Big Ideas Simply Explained - The Islam Book

BIG IDEAS THE ART BOOK THE MATH BOOK THE ASTRONOMY BOOK THE MOVIE BOOK THE BIBLE BOOK THE MYTHOLOGY BOOK THE BUSINESS BOOK THE PHILOSOPHY BOOK THE CLASSICAL MUSIC BOOK THE PHYSICS BOOK THE CRIME BOOK THE POLITICS BOOK THE ECOLOGY BOOK THE PSYCHOLOGY BOOK THE ECONOMICS BOOK THE RELIGIONS BOOK THE FEMINISM BOOK THE SCIENCE BOOK THE HISTORY BOOK THE SHAKESPEARE BOOK THE ISLAM BOOK THE SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK THE LITERATURE BOOK THE SOCIOLOGY BOOK SIMPLY EXPLAINED

ISLTHAE M BOOK

First American Edition, 2020 CONTRIBUTORS Published in the United States by DK Publishing 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018 RAGEH OMAAR, FOREWORD Copyright © 2020 Dorling Kindersley Limited Rageh Omaar made his name as the BBC correspondent reporting DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC from Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa for the BBC as a foreign 20 21 22 23 24 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 correspondent. He later worked for Al Jazeera English, before, in 001–316422–July/2020 January 2013, joining ITV News where he is International Affairs Editor and host of Britain’s iconic News at Ten program. Rageh has also made THE KORAN translated with notes by N. J. Dawood numerous documentary series for British national television including (Penguin Classics 1956, Fifth revised edition 1990). BBC’s The Life of Muhammad. He is also the author of Revolution Day: Copyright © N. J. Dawood, 1956, 1959, 1966, 1968, 1974, The Real Story of the Battle for Iraq (2005) and Only Half of Me: Being a Muslim in Britain (2006). 1990, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2014 All rights reserved. DR. FARHAD DAFTARY, CONSULTANT Without limiting the rights under the copyright Dr. Daftary is an authority in Shia studies, in particular the Ismaili reserved above, no part of this publication may be tradition. He has written more than 200 articles and encyclopedia entries, reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval and many acclaimed books, including A History of Shi’i Islam (2013). system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means Books on which he has acted as editor include Islam: An Illustrated (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or Journey (2018). He is co-director and head of the Department of Academic otherwise), without the prior written permission of the Research and Publications at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, in London. copyright owner. AYA KHALIL, CONSULTANT Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley An American-Egyptian, Aya Khalil holds a master’s degree in Limited education and is the author of the picture book The Arabic Quilt: An A catalog record for this book is available Immigrant Story. As a journalist focusing on Muslim-related issues, her writing has been published in The Huffington Post and The Christian from the Library of Congress. Science Monitor, and on the popular website MuslimGirl.com. She ISBN 978-1-4654-9148-0 blogs regularly on Muslim-related issues, posting stories on topics such as “10 Words & Phrases to Avoid if You’re #FlyingWhileMuslim.” DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, IBRAHIM MOGRA, CONSULTANT fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: Ibrahim Mogra is an imam and the director of Mogra Faith & Culture DK Publishing Special Markets, 1450 Broadway, Consultancy Limited, and a member of The Muslim Council of Britain. Suite 801, New York, NY 10018 In 2016, he received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and [email protected] Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury “for his sustained contribution to understanding between the Abrahamic Printed and bound in Dubai faiths.” He has edited and contributed to a number of religious education textbooks and has written a teachers’ handbook on Islam. For the curious www.dk.com

SALMA HAIDRANI CHARLES TIESZEN A multi-award-winning freelance writer and journalist based in Charles Tieszen, PhD (University of Birmingham, 2010) is an historian London, Salma Haidrani has written for i-D, Vice, Dazed, HUNGER, of religious thought. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, his and GQ magazines on topics including contemporary faith and work focuses on the historical development of Islamic thought and identity, women’s rights, social issues, and marginalized communities. the history of relationships between Muslim and non-Muslim She is also a contributing author to the best-selling anthology It’s communities. His most recent book is called The Christian Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality Encounter with Muhammad. and Race (2019). DR. COLIN TURNER ANDREW HAMMOND Dr. Colin Turner is director and chief executive officer of the A former journalist with BBC Arabic radio, and Reuters in Egypt, International Foundation for Muslim Theology and was, until 2017, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Andrew Hammond later Reader in Islamic Thought at the University of Durham. A trained became a Middle East policy analyst with the European Council on historian, his chief areas of interest are Muslim theology, Quranic Foreign Relations (ECFR). He is also an Islamic historian, who studied interpretation, and the life and works of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. He Arabic at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and is the author of numerous books and articles, including the best-selling Turkish and Ottoman at Oxford University, where he obtained Islam: The Basics (2005) and The Quran Revealed: A Critical Analysis his doctorate. His books include The Islamic Utopia: The Illusion of Said Nursi’s Epistles of Light (2013). of Reform in Saudi Arabia (2012) and Popular Culture in North Africa and the Middle East (2017). DR. MAHSHID TURNER ANDREW HUMPHREYS Director of the International Foundation for Muslim Theology, Dr. Mahshid Turner is a freelance researcher and lecturer. Trained Journalist, author, and editor Andrew Humphreys has worked in Egypt, in theology at the University of Durham, she publishes on Muslim Central Asia, India, Morocco, Syria, and Turkey. He was the cofounder theology, philosophy, and Quranic interpretation. She is the first female and editor-in-chief of The Cairo Times newspaper, and his journalism Muslim chaplain at a British university, having served at the University has appeared in the UK’s Financial Times, The Sunday Times, and The of Durham in that capacity since 2015. Telegraph. He is the author of two books on 19th-century Egypt, published by the American University in Cairo Press. SHELINA JANMOHAMED Shelina Janmohamed is the vice president of Islamic marketing at global advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy. She is the author of Love in a Headscarf (2009), a memoir of growing up as a British Muslim woman, and Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World (2016), described as a defining text on a Muslim generation bringing faith and modernity together. In 2009, she was named one of the UK’s 100 most powerful Muslim women by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

6 CONTENTS 10 FOREWORD 34 A beacon for the nations 12 INTRODUCTION The Kaaba at Mecca MUHAMMAD 36 There is no god but God 570–632 The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada 20 You knew nothing of the book or belief 42 Hurry to prayer, hurry Al-Jahiliyya, the Time of to salvation Ignorance The Five Pillars of Islam: salat 22 Muhammad is God’s 44 I show [mercy] to those 76 In the name of God, final messenger that … give alms the Merciful, the The early life of Muhammad The Five Pillars of Islam: zakat Compassionate The Fatiha, the first sura 28 Your blood will be 46 Believers, fasting is my blood decreed for you 78 The Lord of All Being Hijra, the flight from Mecca The Five Pillars of Islam: sawm What the Quran says about God 32 The noblest community 50 I am here O Lord, ever raised up for I am here 80 There shall be no mankind The Five Pillars of Islam: Hajj compulsion in religion The umma, the community Tolerating the beliefs of others of Islam 56 Muhammad is no more than a messenger: other 82 And all things we have messengers have passed made in pairs away before him Women in the Quran The death of the Prophet 86 Believers, have faith 58 What are these images to in God which you are so devoted? The Six Pillars of Faith Depicting the Prophet 88 None may touch except THE QURAN the purified The physical form of 64 This book is not to be the Quran doubted Compiling the Quran 90 New in every age, fresh for every people 70 A guide for the righteous Tafsir, or the art of The composition of the Quran interpreting the Quran

