations and tribes that you may know and
  interact with each other.
• The noblest of you in the sight of God is the
  best in conduct (4913).
• No Arab is privileged over non-Arab but by his or
  her conduct (Hadith)
• All people are equal like the teeth of a comb
  (Hadith)
• You are not considered faithful in the sight of
  God unless you like for
• your brother (read, others) what you like for
  yourself (Hadith)
• when you are greeted with a greeting of peace,
  answer with an even better greeting, or at least
  the like thereof" (4 86).

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Other Values

• Right and Status of Women
• Eliminated many pre-Islamic discriminatory
  practices
• Gave women rights (e.g., inheritance) and
  equality to men, both were made
• from a single soul (e.g., 41)
• Limited the number of wives a man can marry
• Treat women with kindness and respect their
  rights as equal to men
• The hijab or head scarf
• Modest dress apply to women and men equally
  (Quran and Hadith).
• Women are required to cover their bodies so that
  their figure is not revealed.
• Women are not required to cover their faces.
• The forbidden or taboo (muharramat) include
  pork, blood, improperly butchered
• animals, baby animals, gambling, and charging
  interest
• Alcohol drinking was gradually disallowed

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Science and Civilization
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• A dedicated quest for knowledge and a burst of
  scientific innovation
• in a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society
• Lasted for over 8 centuries, and produced a
  plethora of knowledge and
• discoveries in all disciplines
• Induced the later European renaissance
• The Arabic tong, invigorated by the Quran, was
  the vehicle, and tolerant,
• inclusive, and knowledge-advocate Islamic faith
  was the culture
• Repeated requests in both the Quran and the
  Hadith for seeking
• knowledge, and application of rational thinking
• Seek knowledge even in China
• Seek knowledge from crib to grave
• On judgement day, the ink of scientists is valued
  by God higher
• than the blood of martyrs
• The two important disciplines of science are
  theology and Biology
• Initially, massive translation of Greek and
  Indian writings
• preserved all literary and scientific works and
  transmitted them to Europe

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• Medicine and Pharmacy
• Chemistry and Physics
• Mathmatics
• Astronomy

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Medicine and Pharmacy

• Institutionalized and regulated the practice of
  Medicine and Pharmacy
• The modern concept of clinics
• Board exams and license to practice. Regulatory
  boards (FDA's!!!)
• Classification of plants and Algae for their
  medical use, and outlined possible side effects
  (PDRs!!)
• Hospitals
• Tens, including specialized, in each of Baghdad,
  Qurtoba, and Damascus.
• Mobile hospitals for emergency.
• Departments and University Hospitals.
• Patients records and vital signs, urine tests,
  family history.
• Surgery
• Threads from animals intestine.
• Opium and Hashish for Anesthesia.
• Alcohol as disinfectant.
• Treatment of cataract, and removal of kidney and
  gallbladder stones
• Autopsy !!!
• Students training (Anatomy)
• Cause of death

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Known Physicians

• Abu-bakr Elrazzy 9th Century
• Father of Physicians, great clinician and
  experimentalist
• Many books including Smallpox and Measles
• Ibn-Elhaytham 10th Century
• Multidisciplinary scientist. Ophthalmologist
• Mechanism of sight. Function of the eye
• Over 100 books in Med. and Math.
• Ibn-Seena (Avisai) 10th Century
• The Qannun, the medical text book in Europe
  till 19th Cen.
• Described the medical use of over 2700 plants
• Light has a finite speed, which is much faster
  than the speed of sound
• Ibn-Rushd (Aviros) 13th Century
• Philosopher and Physician. Many books
• Ibn-Elnafees
• Blood circulation and the role of lungs
• Abulkassim Alzahrawi (Abulcasis or Albucasis)
  11th Century
• One of the greatest surgeons. A good dentist and
  GP.
• Removal of breast cancer.
• Hemophilia and its hereditary transmission
  (female to male)

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Chemistry and Physics

• Arabic terms and methods of preparation for
  Alkali, Alcohol, Tartarate
• Discovered and prepared in pure form 28 elements
  (Ibn Elhaytham)
• The processes of crystallization, fermentation,
  distillation, sublimation,
• Preparation of acids (H2SO4, HCl, HNO3) and bases
  (NaOH)
• Light travels in straight lines. Laws of
  refraction, reflection and illusion of light.
• Eluded to the Magnetic properties of some objects

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Mathematics

• Arabic numeral and the decimal system of numbers.
  
