1. Culture and Values, 6th Ed. Cunningham and Reich
Chapter Eight: Islam
Culture and Values, 6th Ed.
Cunningham and Reich

3. Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Muhammad born in Mecca (570)
Fatima, piety and purity
Revelations of God through Gabriel
From Mecca to Medina - Hegira (622)
Qa’aba
Islam: “submission to God”

4. Five Pillars of Islam Recitation of the Muslim act of faith
Obligation of prayer
Charity
Fasting during Ramadan
Pilgrimage (Haj)

6. Practices of Islam No pork, alcohol Male circumcision
Polygamy acceptable
Usury forbidden
Observation of feast days
Simplicity and asceticism
Rapid growth and spread of religion

7. The Qur’an Central text of Islam 114 chapters (sûras)
Collation of Muhammad’s oral revelations
114 chapters (sûras)
Written in Arabic
Cannot be translated
Source of unifications for all Muslims
Memorization and recitation
Qur’an, Hadith, Shari’a

8. Calligraphy “Beautiful writing” Kufic (characteristic form)
Decorative feature of mosques
Abstract, geometric designs with text
No depictions of divinity
Arabesque
No narrative scenes

10. Islamic Architecture Functions of Islamic mosques Large gathering area
Community gathering centers
Large gathering area
Minbar
Michrab
Fountains

11. Islamic Architecture: The Dome of the Rock
Caliph Abd al Malik
Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Octagonal building, golden dome
Roman+Byzantine architecture
Lavish mosaics
Qur’anic verses
Uncertain original functionality

13. Islamic Architecture: Mosque of Damascus
Abd al Walid
Lavish interior decoration
Marble
Byzantine mosaics
Caliph’s palace

16. Islamic Architecture: Mosque in Córdoba
Muslim capital in Spain
Rival of Great Mosque of Damascus
Al-Hakam
Constantinople artisans, workmen
17 tons of tesserae
Survived the Reconquista

18. Maqsura screen of the Córdoba Mosque
[Image 8.8]
Maqsura screen of the Córdoba Mosque

19. Islamic Architecture: The Alhambra
Exterior : complex of towers and walls
Islamic university?
Infusion of interior streams
Palace of the Myrtles
Public occasions
Palace of the Lions
Private residence
Pinnacle of opulence

21. Islamic Architecture: Taj Mahal
Mughal reign
Emperor Shah Jahan
Tribute to wife, Mumtaz Mahal
Dome atop octagonal structure
Highly polished white marble
Restrained exterior decoration
Inspired by Qur’an

22. [Image 8.10]
Taj Mahal

23. Sufism Sunni and Shi’a traditions Sufism = mystical dimension of Islam
Sheyks and disciples
Retirement in poverty
Piety and repentance
Sufi tariqas in North Africa, Egypt

24. Sufi Writers Saint Rabia Rumi Aphorisms, poems, meditations
Focus on the love of God
“possess nothing…except Allah”
Rumi
Persian poems (rhyming couplets)
Discourses on mystical experiences
Recitation and movement (dervishes)

25. The Culture of Islam and the West
Abbasid Dynasty
Caliph Al-Mamun’s “House of Wisdom”
Translations of Greek texts
Advances in mathematics, medicine
Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Uqlidisi, Al-Hazen, Rhazes, Avicenna, Averröes
Moses Maimonides, Jewish physicians

26. The Culture of Islam and the West
Exchange of goods / ideas
Quality swords, silk (damask), coffee
Windmills
Lexicon contributions
Al-Ghazali
The Incoherence of the Philosophers
Averröes
“He of the Great Commentary”
The Incoherence of Incoherence

27. Chapter Eight: Discussion Questions
In what ways are the Five Pillars of Islam similar to the basic tenets of Christianity? Explain the similarities and differences between the two religions.
What role did Islamic culture play in the tradition of Western literary (and, thus, philosophical) thought? What circumstances facilitated this contribution?
To what must we attribute the slow movement of ideas from their Islamic origins to the Western world? Does the Western canon today, in your opinion, assign adequate notoriety to those non-Western advanced thinkers? What are the implications of recognizing the origin of a technology? Explain.