7 92 Enter Paradise and 136 Part of the completion abide therein for ever of Islam The Quranic concept The Umayyad and of Heaven Abbasid caliphates 93 Cursed be the inmates 140 Grant me then the beauty of the conflagration of Your face The Quranic concept Sufism and the mystic of Hell tradition AN ISLAMIC 108 The Imam is God’s THE GOLDEN AGE IDENTITY chosen leader OF ISLAM The emergence of Shia Islam 632–786 756–1526 116 And for the moon, we 98 All the Earth is a mosque have ordained phases 150 Seeking knowledge An Islamic place of worship The Islamic calendar is obligatory for every Muslim 102 He was superior to us 118 Whoever turns from my The House of Wisdom as a Muslim way is not from me A successor to the Prophet Sayings and actions 152 There is no conflict of the Prophet between Islam and science 104 I am placing on the Earth The first modern scientists one that shall rule as my 124 He has forbidden you … deputy the flesh of swine The rightly guided caliphs Muslim dietary laws 126 Wine and games of chance … are abominations Islam and alcohol, gambling, and drugs 127 God has laid His curse on usury Moneylending in Islam 128 We have ordained a law and assigned a path God’s guidance through Sharia 134 The supreme jihad is against oneself The quest to make God’s word supreme

8 156 We should not 204 Most worshippers be ashamed to of God are intent on acknowledge truth the advancement of The beginnings of Islamic their own destiny philosophy The Mughal Empire 158 The reunion of REFORM AND broken parts REVIVAL Arabic numerals and al-jabr 1527–1979 162 Have they never observed the sky above them …? 210 Better Turkish than Popish The uses of astronomy Islam in Europe 164 People need stories more 176 The Earth is round 216 Unifiers of Islamic practice than bread itself like a sphere Wahhabism, or an Islamic The chain of oral tradition Mapping the Islamic world Reformation 166 The brilliant ornament 180 May God grant victory 218 A problematic European of the world to Islam attitude toward Islam The example of Islamic Spain The Crusades through Orientalism Muslim eyes 172 The knowledge of 219 Purification by the sword anything is not complete 182 God opened the heart The Mahdi of Sudan unless it is known by of the king to Islam its causes Spreading Islam 220 I have been commissioned Ibn Sina and the Canon of through trade and I am the first of the Medicine believers 186 Put on the holy mantle The origins of Ahmadiyya 174 Everything in the and pray to God universe is within you The caliphate of the The writings of Jalal al-Din Ottoman Empire Muhammad Rumi 190 The first thing God created was the pen The divine art of Islamic calligraphy 192 The shadow of God on Earth The Safavid Empire 194 God is beautiful and He loves beauty Islamic art and architecture 202 The righteous shall be lodged … amid gardens Paradise on Earth

9 222 The center of attention 266 Should you disagree about 290 What Muslims consume is no longer Islam anything refer it to God affects who they are as a religion The modern Sharia state The global business of halal The rise of Islamic Modernism 270 More political than 291 Ethical finance can be a religious force for good 224 America needs to Sunni and Shia in the Islamic banking understand Islam modern Middle East Early Muslims 292 Islam is a religion that in America empowers women A feminist Islam? 228 Provided it does not interfere with sane reason 300 Beautiful to God rather The secularization of Turkey than people The hijab and niqab 232 Our constitution is the Quran 304 The best people are those The birth of Saudi Arabia living in my generation Salafism 238 Islam is the solution The rise of political Islam 305 Islam has been a progressive faith since 242 Land of the Pure the beginning The creation of Pakistan Progressive Islam 248 Islam is politics 272 No negotiations, 306 DIRECTORY or it is nothing no conferences, The Iranian Revolution and no dialogues 320 GLOSSARY The new extremists 328 INDEX 336 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ISLAM TODAY 278 People really live Islam here 256 We belong to God, and Islam in Africa to Him we shall return Rites of passage 280 All too many Muslims fail to grasp Islam 260 The seven houses of Islam Islam in Indonesia The demographics of Islam today 282 Why do I have to prove to you that I’m a good guy? 262 An Arab has no superiority Muslims in the West over a non-Arab The Arabization 286 Don’t panic, I’m Islamic of global Islam The rising tide of Islamophobia 264 Democracy and Islam 288 My identity Z Islam & are not incompatible umma is my family Islam and democracy Islam in the digital age



11 FOREWORD At the start of the 7th century ce, a man who had among Muslims themselves. As I’ve done so, I have just turned 40, a man who had grown up an orphan, always traveled to my assignments carrying books. clambered up a barren, rocky hillside to reach a cave Books like this one, that you now hold in your hands. in a valley near Mecca, an important city for trade and In my travels across the Islamic world during these the worship of numerous deities in the Arabian desert. turbulent decades, I have worked alongside diplomats, Such retreats were something he had often undertaken soldiers, and humanitarian relief workers who would for contemplation and solitude. It was up here that, one often say how valuable it would be to have a day, he received his very first revelation from the angel reference book that gives a clear and accessible Gabriel, known as Jibreel in Arabic—it was one simple explanation about the principles of Islam and the word: “Read.” Gripped by fear and overcome with rich, multilayered history of the religion and the emotion, he responded, saying, “But I don’t know how ideas that have inspired it. The remarkable to read.” Again, the divine order came: “Read.” Then, achievement of this book is that it provides an miraculously, having not thought himself capable, he invaluable resource for Muslims and non-Muslims began to recite the first words of a new holy book. That alike. Discussions of the flowering of Islam’s scientific man, Muhammad, would go on to become the Prophet, “Golden Age” and the uses of calligraphy, as well as and the revelation that started in the Cave of Hira questions about women’s rights in Islam and the rise would become known as the Quran, the holy book of of extremism, help all of us, whether we call ourselves Islam—the religion followed by an estimated 1.8 billion Muslim or not, to understand the faith better. The joy people across the world. of this clearly written and cleverly illustrated book is that it starts from the premise that there are no For me, one of the most profound and telling questions too simple for this book to be of interest aspects of this moment of Islam’s birth is that the very and value. The reverse is also true; however much you first word with which the religion was brought into think you know about Islamic history and the Muslim being was “Read.” I can think of no other word today world, this book will still delight and open doors to that is as relevant and vital to the contemplation of this faith for you. Islam than “read.” A huge part of my life over the last 25 years as an international news reporter has involved Rageh Omaar bearing witness to political upheaval, conflict, and humanitarian tragedies in Muslim countries—as someone who was himself raised as a Muslim. From Iraq to Indonesia, Somalia to Syria, Bosnia to Bangladesh, I have witnessed and tried to convey to viewers of all faiths—and those with none—conflict and misunderstanding between Muslims and the West, between Muslims and non-Muslims, and also

