ISLAM AND THE ISLAMIC SECTS WORLD RELIGIONS ANTHROPOLOGY NEW DIMENSIONS

Demographics  Those who practice the Islamic faith are Muslims  Islam is distributed throughout Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Europe  Growing population is in the United States  More than 6 million+ Muslims are U.S. residents

Origin/History  Abrahamic Faith: Originated in the Middle East after Judaism and Christianity  Founded by the prophet, Muhammad  Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia ( C.E.)  Islam means “to submit” in Arabic  Jihad means “fighting or striving”  Holy war is not literal, applied to historical wars with non-Muslims

Deity  Monotheistic: belief in one God, Allah  Allah is the sole God, the creator, the sustainer and restorer of the world  Muhammad is the last, perfect of God’s messengers  Others include Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus

Sacred/Holy Texts  These form the basics of Islamic law  The Qur’an ( or the Koran)  Written by God and revealed to Muhammad  Never been corrupted  Hadith  Muhammad’s sayings and stories of his life  Second to the authority of the Qur’an  Contains specific details/laws on how to live

Spiritual Leaders  Imam  Leads community prayers  Performs marriages and funerals  Gives advice about Islamic law, chosen for his wisdom  Muezzin  Crier, proclaims the call to worship  Khatib  Preaches the Friday sermon

Main Tenets  5 Pillars of Islam  1. Profession of Faith  No God but God, Muhammad is the prophet of God  2. Prayer  Must pray 5 times a day, facing Mecca  3. The Zakat  Must pay an obligatory tax annually to the state gov’t  4. Fasting  Must fast for the month of Ramadan (9 th month)  Daybreak-sunset: No eating, drinking, smoking, sex  5. Hajj  Must make a pilgrimage to Mecca in their life

Creation  Allah is the Creator  A “day” is equivalent to 50, 000 years  Do not believe God rested on the 7 th day  Why would God need to rest?  It is a sin to confuse the Creator and creation  Nothing else should be associated with God  Reject Trinity and Jesus as incarnate

Death/Afterlife  The Qur’an posits that life is a test  Deaths are predetermined by Allah  Day of Judgment  Good to Paradise  Others to the Fire  Dead are buried in 3 linen shrouds  Martyrs are buried in the clothes they died in

Rituals & Customs  First thing a baby should hear is the call to prayer whispered in each ear  Boys must be circumcised (7 mos-12 yrs)  Parents choose the marriage partners for their children  Divorce is discouraged  More than one wife allowed

Holidays/Holy Days  Muslims follow a different calendar than Western world  Based on Muhammad’s move to Medina in 622  Ramadan  9 th Muslim month  Many other holy days (see pages 78 & 79)

Worship  Fridays: all men to mosque for midday prayer  All must remove shoes and wear a habit, or hiram  Women to mosque  Cover hair completely  Seated in a separate area  Believed to distract opposite sex  When in a congregation, stand shoulder to shoulder with no gaps  All Muslim prayers are memorized  Worship of idols is forbidden  No images of Allah or Muhammad

Lifestyle Practices  Islam is a way of life, not simply a religion  Family life is central: care for one another  “ummah”=community  Alcohol is forbidden  Gambling is forbidden  Consuming the meat of a pig is forbidden  Shirk: sin regarding intercessions, astrology  Blasphemy or idolatry

Subdivisions/Sects  SUNNIS  90% of Muslims (1 billion people)  Consider themselves traditional, mainstream  SHIITES  10% of Muslims (80 million people)  Voice of militant Islamic fundamentalism  Their disputes center around the rightful successors of Muhammad  SUFISM  Mystical sect: believe in a direct experience with Allah