Islam

World Religions

Dr. Korfhage

Questions to consider

• Can you summarize the essence of Islam in one word? What value or values do you see as central to Islam?

• Religion answers questions and addresses problems. Are the questions and problems that Islam addresses the same as those that Judaism and Christianity focus on? If so, how and why are its answers different?

• How does the tone of Islam compare with the tones of Judaism and Christianity?

• How do the beliefs of Islam compare with the beliefs of Judaism and Christianity?

• How do the practices of Islam compare with the practices of Judaism and Christianity?

• What is the role of the Qur’an in Islam? Are there people or things that hold analogous positions in Judaism and Christianity?

• What are the major characteristics of the Qur’an?

• In the hadith, Muhammad is quoted as saying, “The other messengers of God had their miracles, mine is the Qur’an.” Would you agree that the Qur’an is a miracle? In what ways might it be deemed miraculous?

• How different is the Muslim conception of God from the Christian and Jewish conceptions?

• Smith: “Islam emerges as a religion that aims at total commitment.” To what extent does this make Islam different from Christianity and Judaism? To what extent does Islam admit of a distinction between a secular sphere and a religious sphere?

• Compare the beliefs of Islam with its practices and laws—How does the spirit of the law accord with the Muslim view of the Divine?

• What role does prayer play in Islam? What forms does prayer take?

• What are the principles underlying Muslim social teachings? How do they compare with the principles underlying American law? Would they be an improvement over American principles of law?

• Is there anything we can learn from Islamic law and its principles? Which of the concrete rules of Islamic law (as opposed to the underlying principles) do you think non-Muslims might do well to adopt, either in legal form or as part of social mores?

• Is it more challenging to be a practicing Muslim in contemporary American than it is to be a devout Christian or Jew?

Terms

Allah

Dhikr

The Five Pillars of Islam

Hadith

Hajj

Halal/haram

Hijra

Jihad

Mecca

Medina

Mosque/masjid

Muhammad

Ramadan

Qur’an

Salat

The shahadah

Shi’i

Sufism

Sunnah

Sunni

Shari’ah

‘Ulama

Ummah

Zakat

Topics to be Covered

• Muhammad’s life and the origins of Islam

• Basic beliefs of Islam

• The Five Pillars of Islam

• Muslim prayer

• Muslim law

• Contemporary expressions of Muslim faith

• Islamism and Liberal Islam in the modern world

Readings

  1. Smith, chapter 6
  2. Novak, as assigned
  3. “In the beginning, there were the holy books”
  4. Fisher, pp. 372-378
  5. Fisher, pp. 381-388
  6. Fisher, pp. 378-380, 388-392
  7. Fisher, pp. 403-413
  8. “A World of Ways to Say ‘Islamic Law’”
  9. “When the Koran Speaks, Will Canadian Law Bend?”
  10. “Ramadan Ritual: Fast Daily, Head to the Mall”
  11. “Traditions Old (Fasting) and New (Soap Operas)”
  12. “For Fasting and Football, a Dedicated Game Plan”
  13. “The Market McDonald’s Missed: The Muslim Burger”
  14. “A Muslim Leader in Brooklyn, Reconciling Two Worlds”
  15. “Tending to Muslims Hearts and Islam’s Future”
  16. “It’s Muslim Boy Meets Girl”
  17. “At Muslim Prom, It’s a Girls-Only Night”
  18. “Putting a Different Face on Islam in America”
  19. “Muslims Women in Europe Claim Rights and Keep Faith”
  20. “Morocco Women Preachers Appointed”
  21. “What Would Mohammed do?”
  22. “Financing is Arranged for Observant Muslims”
  23. “Interest-free? Call that a bank?
  24. “Can Islam Change?”
  25. “The struggle for Islam’s soul”
  26. “Muslim Scholars Increasingly Debate Unholy War”
  27. “The Show-Me Sheik”
  28. “Ministering to the Upwardly Mobile Muslim”
  29. “The Jihadi Who Kept Asking Why”
  30. “The Philosopher of Islamic Terror”
  31. “Seething Unease Shaped British Bombers’ Newfound Zeal”