INTROD

DUCTION

14 INTRODUCTION T his book describes the rather he was urging the primarily Middle East and across North foundational ideas not just polytheist inhabitants of Arabia to Africa. Islam advanced into Europe, of Islam, the religion, but return to the worship of the one taking root in southern Spain; it also of many of the great Islamic true God. This was the same God moved deeper into Africa, and civilizations, cultures, and political of the Abrahamic tradition, whose through Central Asia, into India and social movements that the past prophets included Ibrahim and east to China. Muslim traders religion inspired, and continues (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa took Islam to Southeast Asia, where to inspire. (Jesus)—who Muslims believe is it flourished on the islands and not the son of God, but a prophet. archipelagos of the Indian Ocean. Along with Judaism and For Muslims, Muhammad is the Christianity, Islam is one of the last in this line of prophets. As the religion expanded, world’s three great monotheistic scholars, clerics, and legal minds religions. It was founded in the early The three “religions of the Book” took what were oral traditions and 7th century ce by Muhammad, a share a belief in the transience of engaged in a process of verification merchant from the city of Mecca earthly life, in the imperative of and transcription—defining the (Makkah) on the Arabian Peninsula. prayer and good deeds, in our Islamic identity. From this came a He received from God the revelations accountability before God for our framework for Islamic law, or contained in the Quran, the holy actions, and in the assurance of Sharia, new practices of Quranic book of Islam, and preached them a return to God on the Day of interpretation, an Islamic calendar, to a steadily increasing group of Judgement. For Muslims, this is all and many of the traditions that followers. Muhammad was not described in the Quran, which, along define the faith. preaching a wholly new religion, with the sayings and examples set by the Prophet during his lifetime, There were those who objected You can’t talk about Muslims laid the blueprint for a life in Islam. to the codification of the religion or Islam if you don’t know it. and who pursued their own more The spread of Islam personal version of Islam—they Ghostface Killah Islam is a holistic religion that would be known as Sufis. There integrates all aspects of life. were disagreements, too, over who American rapper, 2015 interview Traditionally in Islam there was no should succeed Muhammad as with Vice magazine division between what the Western leader of the Muslims; one group world terms Church and State. split from the mainstream and Muhammad and his immediate became known as the Shia. successors were religious, political, and military leaders in one office. A golden age The ideas enshrined in Islam were Along the way, Islam created spread rapidly from Arabia and great centers of learning, which throughout what we now call the accommodated both theological study and the formulation of Islamic

INTRODUCTION 15 law, as well as the pursuit of of the world, meeting the challenges grow to 2.76 billion, or 29.7 percent philosophy, medicine, astronomy, of modern times while remaining of the entire global population— and the sciences. At a period in faithful to traditional values. meaning almost one in three people history when the knowledge of the in the world will be a Muslim. ancient world—particularly of the Today, the Islamic world spans Greeks—was about to be lost, the globe. The Pew Research Over the course of its roughly Islamic scholars took on the task of Center, a US-based think tank that 1,400 years, Islam has massively preserving that knowledge and gathers data on global trends, shaped the history of the world, in building on it. A succession of estimated in 2015 that there were all kinds of ways, from the political mighty Islamic empires emerged, 1.8 billion Muslims around the to the cultural and spiritual. In first in Arab lands, centered on world, making Islam the second- years to come, the influence of Damascus in Syria (Umayyad), largest religion after Christianity. Islam will only grow, and it is then Baghdad in Iraq (Abbasid), Islam is also the world’s fastest beneficial to both non-Muslims and Cairo in Egypt (Fatimid and growing religion. In 2020, almost and Muslims alike that its core Mamluk), and then later among one in four people globally was a ideals be better understood. non-Arab peoples: in Turkey Muslim. Looking ahead, the Pew (Ottoman), Persia (Safavid), and Research Center estimates that by A note on spellings India (Mughal). 2050 the number of Muslims will Islam originated in an Arabic- speaking culture, and its terminology Islam in modern times Islam is misunderstood by is permeated by Arabic words. It is only in recent history, from many. The extremists grab the The science of transliterating around the late 17th century, that Arabic into English is imprecise; the growth of Islam slowed. Around headlines; those of us who for instance, the Prophet’s this time its global influence began want to practise our religion name can be written in English to be eclipsed by the Christian and live under this country’s as Muhammad, Mohamed, empires of Europe. Those empires laws do not make the news. Mohammed, Mahomat, and set about colonizing Muslim- numerous other permutations. majority countries, a situation Sadiq Khan English does not have characters that only came to an end midway to represent exactly the same through the 20th century. In many Mayor of London since 2016 sounds as Arabic letters. In this instances, Islam provided a focus book we have used spellings for opposition to colonial powers that are a comfortable read for and an inspiration for nationalist English speakers. Similarly, for movements. In the latter part of the benefit of English readers, the 20th century, Islam was we have used the word “God” resurgent, flourishing in every part throughout this book, rather than “Allah,” the Arabic name for God. ■

MUHAM 570–632

MAD

18 INTRODUCTION Muhammad is born Muhammad marries The angel Jibreel Both Khadija and in Mecca (also spelled Khadija, a wealthy appears to Muhammad Muhammad’s uncle Makkah), in the widow and and delivers the first Abu Talib die. In Arabian Peninsula. businesswoman. revelation of the Islamic tradition this is the Year of Sorrow. Quran. 570 595 610 619 582 597 613 A Christian monk named The birth of Muhammad begins Bahira recognizes in the young Muhammad’s first preaching Islam daughter, Zeinab. publicly to the Meccans. Muhammad a sign of prophetic greatness. I n the 6th century bc, the occasion he was visited by the Core of the faith fertile lands around the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) who revealed The religion Muhammad preached eastern Mediterranean were to him the word of God. came to be known as “Islam” (from ruled by the powerful Byzantine the Arabic word for “submission”), Empire and the fertile plains of Three years after receiving the and its followers as “Muslims.” It Mesopotamia to the east nurtured first revelation, Muhammad—to was in Medina that the faith’s core the Persian Sasanian civilization. whose name Muslims often add beliefs and rituals were developed, The deserts of Arabia to the the phrase Sallallahu alayhi wa based on the teachings of the south were home to leaderless, sallam (“Blessings of God and Prophet Muhammad. seminomadic tribes. Vying for peace be upon him”)—began control of valuable trading routes, preaching in his hometown of Central to the new faith was these tribes were constantly at war. Mecca, slowly amassing a group of recognition that there was only one followers. However, his message of god—a radical claim in polytheistic According to Islamic tradition, purity and justice, especially justice 7th-century Arabia. Moreover, around 570, a boy was born in for the poor, and his condemnation Muslims had to acknowledge that Mecca (Makkah), Arabia, into the of the idolatrous ways of the wealthy this one God, known in Arabic as Quraysh tribe. Named Muhammad, elite, earned him many enemies. Allah, had sent Muhammad as His he was orphaned at the age of six, Fleeing persecution, Muhammad Final Messenger. God had entrusted and grew up in the care of his uncle. led his community away from the His message to earlier prophets, He became a merchant, married, city of his birth to settle in Medina, from Adam onward, but it was had children, and flourished in almost 210 miles (340 km) to the Muhammad who received the last business. In later life, he often north, where his message had divine revelation—over a period of retreated to a remote cave, where been more favorably received. 23 years—contained within the he liked to meditate. On one such This exodus is known as the Hijra. preachings known as the Quran.