• Right ? Left. English. But 1000
• Arithmetic. Roots and powers
• Algorithm Alkhawarismi
• The mathematical ZERO
• Algebra (combining fractions).
• The Use of (x, y, z) to solve complex
  arithmetic/geometric problems
• Trigonometry (Albairuni and Albuzjani),
  differential and Integral.
• p 3.141596535898732.
• Some known Mathematicians
• Abu-bakr Alkhawarismi
• Thabit Ibn Qarra (9th Century). Calculus.
• Ibn-elhaytham
• Albairuni (10th Century)
• Albuzjani
• Omar Elkhayam (2 3 equations)

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Astronomy

• Astrology (myth) ? Astronomy (science)
• Movement, path, and location of planets and stars
• The Asturlab
• Earth is spherical and rotates along its axis and
  around the sun.
• Calculated earth circumference (Albairuni)
• Calculated the time needed for one rotation
  around the sun (solar year), with
• an error of 2 22 only (Albattani)
• Calculated the equinoxes
• Current names of most constellations, and many
  stars are from Arabic
• Some known astronomists
• Alkindy (9th Century)
• Albattani (9th Century)
• Ibn-elhaytham (11th Century)
• Thabit Ibn Qarra
• Almajreeti

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Sunni and Shiha

• Sunni
• 90 of Muslims
• Follow the Quran and the Hadeeth as we have them
  today,
• and as interpreted by the Sunni scholars
• Shiha
• Came to be as a sect after 680 A.D.
• Believe in the Quran and Hadeeth, like Sunni
• However, they place Ali very high as a holy
  figure, and think main stream
• Islam discriminated against him
• Today Shiah is mainly in Iran (90), Iraq (55)
  and Lebanon (40)

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Important Holidays

• Al-adhaa (the sacrifice)
• Symbolizes Abraham attempt to sacrifice his son
  Ishmael by Gods request.
• Should sacrifice an animal and give the food to
  the poor.
• The pilgrimage to Mecca
• Alfetr
• Observed at the end of the holy month of Ramadan
  (the fasting month)
• The Islamic New Year
• Yr 1, Islamic calendar 622 A.D.
• Alisraa Walmaaraj
• Symbolizes the ascending, in Jerusalem, of
  Mohammed's soul to heaven
• The Birthday of Muhammad
• Ashuraa day (Shiha only)

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Islam Today

• 1.3 Billion worldwide, three continents
• 0.3 Billion Arabs
• Indonesia (200 M) gt India (180 M) gt Pakistan (160
  M) gt Bangladesh (120 M) gt
• China (80 M) gt Egypt (70 M)
• There are about 20 M Christian Arabs
• Egypt gt Syria gt Lebanon gt Palestine gt Iraq
• About 7 M Muslims in the USA, 3-4 M are Arabs
• Roughly half of the Arab Americans are Christians

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Arab Americans

• Farouq Elbaz (Egypt), NASA, the moon mission
• Ahmed H. Zewail (Egypt) Winner of the 1999 Nobel
  Prize in Chemistry,
• Cal. Tech.
• Saleh Wakeel (Iraq), member of the Natl Acad.
  Sci., Biochemistry
• Qais Elawqati (Iraq), member of the Natl Acad.
  Sci., Microbiology
• Majdi Yacub, first open heart surgery
• Michael Debakee (Lebanon), chief cardiologist of
  the White House
• Ralph Nader (Lebanon), consumer advocate, Green
  Party founder,
• and 2000 presidential candidate
• John Sununu (Palestine), White House Ex-Chief of
  Staff
• John Sununu JR., current state governor
• Donna E. Shalala (Lebanon), Ex secretary of HHS
• Helen Thomas, Ex dean of the White House press
  corps.
• Edward Attiyeh (Syria), Ex governor of OR
• Spencer Abraham (Lebanon), Secretary of Energy
• George Mitchell

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Arab Americans

• Casey Kasem and Don Bustany (Lebanon) creators of
  radio's American
• Top 40
• Mustapha Elaqqad (Syria), Hollywood movie
  director
• (director of the Halloween series)
• Tom Shadyac (Lebanon), Hollywood movie director
• Salma Hayic (Lebanon), a Hollywood star
• Yasser Seirawan (Syria), US Chess Champion
• Jacques Nasser, president and CEO of Ford Motor
  Co
• Ray Irani CEO of Occidental Petroleum (Exxon
  Mobil) Co
• The Hyatt, Hagar, and Farah enterprises
• Christina McAuliffe, an astronaut who died aboard
  the space shuttle
• Challenger
• Candy Lightner, founder of MADD

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Suggested Reading

• History of the Arabs, Philip Hitti
• The Arab People, Albert Hourany
• Islam, An Empire of Faith, PBS Video, 2001
• Islam A Short History, Karen Armstrong, 2000
• Muhammad, Karen Armstrong, 1998
• Jihad A Commitment to Universal Peace, Marcel
  A. Boisard, American Trust
• Publications, 1988
• The Oxford History of Islam, John L Esposito,
  ed. 1999
• Islam The Straight Path, John L Esposito, ed.
  1998
• The Meaning of the Holy Quran, Abdullah Yusif,
  Ali, 1997
• Lives of the Prophets, Leila Azzam, 1995
• From Difference to Equas, George Kindy, and
  Philip Saliba, eds., NYAS, 1994
• Science in Medieval Islam, Howard R Turner, 1997
• Arab American Encyclopedia, Anan Ameri, and Dawn
  Ramey, eds., 2000