Sacred text and Morality in Islam Qur’an and Hadith

The Qur’an The first pillar of Islam (Shahada) is a summary of the Qur’an: There is one God God speaks through prophets (Muhammad) The Qur’an gives guidance on how to worship, behave and see the world The book is kept on the highest piece of furniture in a room and always kept clean Children learn from the Qur’an very young in Arabic Anyone who memorizes the Qur’an is known as hafiz (memorizer)

How the Qur’an is organized It is divided into 114 Suras, which are more like chapters than books They are in order from longest to shortest. They are numbered and named (e.g. there is a chapter called Maryam, about the mother of Prophet Isa (Jesus). Most Suras begin with with the words: “In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the Merciful” It does not tell a story or give facts; rather is is organized more like classical music (with repetitive themes and dramatic movements)

Islamic views on divine revelation Islam recognizes 3 sets of scriptures as containing partial revelations of God’s will: The Torah The Psalms The Gospels These books are considered inspired by God – the Qur’an is the complete and final revelation

Interpretations of the Qur’an Originally, it was believed to not need interpretation After Muhammad’s death and Islam spread to new cultures and languages, interpretation was needed Two sources complement the Qur’an: The Sunna – a collection of the prophet’s words and actions, by his family and friends; “sunna” means “beaten path” The Hadith – writings about the prophet (sometimes the authenticity of these are debated)

Sharia law Islamic law (sharia) comes from the Qur’an, Sunnah and Hadith (Muslims look first to the Qur’an) In some countries, shariahlaw is the law of the state Sharia includes laws about crime, economics, sexuality, modesty, politics, prayer, food, divorce etc. Interpretation of sharia varies in its strictness from country to country

5 Categories of Shariah Obligatory actions/duties – following 5 pillars of Islam Recommended actions – giving charity beyond zakat Neutral actions – things not addressed in scriptures Discouraged actions – divorce (but there is no penalty) Forbidden actions – murder, theft, adultery

How sharia is observed In Islamic states, sharia is observed through laws of country Penalties are harsh, but rarely carried out – God is forgiving and judges consider the circumstances of a crime In Canada, Muslims observe sharia in the moral aspects of behaviour Some wish to apply sharia to situations like family law Balance between civil law and sharia in Canada – Canada accommodates limited observance Muslims legal experts provide new interpretations for situations not covered in the scriptures

Branches of Islam After Muhammads death, people could not agree on who would be his successor. Two groups were created- shi’ite and sunni   A. Shi’ite: Believed Muhammad’s successor should be a blood relative Place great emphasis on the role and authority of individual religious leaders 10% of the Muslim population

Branches of Islam B. Sunni: Believed the best person for the job should do it, regardless of relationship to Muhammad Emphasize the individuals direct relationship with Allah without any human mediator 90% of the Muslim population

Themes in the Qur’an Submission to the will of God (life is a struggle (jihad) to surrender to God) God requires that people pray God is beyond definitions – He is merciful but also a stern judge – there are 99 names for God revealed God is one – anything that distracts from this (e.g. money, nationalism) is to be avoided God made the universe and people need to care for creation There will be a final judgment and resurrection of the dead