MUHAMMAD 19 To escape persecution, Muhammad marries Muhammad survives Muslim armies Muhammad leads his his third wife, an attack on Medina, conquer Arabia followers to Medina, known as the Battle of and force its tribes in an exodus known as Aisha, the daughter to accept Islam. of his companion the Trench. the Hijra. Abu Bakr. 622 624 627 631 622 624 630 632 The Charter of Medina Muhammad and Muhammad makes Following a brief establishes the first his followers are a pilgrimage to Mecca illness, Muhammad Islamic community. defeated at the and then conquers the city; dies in Medina at Battle of Uhud. Medina and Mecca are now the holy cities of Islam. 63 years of age. The examples set by Muhammad’s distance, and Medina’s Muslims Lasting legacy life would provide his followers with were obliged to take up arms When Muhammad had made the the five pillars of their faith, starting against the Meccans to ensure Hijra in 622, it was at the head of with the recognition of one God their continued survival. After a small, outcast community. By and Muhammad as His messenger. years of fighting, Muhammad and the time of his unexpected death The other pillars included regulated his followers captured Mecca. just 10 years later, the Muslims daily prayers, the importance of controlled much of the Arabian being charitable to others, and the On taking control of Mecca, Peninsula. For the many tribes obligations of fasting and pilgrimage Muhammad’s first action was to who had now accepted Islam, to Mecca. clear the Kaaba of its idols and military success was a sign of dedicate the shrine to the worship the righteousness of the Prophet’s Fighting for survival of the one God. Muhammad message and of God’s invisible Pilgrimage was already common returned to Medina, but during the presence in the Muslim community. among the Arabs, who had a remaining years of his life he made centuries-old tradition of journeying several pilgrimages to the Kaaba— Many of the beliefs Muhammad to the Kaaba, an ancient shrine in notably in 632, an occasion revered preached were not new. They were Mecca that was filled with statues as the Farewell Pilgrimage. On beliefs that God had revealed of the many gods worshipped by this occasion, the Muslims who through previous messengers, but the tribes. The threat Muhammad accompanied him observed every it had taken a final prophet to renew posed to the lucrative pilgrimage move, act, and gesture. The the message. In this way, Islam trade was one reason the Meccans Prophet’s actions set a precedent could trace its roots all the way had driven him out of their city. He to be followed by Muslims around back to the first prophet, Adam, and remained a threat even from a the world, enshrined as the Fifth it would live on long after the death Pillar of Islam, the Hajj. of its last prophet, Muhammad. ■

20 NBYOOOUOTHKKINNOGERWOBFELTIHEFE THE QURAN, 42:52 IN CONTEXT T he single most important oneness that served to bind his concept in Islam is the followers together. In stark contrast THEME indivisible oneness of God. to this message, the Arab tribes at Al-Jahiliya, the Time In other words, monotheism. This is this time were divided, leaderless, of Ignorance the concept upon which a Muslim’s weak, and worshipping multiple entire faith rests. gods. In the words of the Quran, WHEN AND WHERE these were gods that could “create Pre-7th century ce, When Muhammad first began nothing and were themselves the Arabian Peninsula preaching the mission of Islam, in created; which can neither harm 613 ce, it was this central idea of BEFORE 1st century bce Roman rule The Arabian Peninsula in the era immediately before Islam extends over the eastern was a political vacuum, flanked by two great warring empires, Mediterranean, including the with the remains of a once great civilization to the south. Arabian Peninsula. Byzantine 3rd century ce The Middle Empire East is dominated by the Byzantine and the Persian Sasanian Sasanian Empires. Empire 5th century The Quraysh Arabia Mazun tribe take control of Mecca and its shrine, the Kaaba, and Aksum Saba turn the city into a thriving mercantile hub, attracting both pilgrims and traders. AFTER 570 The birth of the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca; member of the Quraysh tribe. The Final Prophet who unites the Arab tribes under a single God.

MUHAMMAD 21 See also: The early life of Muhammad 22–27 ■ The Kaaba at Mecca 34–35 ■ The rise of political Islam 238–41 The Prophet uprooted In the south of the peninsula, rich This marble altar to the goddess the practices of jahiliya and fertile Saba (Yemen) was one of al-Lat, depicted with her sacred lion, the oldest centers of civilization in is dated to the 2nd century ce, from the one by one. the region, with a complex history, temple of Bel (or Baal) in Palmyra, Syria. Abul Ala Mawdudi but by the 6th century the once great kingdom had broken apart. the gods they worshipped were the nor help themselves, and which high god al-Ilah, and his daughters, have no power over death or life” Between these three powers the goddesses al-Lat, al-Uzza, and (25:3). Before Islam, the Arabs were stretched the vast swathe of Central Manat. One notable shrine devoted said to be living in al-Jahiliya, the Arabia, which is predominantly to al-Ilah was the Kaaba, near the “Time of Ignorance.” harsh desert. Its sparse population well of Zamzam at Mecca. was made up of nomadic Arab Pre-Islamic powers tribes who were constantly at war By this time, many Arabs had In the centuries immediately prior with one another and eked out a given up the nomadic life. By the to the birth of Muhammad, the living by controlling the trade 4th century, for example, two tribes Arabian Peninsula was surrounded routes that crisscrossed the region. from Yemen had settled at the by the Christian Byzantine Empire oasis of Yathrib, which would later to the northwest and the Persian Pre-Islamic religions become known as Medina, where Sasanian Empire to the east. These Communities of Christians, Jews, they took up agriculture. A tribe two imperial titans were locked in and Zoroastrians existed in Arabia known as the Quraysh had settled a power struggle with each other. prior to the 7th century, but the around Mecca by the end of the desert Arabs were generally 5th century. They engaged in Modern jahiliya mistrustful of these religions, trading and stock-breeding and which they associated with the created a thriving city of great As a concept, jahiliya can be imperial powers. While the Arabs wealth. However, according to applied far beyond pre-Islamic had little time for formal religion of Islamic historians, what the tribes Arabia. To label something as their own—their allegiances were lacked was any real moral and jahiliya was especially popular to their individual tribes—there ethical way of living. This would among Islamic reformers in the were places they considered holy. only change after Muhammad early and mid-20th century, who These were the sites of shrines, began receiving revelations in the were angry at the predominance linked to particular deities. Among early 7th century and undertook his of Western influence and the mission of prophecy. ■ ways many Muslims imitated barbarity,” incompatible with and were captivated by it. Islam. Egyptian Islamic reformer Sayyid Qutb (1906–66) used the It was Islamist writer Abul same term when he wrote in his Ala Mawdudi (1903–79) of commentary on the Quran that Pakistan who coined the term “People—in any time and any “modern jahiliya,” which he place—are either governed characterized as “the new by God’s law … or they are governed by a law invented by humans. … In that case they are in jahiliya.” For Qutb, jahiliya was the “rule of humans by humans,” making them servants of one another instead of servants of God.

