Islam

Background: Ishmael Abraham’s first son Hagar is his mom Was a maid to Sarah- Abraham’s wife When Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to her son Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael were forced to leave Abraham’s care They survived in the desert only because an angel revealed to them a source of water- which Muslims believe was found near Mecca Muslims are descendants of Abraham through the line of Ishmael

The Life of Muhammad Born in Mecca Father died not long before his birth Mother died when he was a child Went to live with his grandfather 2 yrs. later grandfather died, so he went to live with uncle Abu Talib As an adult, he was a caravan driver for a widow named Khadijah He married Khadijah Tradition: he was 25 and she was 40 The marriage brought financial, spiritual and emotional support to Muhammad Together had 6 children but no boy survived into adulthood- no hereditary successor He remarried a several times Tradition: married some of them out of compassion, widows needed a husband for legal protection and financial support

1st Vision As a religious person, Muhammad spent time pondering and meditating. He frequently went to caves in the hills surrounding Mecca When he was 40, during a religious retreat in a cave at Mount Hira, he received his first revelation: A bright presence came to him and held before his eyes a cloth covered with writings. It commanded three times that he recite what was written there: Recite the name of the Lord who created…..

1st Vision cont. Muhammad doubted the nature of his revelation at first He told his revelation to Khadijah who encouraged him to accept the experience as a true communication from God He became convinced that the bright presence was the angel Gabriel Muhammad began to share his revelations with his wife and closest friends who became the first Muslims He proclaimed that only the One God, Allah, should be worshiped Muhammad promoted the need for honesty, kindness, support of the poor, and protection of the weak

Night Journey Muhammad’s message threatened businesspeople He and his followers were persecuted During this stressful time, Muhammad experienced himself being carried to Jerusalem and ascending from there into paradise This experience is called Night Journey or Night of Ascent In his experience, the angel Gabriel guided him upward. In the highest heaven, he encountered angels and the great prophets of the past: Abraham and Jesus, and God This experience confirmed Muhammad’s vocation: to be a prophet and messenger of God

Migration Muhammad and his followers had to leave Mecca eventually This event is called Muhammad’s migration, called the Hijra in Arabic Hijra means flight or migration This event marks the point at which Muhammad’s message was favorably received and the start of the Islamic community called UMMA Muhammad’s goal was to return to Mecca The 3 most sacred cities are Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem Medina is known as the city of the prophet Migration

Death Mohammad died in Medina He did not consider himself to be divine but simply an instrument in the hands of God A messenger transmitting God’s will to the human world Muslims view Muhammad as one who showed perfection in his life, and they revere him as an ideal human being, a model for all believers

Prophets The prophets reveal God’s will Link between Allah and human history Abraham (father of Arabs-1God) Ishmael (Ancestor of the Arabs) Moses (ethical laws –10 commandments) Jesus (Golden Rule) Muslims regard Christ as one of only two humans conceived by God (Adam is the other) Muhammad (Seal of the Prophet)

The seal of the prophets Muhammad is called the “seal of the prophet” Considered the last and greatest figure in the long line of prophets Freed the divine message from human error and offered it, purified, to all people His actions and his teachings constitute the Sunna= custom of the prophet

Scripture The name Qur’an (Koran) means “recitation” or “reading” Oral recitation of the text has been favored It recalls the origins of these sacred writings in the sermons of Muhammad The name also suggests the way in which the Qur’an is best communicated By being recited It has been translated into many languages Only the Arabic version is considered to be fully authoritative The sounds of the original are considered a part of its nature and are essential to its spiritual power. It is believed to be of divine origin God’s word Revealed to Muhammad during the approximately 20 years from his first revelation until the end of his life A miracle of God: Muhammad is thought to have been illiterate

Koran Disciples wrote down the words of Muhammad’s revelations The Qur’an consists of sermons, covers a wide variety of topics (money, inheritance, marriage, and divorce) and discusses figures who are found in the Jewish and Christian Bibles: Adam, Even, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, Mary, and others The Qur’an has 114 chapters called suras Each sura has a traditional name: “The Elephant,” “Light,” “Dawn”