Islam: From Faith to Civilization Developed by Abigail S. Chill
What distinguishes a faith from a civilization? A Civilization: Encompasses masses of people Builds cities Develops written language Crosses political boundaries Endures for centuries
Which of these characteristics enhances, inhibits or has no effect on the development of a faith into a civilization? Belief in the superiority of the cult. Urban Setting Has no written language Strong military A religion with a code of behavior and rituals Fears Foreigners NomadicTheocracy Favors Trade and Travel Rural Setting Values Hospitality No inter- marriage Strong Oral Tradition Welcomes new members ?
What do we mean by the content of a civilization? Content is… Institutions Values Beliefs Patterns of Behavior Products
Which of these items would you call elements of American civilization? Baseball Democracy Supreme Court Civil Rights Advanced Technology Private Property Separation of Church and State The Judeo-Christian Heritage
What are some of the components of Islamic civilization? 2 1
The Quran The Five Pillars of Islam Islamic Architecture Sharia and Hadith The Arabic Language and Literature 3 Elements of Islamic Civilization
The Rashidun or “ Rightly Guided ” Caliphs (first four after Muhammad) expanded Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula. 4 The Alhambra in Spain
Rapid expansion created questions such as: How should Islam respond to non-Arab or non-Muslim people? Accept non-Arab people and non- Muslims as equals? Welcome non-Arab, pagan, or other monotheists into our community? Trade with other peoples who are not Muslims? Intermarry with non-Muslim people?
The answer Muslims found to these questions laid a foundation for Islam ’ s growth into a civilization. The Umma was open to all. Islam incorporated elements from other faiths into the practice of the new religion. Judaism—Fast Days, Importance of Jerusalem, Centrality of Abraham, Circumcision, Dietary Laws, Prayer Christianity– Charity, Importance of Jesus, Prayer Zoroastrianism—Belief in the Duality of Good and Evil Paganism–Pilgrimage to the Kaaba Shrine at Mecca