MMGOUEHDSA’SSMEMFNIAGNDEAIRLS THE QURAN, 33:40, AND VARIOUS HADITH



24 THE EARLY LIFE OF MUHAMMAD IN CONTEXT A ccording to Islamic The angel Jibreel appeared to tradition, in around 582 ce Muhammad to reveal verses of the THEME a Christian hermit, Bahira, Quran. Jibreel would sometimes take The early life of was living in the Syrian desert on the form of a man; at other times, he Muhammad when, one day, a boy passing by would share revelations by voice only. with a camel train caught his WHEN AND WHERE attention. After talking with him, The angel says “Read” 570–622 ce, Arabia Bahira concluded that the sign Muhammad often climbed to a of prophecy was upon the boy. cave on Jabal al-Nur (Mountain BEFORE He was destined for greatness, of Light) in the Meccan Valley to c. 2000–1500 bce In the Bible, Bahira told the boy’s guardians, meditate for days at a time. In 610, God makes a covenant with and should be cared for well. on the 27th night of what is now the patriarch Abraham; Islam The young boy was Muhammad, Ramadan (the ninth month of the will recognize this figure (in who became the prophet of Islam Islamic calendar), he was awoken Arabic, Ibrahim) as one of the and, according to Muslims, God’s from sleep in his cave by a divine first prophets. Final Messenger. presence. According to tradition, it was the angel Jibreel (the Arabic c. 14th–13th century bce In Muhammad was born in 570 name for Gabriel) who appeared to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim in Mecca (Makkah) into the Banu him. The angel simply commanded tradition, the prophet Moses Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. Muhammad to “Read!” receives commandments from His father died before he was born God on Mount Sinai. and his mother when Muhammad was six. His grandfather, Abd c. 1st century ce Jesus, later al-Muttalib, took him into his care recognized by Muslims as until he, too, died when Muhammad a prophet, foretells the coming was eight. From this point, his of a final messenger of God. uncle Abu Talib raised him. They lived in meager circumstances and AFTER Muhammad worked with his uncle 19th century In India, Mirza as a traveling merchant. He later Ghulam Ahmad claims to married and had children, and was be a prophet bringing a new known for his kindness to the poor, message that will reform Islam. but otherwise Muhammad led an unexceptional life. Khadija Khadija bint Khuwaylid was the was 40 and Muhammad was Prophet Muhammad’s first wife. 15 years her junior, but he She was born in Mecca between accepted the proposal. 555 and 567 ce. She was widowed, but became a successful and Khadija was Muhammad’s wealthy merchant, overseeing a only wife until her death in 619 large contingent of caravans that (her mausoleum, shown here, traded with Syria and Yemen. She was in Mecca until 1925). The hired Muhammad to accompany number of children they had one of her caravans. She received together is disputed, but it is good reports of the honourable generally given as six to eight, way that Muhammad had only four of whom survived to conducted his business, and he adulthood. Although Muhammad brought back twice as much profit would go on to remarry 10 as Khadija had been expecting. times, he remained devoted to She proposed marriage to him; Khadija, and to this day she is according to most traditions, she often referred to by Muslims as “Mother of the Believers.”

MUHAMMAD 25 See also: Al-Jahiliyya, the Time of Ignorance 20–21 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: sawm 46–49 ■ Compiling the Quran 64–69 ■ The composition of the Quran 70–75 ■ Tolerating the beliefs of others 80–81 ■ Sayings and actions of the Prophet 118–23 A confused Muhammad replied, Another passage from the Quran Fears of madness “I am not a reader.” The angel (53:2–10) recounts Muhammad’s Muhammad was terrified. He embraced Muhammad and encounter with the angel Jibreel feared that he had been possessed commanded him again to read. and serves to affirm that the by a jinni, an evil spirit. He began This happened three times before Prophet did not proclaim his to climb further up the mountain, Muhammad asked, “What shall own words, but only those given intending to fling himself to his I read?” Jibreel responded with to him from God: death, but on the mountainside the very first revelation, what is he had another vision. He became now the first five verses of chapter He does not speak out of his aware of an overwhelming and 96 of the Quran: own fancy. This is a revelation towering presence that filled the inspired. He is taught by one whole horizon. He heard a voice Read in the name of your Lord who is powerful and mighty. saying, “O Muhammad! You are the who created; created man messenger of God and I am Jibreel.” from clots of blood. He stood on the uppermost horizon; then, drawing near, he came Muhammad made his way Read! Your Lord is the Most down within two bows’ length home and, still in a state of terror, Bountiful One, who by the or even closer, and revealed told his wife Khadija what had pen taught man what he to His servant that which happened. She comforted him did not know. He revealed. and took him to consult her cousin Waraka, who was a priest in the God revealed Humanity Christian Nestorian faith and was His word to Moses misinterpreted and well versed in scripture. Waraka corrupted the message listened to Khadija and said, “If and Jesus. you have spoken the truth to me, of the revelations. O Khadija, there has come to him the greatest Law that came to Moses; surely he is the prophet of this people.” Islamic scholars believe that there were about 10 more revelations made to Muhammad ❯❯ The message of God delivered Islam is God’s final His word directly message to humanity. to Muhammad. Muhammad Thus have we sent forth a is God’s Final messenger of your own who will recite to you Messenger. Our revelations and purify you of sin... 2:151

26 THE EARLY LIFE OF MUHAMMAD over the following two years, but Muhammad is … the social messages: to live frugally, these were not at first revealed Messenger of God and care for the poor, and be generous in public. Instead, Islamic scholars the Seal of the Prophets. with sharing wealth for the good of characterize this time as one of the whole community. great despair for Muhammad, 33:40 during which his thoughts turned Muhammad also wanted the to ending his life. This revelation, which now forms Quraysh to be aware of God’s chapter 93 of the Quran, is credited goodness. God had created man The turning point eventually with giving Muhammad the belief and the universe and it was right came in the form of another that he had been divinely chosen that man should pray regularly revelation, which seemed to offer to be the prophet of his people. to God to bring order. This God him divine reassurance: was identified as al-Ilah, the A religion called Islam High God of the Arabs, who was By the light of day, and by the night In approximately 613, Muhammad worshipped at the Kaaba in Mecca. when she spreads her darkness, began to preach in public to the The Quraysh were to abandon your Lord has not forsaken you, citizens of Mecca. These were worship of all other gods. nor does He abhor you. largely members of his own tribe, the Quraysh. His initial message Eventually, the message that The life to come holds a richer was simple. Based on the traditional Muhammad preached became prize for you than this present life; Arab code of honor, the Prophet’s known as Islam, from the Arabic and you shall be gratified with preaching concentrated on clear word for “submission,” a reference what your Lord will give you. to the act of submission that followers were expected to make Did He not find you an orphan and to God. The followers of Islam give you shelter? became known as Muslims, meaning “those who submit.” And did He not find you in error and guide you? The first Muslims Muhammad’s wife, Khadija, And did He not find you poor and accepted the truth of the angel’s enrich you? revelations from the start and she is regarded as the first Muslim. His Therefore do not wrong the orphan, uncle Abu Talib rejected the new nor chide away the beggar. religion, but other members of the But proclaim the goodness family became followers, including of your Lord. Muhammad’s cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib. Another early convert was a family friend, Abu Bakr, a figure of influence in Mecca, who was able to bring many younger converts into the new religion. Both Ali and Abu Bakr would later have significant roles to play in the further development of Islam. The revelations Muhammad received answered a need among the Arabs. God had sent the Jews Muslim pilgrims visit the Cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nur in the Meccan Valley, in what is now Saudi Arabia, where Muhammad received his first revelation from the angel Jibreel.

MUHAMMAD 27 As the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad’s name is frequently glorified in calligraphy that adorns the surfaces of mosques and other religious buildings. In the Muslim’s heart is the home of Muhammad. Muhammad Iqbal Indian philosopher (1877–1938) and Christians their prophets however, two crucial elements came In this way, Muhammad presented and scriptures (the Bible and the to dominate the message. The first Islam not as a new religion with a Torah), but until now the Arabs was that there is only one God. This new holy scripture, but instead as had no prophet of their own. monotheism (belief in one God) was the continuation of the revelation Muhammad brought a message in stark contrast to the polytheism of God. The Jews and Christians from God delivered in the Arabic common in Mecca, where hundreds already had holy scriptures that language for his people. of gods were worshipped. The were revealed to them, but they second key element was that the had corrupted these revelations. The final messenger revelations, which would become One final message was required. The revelations continued for the known as the Quran (“recitations”), Muhammad is thus the Seal rest of Muhammad’s life. They were God’s message sent to (the last) of the Prophets and the did not arrive with such spectacle humanity through Muhammad. Final Messenger. ■ as the visitation from Jibreel on Jabal al-Nur. More often they Historical sources on Muhammad simply came over the Prophet, as if he was in a trance. Neither did Although it is the foundation of Drawing from all these sources, the revelations always come in Islam, the Quran does not reveal four historians of the classical verbal form; Muhammad frequently very much about its prophet— Islamic period wrote on the life received visions rather than words. Muhammad is only mentioned of Muhammad. The earliest According to the Prophet, it was by name four times—beyond his was Muhammad ibn Ishaq not an easy process; he is reported moral excellence. As a result, (704–68), who was writing to have once said, “Never once Muslims look to secondary texts: less than a century after the did I receive a revelation without these include the hadith, which death of the Prophet. Although thinking that my soul had been are accounts of his sayings and the histories include stories torn away from me.” actions, given by those who of a miraculous nature, they were close to him, and al-sira, are not uncritical. Records The revelations varied widely which are reports of historical of Muhammad’s outspoken in content, ranging from spiritual events from Muhammad’s life, third wife Aisha, for example, concerns to topics governing the such as military expeditions include sharp comments she establishment and propagation and political treaties. made about her husband. of a new community. Over time,

