Identify the significance of the following terms: Bedouin- nomadic tribes originally from northern Arabia, who became major traders between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea after the domestication of the camel during the first millennium B.C.E. Early converts to Islam, their values and practices deeply affected Muhammed. Umma- the Muslim community, as a whole. Qur’an- the holy scriptures of Islam that contain the guidelines by which followers of Allah, known as Muslims, were to live. Its basic message that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet. the Qur’an is not only the sacred book of Islam but also an ethical guidebook and a code of law and political theory combined. Caliphs- the secular leader of the Islamic …show more content…
What are the “Five Pillars of Islam”? The “Five Pillars of Islam” are belief in Allah and Muhammad as his Prophet; standard prayer five times a day and public prayer on Friday at midday to worship Allah; observation of the holy month of Ramadan, including fasting from dawn to sunset; making a pilgrimage, if possible, to Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime; and giving alms (zakat) to the poor and unfortunate. Describe the strict moral guidelines that believers were required to follow. The strict moral guidelines that believers were required to follow in addition to the “Five Pillars of Islam” are, Muslims were forbidden to gamble, to eat pork, to drink alcoholic beverages, and to engage in dishonest behavior. Also, sexual mores were strict. Moreover, contacts between unmarried men and women were discouraged, and ideally marriages were to be arranged by the parents. Lastly, in accordance with Bedouin custom, polygamy was permitted, but Muhammad attempted to limit the practice by restricting males to four …show more content…
Women did have the right to own and inherit property, but the male was dominant in Muslim society. Some schools of legal thought permitted women to stipulate that their husband could have only one wife or to seek a separation uncertain specific circumstances. Islamic custom required that women be cloistered in their homes and prohibited from social contacts with males outside their own family. Also, the custom of requiring women to cover virtually all parts of their body when appearing in public was common in urban
Islamic beliefs were expressed in various primary texts during the Middle Ages, such as the Qur’an and the Hadith. The Qur’an and the Hadith are two Islamic texts that portray many examples of social and gender hierarchy that were present during this time. The Qur’an, to Muslims, contains the exact words of God. It is believed that the angel Gabriel spoke God’s words to Muhammad, who later recited them. The
Islam has a deep history, beginning with ideas originating before Muhammad and spanning to the present day. Before Islam, the Bedouin people’s faith contained a belief in supreme beings alongside animism. They also put a large emphasis on ancestor worship (Swartz 15). Some groups...
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
2) Qur’an- The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam. It contains parts of the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah. The Qur’an was originally written in Arabic and is still memorized today in Arabic. The Qur’an is believed to be a sacred guide for all human kind and contains the Five Pillars of Islam which Muslims must do throughout their lifetime.
The widely popular religion of Islam originated in circa. 600 CE in the Arabian Peninsula with clan identity being the staple aspect of society. The rise and spread of Islam originating in 610 CE introduced many changes in the religious, cultural, political and social aspect of everyday life such as the introduction of a new monotheistic religion with equality as its backbone, the five pillars of Islam to provide unity, establishing the concept of a caliphate, and the forming of harems, respectively. The Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula dominated the pre-Islamic world with kin-related clan groups and a political structure of a tribal leader, Shaykhs. Cities eventually developed in Southern and Western Arabia due to the transcontinental trade
The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very fact that the Europeans have not yet understood, as to how religion plays a significant role in the life of a Muslim. One of the more commonly misunderstood aspects of the Shariah is the role of the family, in particular the role of the women in the family and in the society in which she lives in. The actual role of a woman in a particular Muslim community may vary according to the part of the world she lives in, nonetheless all Muslim women abide by the same fundamental rules and regulations which the religion clearly defines. Both the Quran and the Hadith are detailed sources that describe the role of women in Islamic History. The rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man, although are not identical with them.
Women in the Islamic religion have been oppressed by the men in their own culture since the foundation of the religion by the prophet Muhammad in 610 A.D. To this day, female circumcision, the mistreatment of women and the inability for girls to attend school is still occurring in Muslim homes in both the Middle East and in European countries. This oppression and unjust inequalities are furthered by countries in Western Europe imposing a Burk Ban. In the time of Muhammad, women had little or no rights, as even the basic right of life was stripped from many young girls as they were buried alive in harsh times of economic troubles or food scarcity.1 Muhammad believed that under the eyes of God or Allah, men and women were equal beings, as Muhammad himself is reported to have said “You have rights over your women…and your women have rights over you,” showing his beliefs on women and men. He is considered by some to be a misogynistic polygamist, despite the disputing facts. Muhammad remarried after the death of his first wife, as their marriage had lasted twenty-five years. He later married thirteen wives but treated them with respect. Muhammad did household chores and helped with housework such as preparing food, sewing clothes and repairing shoes. He is also said to have had accustomed his wives to dialogue; he listened to their advice, and the wives debated and even argued with him. The concept of the virginity of a girl is a highly regarded point within the religion of Islam, as sometimes it is considered the “Virgins’ Cage” The men of Islam have oppressed the women of Islam for centuries, causing discrimination and oppression to this day. This unfortunate oppression and discrimination continues in European nations suc...
