INTRO TO: MUHAMMAD & ISLAM Bethel Rod Spidahl, PhD Feb 2016 Muhammad & Islam’s Origin

INTRODUCTIONS GIVE A 30 SECOND POPCORN INFOMERCIAL ON YOURSELF INCLUDING AN ANIMAL, A COLOR, OR CURRENT POLITICAL FIGURE YOU IDENTIFY WITH. WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?

NORTHERN CAMEROON AMONG MUSLIMS

BACK TO THE FUTURE Mohammad - Born in Arabia, 570 years after Jesus Christ, the year 750 on the Muslim Lunar calendar. His father's name was Abd’ullah [meaning slave of “the God”] Abd’ullah died before Mohammad was born.

EARLY YEARS His mother, Aminah, died when he was six & he was raised by relatives in a context of Arab Folk Religion, Hanifs (God Fearers), Zoroastrianism (Persian), Dispersed Jewish Tribes and Folk Christians.

ZARATHUSHTRA MEANS “SHINING LIGHT.” This is the Persian name for a prophet dating 1000 to perhaps 5000 years before Christ. Islam is full of elements of Zoroastrianism (law, crossing a bridge in death, earthly paradise); Mishnah (Oral tradition of JewishTalmudic teaching; Arab religion (Moon, Angels, Ka’aba, Black Stone) and Christian Folk teaching/heresy

MUHAMMADS 1 ST RECITED (QURAN) WORDS "Recite in the name of your LORD who created - created man from a clinging embryo. Recite! (96:1ff) In 610 AD at the age of 40 years, while meditating and praying to what he believed to be God he received the command to recite.

QUESTIONS? Father’s name and origins of Allah… The voice Muhammad heard… What do we know of Arabia at that time? Story of Ishmael? How did illiterate Muhammad know?

ISLAM’S MEANINGS... Islam means submission A Muslim is one who is submitted SaLaaM means peace—but only the peace that comes from submission to Allah through Muhammad’s teaching

ISLAM’S BACKGROUND MEANINGS S-L-M is the consonant root form in all three words S-L-M has a peace through conquering by fighting or force—that is, a military context in its original meaning

Historical Proof of Peace by Submission: The Sasanian Empire lasted till 641 A.D., when the Arab Muslims invaded Persia (Iran) and established Islam in the land. The new regime gave the local population three choices: conversion to Islam, payment of a heavy tax imposed on nonbelievers (called the Jizya tax), or death.

SIX CORE BELIEFS (QUR’AN 4:6; 2:177) Belief in the Oneness of God Belief in Angels Belief in the books Belief in the Prophet-Messengers  Nabi – A prophet w/o a revelation or book  Rasul – A messenger like Adam, Noah, Moses

ISLAMIC BELIEFS (CONTINUED) Belief in the Last Things  Resurrection  Judgment  Paradise  Hell Belief in the Divine Decree (Quran 37:96)  Everything is decided by Allah

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM 1. Confessional Witness (Shahada), 2. Ritual Prayer (Salat), 3. Purification through giving (Zakat), 4. Fasting (Zaum), 5. Pilgrimage (hajj)

FOLK RELIGION 1) Seeking here and now answers to religious questions of power and success 2) Existence within a superstructure of formal religious observance 3) Reliance on practitioners and on pragmatic and local form(s) to create meaning for life rather than on doctrine creating/defining meaning and form

FOLK RELIGION 60% of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims practice popular forms of their religions Remember that Folk Islam is: Above All Dealing With Current Problems; Exists Within Islam (very hard to sort out); Relies on Pragmatic Context to create functional meaning

FOLK ISLAM “Various practices prevalent throughout Arabia when Muhammad emerged as the founder of a new religion” as well as ideas and practices incorporated into Islam as it spread among other peoples (Musk 1989, 229)

DOES FOLK RELIGION HELP YOU UNDERSTAND ISLAM, POLITICS & RELIGION BETTER? WHY?

QUESTIONS FOR NEXT SESSION? What would you like to know more of? Resources? Areas of exploration? Handouts? Learning a greeting: Salaam Alehkoum!

SALAAM ALEHKOUM! ALEHKOUM A SALAAM!