28 IN CONTEXT MWYOYIULBLRLBBOELOODOD THEME Hijra, the flight from Mecca PROPHET MUHAMMAD, THE SECOND PLEDGE AT AQABA WHEN AND WHERE 622, Mecca BEFORE 610 While on spiritual retreat on Jabal al-Nur, Muhammad receives a first revelation from the angel Jibreel. 613 Muhammad begins to preach the word of God to the people of Mecca, who are enraged and persecute the Prophet and his followers. AFTER 630 After years of war, Mecca swears allegiance to its Muslim conquerors under Muhammad. Like Medina, Mecca too becomes a holy city of Islam. From here, Islam will spread to become the religion of the entire Arabian Peninsula. B y about 613, Muhammad claimed the authority of a prophet, or one sent by God. He was also God’s Final Messenger—named in the Quran as ”the Seal,” or the last of those to whom God had given a divine revelation. His mission was to preach monotheism—the worship of the one true God—and to return those around him to what he articulated as correct belief. Over time, a small group of supporters, who came to be known as Muslims, gathered around the Prophet to hear and recite the divine revelations given to him— the Quran—and to listen to the emerging message of Islam.

MUHAMMAD 29 See also: The early life of Muhammad 22–27 ■ The umma, the community of Islam 32–33 ■ The Kaaba at Mecca 34–35 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: salat 42–43 In Mecca, Muhammad gains a small group of supporters, who become known as Muslims or “those submitted to God.” Most Meccans are resentful of Muhammad and persecute him and his followers. A group from Medina embraces Islam and invites Muhammad The Night Journey to come to their city. Muhammad’s famous Night Muhammad flees Mecca and, pursued by the Quraysh Journey, which took place tribe, arrives at Medina. in about the same period as the Hijra, is briefly mentioned The Hijra—Muhammad’s flight to Medina—marks the in the Quran: “Glory be to starting point of the Muslim calendar. Him who made His servant go by night from the Sacred Resistance to the message As such, the Kaaba—and its Temple to the farther Temple Aside from this early community of polytheistic pantheon of gods— whose surroundings We have believers, many in Mecca rejected gave the city status and wealth blessed, that We might show Muhammad’s message and bitterly derived from the fees that the him some of Our signs” (17:1). resented his condemnations of Meccans charged the pilgrims. their society’s injustices. These Muhammad’s attack on Meccan The Prophet’s biographer centered on what Muhammad polytheism was a threat to an Ibn Ishaq and various hadith felt was a neglect of virtue and important source of income. provide more detail. They morality, particularly in regard describe a miraculous night to the poor and marginalized. Muhammad and his followers journey (the Isra in Arabic), were looked upon by most Meccans when he rode a flying steed Muhammad also condemned with suspicion and even hatred. named Buraq from Mecca the neglect of earlier prophets’ Muslims were persecuted for their to Jerusalem. Once there, teachings and the idolatry beliefs. They found it difficult to he ascended to heaven (the practiced at the Kaaba, and called survive, and were at times even Miraj), where he met many Meccans back to pure worship of killed. According to tradition, a of the great prophets. He was the one God. At this time, the group of Muslims left Mecca in 615 even granted a veiled vision Kaaba was the most important and sought refuge in the Christian of God, who commanded the shrine in Arabia and a focus of kingdom of Aksum, across the Red Muslim community to pray 50 pilgrimage from around the region. Sea, in present-day Ethiopia. ❯❯ times a day. When the Prophet requested a more lenient obligation, the number was lowered to five daily prayers. The story serves to ground the importance of Jerusalem in Islam’s sacred geography, provide a basis for the five daily prayers required of Muslims, and affirm the nature of Muhammad as a spiritual guide.

30 HIJRA, THE FLIGHT FROM MECCA Salman al-Farsi was the first Persian convert to Islam. Raised as a Zoroastrian, he is shown in this 16th-century painting questioning Qurayshi merchants about the new religion. In Aksum, the Muslims were well invitation from the city of Medina their support, and invited him to received and given an audience proved more promising. Visiting seek refuge in Medina. This was with the king. When he asked Medina in 620, Muhammad had no small decision. To go meant whether the Muslims brought met with a small group who abandoning his own blood, the anything from God, one of them embraced Islam. These new Quraysh tribe, and switching recited a passage from the Quran Muslims returned to Mecca on allegiance to a rival tribe, or tribes. concerning Mary, mother of Jesus. pilgrimage in the following year, To Arab sensibilities, this verged Recognizing its parallels with the bringing with them additional on treachery. Gospels, the king wept. The converts who wanted to follow Muslim refugees were granted Muhammad and join his new Muhammad sought assurance safety in Aksum, though many later community. They told Muhammad that he and his followers would returned to rejoin Muhammad and of their growing numbers in be treated equally among the the original Muslim community at Medina and pledged to follow him Medinans. They, in turn, asked Mecca in 622, followed by a second and the message he preached. This what would happen if God granted wave returning to Medina in 628. agreement became known as the Muhammad success after First Pledge of Aqaba, named after migrating to Medina: would he also A pact with Medina a hill to the north of the city where remain true to them? As recorded Those Muslims who remained their meeting occurred. by poet Kaab ibn Malik al-Ansari, in Mecca continued to face one of his companions, Muhammad persecution and threats to their In 622, a larger contingent of replied, “Your blood will be my lives. Refuge was first sought in Muslims returned to Mecca on blood. In life and death, I will be the nearby town of Taif, but an pilgrimage. This group also met with you and you with me.” with Muhammad, promised him According to Islamic tradition, the subsequent pact the Medinans formed with Muhammad became known as the Second Pledge of Aqaba. The Medinans who formed the pact became known as the ansar, or the Helpers. A failed assassination With sympathetic followers in Medina, the guarantees agreed with them, and a divine revelation that permitted him to migrate to Medina, Muhammad could now make plans to flee Mecca. First to leave was a large group of about 70 Muslims and their families, who secretly made their way out of the city, toward Medina. In Mecca, however, members of Muhammad’s tribe, the Quraysh, were outraged by the alliance he had formed with the Muslim contingent from Medina. They