The Pillars are a list of rules that give five key practices that the observant Muslim should follow. An individual must follow these five rules: openly declare devotion to their god, Allah, pray five times daily facing towards the holy city Mecca, fast and abstain from secular pleasures during the month of Ramadan, pay an alms tax for the welfare of the poor, and make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one’s life if circumstances allow (Smart 290). These guidelines provide an obvious way to distinguish the religious insider from the outsider and work to reinforce a continual sense of community among the insiders (Smart 291). The concept of jihad works to legitimize the expansion of Islam. Jihad, or the “struggle on behalf of the faith” resulted in two different interpretations (Smart 299). Firstly, the Qur’an states that it is the duty of religious adherents to fight against polytheists, Christians, and Jews until they pay the jizya, or tax, acknowledging Muslim supremacy (Smart 299). However, a branch of Islam called Sufism softened this doctrine to imply that jihad is not a physical conflict, but is instead an internal struggle to eliminate temptations and foster obedience to God (Smart 300). This concept is shown in action when examining the chronological expansion of Islam. In the classical and medieval periods of Islam, stretching from the early seventh
Islam is a major world religion. Its origin can be traced back to 610 CE in Arabia. The basis of this religion is the revelations to the prophet Mohammad. Dissatisfied with his life, he traveled to deserts, hills, and the wilderness surrounding Mecca, where he lived, to meditate and reflect. He became a new man through his revelations, which many of his followers believe Allah transmitted to him through his angel Gabriel. Islam was originally an Arab religion, but many different beliefs and practices were added to it, making it extremely popular and aiding in its rapid spread. This new religion spread to many different areas surrounding Arabia, both under Mohammad and after his death. The Muslim Empire grew to encompass Spain and the Eastern Roman Empire as well Persia and Africa. Many different practices and methods were used to spread Islam. The religion itself was appealing to, in addition to the inhabitants of Arabia, other people in the surrounding areas because of its distinct religious beliefs and practices, such as the five pillars, as well as the humility and prayerfulness of the Islamic people. They fought cruel, vicious wars with their enemies. Many different things motivated the warriors to expand, but above all, the riches they would gain from the people of the Fertile Crescent encouraged them to expand.
There are five pillars the Islam is built on. Muslims believe that God or Allah is the only deity. Most importantly, Islam is a faith of peace and submission to God.
The Five Pillars of Islam is what is needed to be accepted and followed in Islam. They are in the Qur’an, which a sacred book of Islam. Each pillar of the Five Pillars is a commandment that must be followed. The pillars are: Creed (Shahadah), Prayer (Salat), Charity to the Poor (Zakat), Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), and Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj.) Whether you obey the five commandments of the Five Pillars is dependent on one's faith, and it determines how God will judge you after your death.
It was Muhammad's job to spread God’s word to the Arabian Peninsula in order to change their polytheistic ways. Muhammad's teachings and knowledge would be put together to create the Quran, the Islamic holy book. Muslims also follow the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage. Muslims do not believe in creating depictions of Muhammad and Allah.
A Muslim must also abide by “Shri’a law”. These laws promote holiness through self-denial as no consumption of alcoholic beverages, dishonest behaviors, and gambling. A Muslim must “strive in the faith of the lord”, or jihad, which is holiness through martyrdom. A Muslim must follow the Qur’an or the Koran. The Qur’an states a Muslim
Before venturing into the ideals and movements of Islamic feminism, it is important to recognize some of the biased views Westerners often take when it comes to women in Islam. Because of the portrayal of women in the Arab world through pop-culture and the media, some Westerners may believe that Islam creates a society in need of modernity. The concepts of religious government are also foreign to the Western world. Feminists often focus on the practice of veiling women in Islamic tradition as a law made to minimize the importance of women as citizens. It is important for us to recognize where our biased views exist, and what sorts of root assumptions we make about women in Islam.
In the Islamic faith there are five pillars that they must follow to their best ability. The Salaht, the Hajj, they must give to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and repetition of the creed, "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." These pillars are more like obligations in the Islamic religion.