MUHAMMAD 31 planned an attack upon his home camels for anybody who could unable to do so. It occurred to him in order to assassinate him. Posted bring back the Prophet and his that God might actually be with around the Prophet’s house, the deputy Abu Bakr, dead or alive. Muhammad and Abu Bakr, and assailants watched during the that no matter what he tried they night, waiting for their opportunity. The Hijra would be victorious. Recognizing defeat, Suraqa gave up. Fortunately, Muhammad had While the fugitives hid for three been warned of the plan to kill him. days in a cave before setting out for Meanwhile, the Muslims who His cousin (and future son-in-law) Medina, members of the Quraysh had already migrated to Medina Ali ibn Abi Talib took the Prophet’s searched for them throughout anxiously waited for Muhammad’s place in his bed, and Muhammad Arabia. One pursuer, Suraqa bin arrival. According to hadith escaped through a window. It Malik, tracked down Muhammad compiled by 9th-century scholar was only the next morning that and Abu Bakr, but when he came Muhammad al-Bukhari, a Jewish the would-be assassins realized close to them, his horse stumbled resident who had climbed to the they had been tricked. Angry and fell. Suraqa remounted, but roof of his home looked out across at the deception carried out by this time his horse’s hoof got stuck the desert and saw the Prophet and Muhammad and his followers, the in the sand. Close enough to shoot his companions in the distance. Quraysh offered a bounty of 100 an arrow, Suraqa was nevertheless He shouted, “O you Arabs! Here is your great man whom you have been waiting for!” Muhammad remained camped on the edge of the Medinan oasis for three days, then entered the city. Thus, in 622, Muhammad and his followers ended their journey to Medina. Such was the momentous importance of the transition from Mecca to Medina that for Muslims the Hijra marks year zero in the Islamic calendar. ■ He that leaves his home in God’s cause shall find many a refuge in the land and great abundance. 4:100 In 623, soon after the Hijra, under Muhammad’s leadership the Muslims built their first great mosque at Medina, which is depicted in this 16th-century tile from Cairo, Egypt.

32 FRCTOHOARIEMSMNMEDOUABNNULIKPTEIYNSDTEVER THE QURAN, 3:110 IN CONTEXT Initially the umma In Medina, is all people, for the umma becomes the THEME whom God has sent His The umma, the community prophet Muhammad. religious community of Islam that is made up of the People of the Book. WHEN AND WHERE 622–30, Medina After Muhammad’s return to Mecca, the BEFORE umma evolves to refer 612–13 Muhammad begins preaching the word of God in specifically to the Mecca, for which he and his Muslim community. followers suffer persecution. S oon after settling in Medina, Despite Muhammad’s initial 622 Muhammad and his Muhammad began the task welcome in Medina and his followers are invited to settle of consolidating rival tribes demonstrable abilities as a leader, in Medina, where they are and asserting his authority. A not all of the city’s communities welcomed by Muslim converts. distinct community formed, known accepted his message or followed as the umma, with Muhammad as him as a leader. The Muslims also AFTER its leader and the arbitrator of faced continual attacks from 630 With Mecca now an disputes. The umma initially Meccan tribes. Islamic city, Muhammad’s included non-Muslims, and was armies embark upon conquest more of a political entity than a Muhammad retaliated by of the rest of Arabia. strictly religious body. Later, the organizing raids on Meccan camel concept would be redefined to caravans, a strategy that had the 632 Muhammad dies and mean the Islamic community only. added benefit of providing funds for his role as leader of the Islamic the fledgling Muslim community. community is taken by his companion Abu Bakr. He and the subsequent Rashidun caliphs expand the reach of Islam around the eastern Mediterranean basin.

MUHAMMAD 33 See also: Hijra, the flight from Mecca 28–31 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: Hajj 50–55 ■ A successor to the Prophet 102–03 ■ The rightly guided caliphs 104–07 suffered serious injury and was forced to retreat with the other survivors. Whenever a dispute or A return to Mecca O Quraysh, this is Muhammad controversy likely to cause In 628, after the Meccans had who has come to you with a twice besieged Medina and been force that you cannot resist. trouble arises … it shall repelled, they signed the Treaty Abu Sufyan be referred to God and of Hudabiyya, which outlined a 10-year truce and allowed Muslims Quraysh leader at Mecca, 630 to Muhammad. to enter Mecca on pilgrimage. Charter of Medina The Charter of Medina By 630, however, Muhammad’s In 624, what began as an attack on military power enabled him to Soon after his arrival in caravans escalated into the Battle return to Mecca and take it with Medina in 622, Muhammad of Badr, from which Muhammad ease. Muhammad had come not to strove to end the city’s inter- and his followers emerged punish the Quraysh but to abolish tribal fighting and establish victorious. The Quran attributes the worship of false gods. He rode all his followers on an equal this success to divine favor: “God to the Kaaba and circled it seven footing, under the Charter of had already given you victory at times, crying “Allahu akbar!” (God Medina. The text declares Badr when you were helpless” is great), and then he smashed the document to be “a book (3:123). As verse 3:13 relates, every idol at the shrine. of the Prophet Muhammad to operate between the Muslims This symbolized the final … and those who may wage victory of Islam. From here, the war in their company”— Prophet’s message of a return stating, for example, “To the to monotheism, in a community Jew who follows us belongs set apart by God, would spread help and equality.” The nine throughout the whole world. ■ tribes gathered under the charter would constitute Indeed, there was a sign for you “one umma separate from all in the two armies which met peoples”—a community now on the battlefield. thought to have had around 10,000 members. One was fighting for the cause of God, the other being a host According to the treaty, of unbelievers. Muhammad’s authority came directly from God, unlike The faithful saw with their very others who might lay claim eyes that they were twice to power. He would arbitrate their own number. disputes among the groups covered by the treaty, and But God strengthens with His aid under his leadership many whom He will. would later convert to Islam. Later in 624, the Muslims fought The Muslim community constructs with the Meccans again at the a mosque at Medina. Built in 622, the Battle of Uhud. When Muslim Masjid Quba is still visited today by fighters broke ranks in order to pilgrims at the end of the Hajj. pursue some of the Quraysh, this lack of discipline led to the Muslims becoming outflanked, and many were killed. Even Muhammad

34 ATHBEEANCATOINONFOSR THE QURAN, 3:96 IN CONTEXT T he Quran reveals that during the flood in Noah’s time. it was Ibrahim (Abraham) We do know that in the time before SOURCE and his son Ismail who Islam, the Kaaba was held to be the The Kaaba at Mecca were commanded by God to lay the most important of the many shrines foundations of the Kaaba and purify at which the region’s Arab tribes WHEN AND WHERE it as a house of worship (2:125–27). worshipped. The shrine was ringed 624–30, Mecca For this reason, it is also known by 360 idols, which may have in Arabic as the Beit Allah, or the represented the number of tribes BEFORE House of God. However, besides that came there. c. 2000–1500 bce Ibrahim passages in the Quran, there is (Abraham in the Bible) is very little historical evidence Reclaiming God’s House commanded by God to lay attesting to the Kaaba’s origins. Embedded in the shrine’s eastern the foundations of a house corner was the sacred Black Stone, of worship. Early commentators on the which was revered as heaven-sent. Quran suggested that the site was In 605, after a major fire, the From 4th century bce a place of worship for angels before Quraysh tribe who ruled Mecca During the period of the the creation of man, and that later rebuilt the Kaaba. When it came to Nabatean Empire, the Kaaba a house of worship was built there putting back in position the Black is dedicated to a deity from by Adam and Eve, which was lost Stone, the tribe’s five clans could northern Arabia named Hubal. not agree who should have the The first temple ever to be honor. According to tradition, 5th century ce The Quraysh built for mankind was that Muhammad was asked to arbitrate; tribe control Mecca and the at Mecca, a blessed site, he ordered the stone to be placed Kaaba is a site of pilgrimage a beacon for the nations. on a cloth and instructed the five for Arab tribes worshipping clan leaders to take hold of the cloth a multiplicity of gods. 3:96 and thus jointly position the stone. AFTER After the Prophet returned to From 630 The Kaaba is Mecca to clear the Kaaba of idols in the most holy shrine of Islam, 630, it could now serve as the focal to which all prayer is directed, point for Muslim worship. The and the focus of the annual Kaaba directed prayer to the one Hajj pilgrimage. true God for whom it was originally intended, and grounded Islam in the sacred monotheism of Ibrahim.

MUHAMMAD 35 See also: Al-Jahiliya, the Time of Ignorance 20–21 ■ The umma, the community of Islam 32–33 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: Hajj 50–55 ■ The birth of Saudi Arabia 232–37 Ibrahim and Ismail laid the door on its northeast façade The kiswa foundations of the House and through which members of the dedicated it, saying ‘Accept guardian Bani Shaiba tribe enter To honor the House of God, this from us, Lord. You are the twice every year in order to the stone structure of the One that hears and knows all.’ ceremoniously clean the largely Kaaba is covered with a cloth bare interior. known in Arabic as the kiswa. 2:127 It is a tradition that predates The Kaaba rests in the center Islam and one that continued The structure of the Kaaba of the Masjid al-Haram, the Holy following the Muslim army’s The Kaaba is made of granite and Mosque built to enclose the shrine. capture of Mecca in 630— is roughly cube-shaped with walls In 624, a divine revelation ordered Muhammad is said to have of approximately 40 ft (12 m) in that the qibla, the direction to had the Kaaba draped with height and width. It has a gradually which Muslims face when they a white Yemeni cloth. sloping roof that allows rainwater to pray, be changed from the Noble drain from a waterspout. It has a Sanctuary in Jerusalem to the Today, 200 workers at a Kaaba. It takes on special meaning factory in Mecca create a during the Hajj, the annual new kiswa each year for the pilgrimage, since Muslims not Hajj. Costing almost US$5 only face it in prayer but also walk million, it is made from black around it seven times in a ritual silk lined with cotton and circumambulation to glorify God adorned with verses from during their pilgrimage. For these the Quran stitched in gold reasons, the Kaaba and the city of and silver thread. Much of the Mecca are together considered the work is still done by hand, but most sacred site in Islam. ■ machines and computers also help speed up production. The kiswa, a black silk covering embroidered with gold and silver The new kiswa is wrapped around the Kaaba on the The Kaaba at Mecca, second day of the Hajj, while originally a humble pilgrims head out to Mount sanctuary made of mud Arafat. At the end of the Hajj, and stone, became the the kiswa is removed and cut “navel of the world” for into pieces that are distributed pre-Islamic Arabs. As the among honored individuals House of God, it is now and dignitaries. the focal point for more than two million pilgrims during the annual Hajj. The entrance The hatim, a low The Black Stone wall around an area that was once part Marble stripe to of the Kaaba mark the beginning The Station of Ibrahim and end of (Maqam Ibrahim), a glass circumambulations and metal enclosure with an imprint of Abraham’s feet

NBTHUOETGRGEOOIDDS PROPHET MUHAMMAD



38 THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADA IN CONTEXT Shahada By which we affirm that Profession of faith there is no god but God THEME and Muhammad is the The Five Pillars of Islam: Salat Shahada Prayer messenger of God. Zakat By which we offer worship to WHEN AND WHERE Almsgiving God, proclaiming His greatness. 610–32, Arabia Sawm Fasting By which we offer worship BEFORE to God, acknowledging His From 1000bce The Torah, then Hajj the Talmud, set down the rules Pilgrimage to Mecca sovereignty and caring for Jewish life that form part of for those in need. God’s covenants with Israel. By which we purify ourselves 1st century ce Christianity before God in His great mercy. incorporates the Judaic By which we embrace the unity covenants, in particular the Ten Commandments. of the Muslim community and draw close to God. 610 The Prophet Muhammad starts to receive the revelations of the Quran. AFTER 680 Shia Islam introduces additional “pillars” that guide faith and observance. 8th century Schools of Islamic law develop, offering further interpretations that guide Islamic life. A ccording to several at least once in his or her lifetime, Although they are central to the traditions in Muslim constitute the Five Pillars of Islam. belief system of Islam, the notion sources, the angel Jibreel In Arabic, they are Shahada, salat, of the Five Pillars, and even the asked Muhammad, “What is zakat, sawm, and Hajj. vocabulary of “pillar,” emerged Islam?” In other words, what is the long after the time of the Prophet. essence of the religion? What are Ritual practice The idea of the pillars was not the basic things one must do as a All Muslims accept the Five Pillars, defined until the 9th century, proper Muslim? Muhammad is said though various branches of Islam when the early scholars of Islam to have replied that Muslims must have their own unique additions. began collecting and publishing “worship God alone and none other, Known individually as ibadat (acts the words and actions of the offer prayers to God, give to charity, of worship), they have been the core Prophet, known as hadith. The and observe fasting during the practices of the faith ever since the account of Jibreel’s questioning of month of Ramadan.” Prophet introduced them. By taking Muhammad comes from the Hadith part in these acts of worship within of Jibreel. This particular hadith is These core practices, along with the overall framework of Islam, one included in a collection made by the obligatory pilgrimage that each is being a Muslim. the Persian scholar al-Bukhari able Muslim must make to Mecca

MUHAMMAD 39 See also: The Five Pillars of Islam: salat 42–43 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: zakat 44–45 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: sawm 46–49 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: Hajj 50–55 ■ The Six Pillars of Faith 86–87 ■ The emergence of Shia Islam 108–15 (810–70), which is one of the earliest Believers, obey God Sura 5:12 is one of many that such works to list what he calls the and His apostle, and do not describes charitable giving: “If five “principles.” forsake him, now that you you attend to your prayers and render the alms levy … I shall These scholars were not have heard all. forgive you your sins.” One passage imposing new forms of worship 8:20 from sura 2 gives details about on believers, but simply reflecting fasting, another advises on proper what was already well established “obey God and His Prophet.” The pilgrimage: “Make the pilgrimage in the practice of Islam. Observant notion of prayer is found throughout and visit the Sacred House for Muslims already proclaimed the the Quran: sura 20:130 advises, His sake” (2:196). oneness of God, prayed five times “Give glory to your Lord before daily, committed regular acts of sunrise and before sunset. Praise As the next few pages will charity, undertook spiritually Him night and day, so that you describe, each of these acts has inspired fasts, and considered may find comfort.” far more detailed requirements, pilgrimage an act central to the variations, and considerations religion of Islam. Each of the Five Meanwhile sura 48:29 describes that have developed over time, Pillars has its own unique history, the act of worship by the faithful: according to a variety of needs. development, and treatment in “You behold them worshipping on Today, however, the Five Pillars Muslim legal and spiritual works, their knees, seeking the grace of of Islam continue to function as a beginning with the Quran. God and His good will. Their marks collective identity for what it means are on their faces, the traces of to be a Muslim. The Pillars serve The Pillars and the Quran their prostrations.” as minimal obligations by which The Quran does not prescribe “Five Muslims ought to abide. Their Pillars of Islam,” at least not as a straightforwardness is intentional collection of practices. Instead, because Muslims are meant to it refers to them independently. follow God unencumbered by the clumsy burden of religious The Shahada, or profession of regulations. As the Quran explains faith, does not occur in full in the to Muslims, God has “laid on you Quran, but sura (chapter) 8:20, for no burdens in the observance of example, commands those who your Religion” (22:78). ❯❯ have decided to follow Islam to Pillars of Shia Islam khums—A 20 percent capital A Shia man prays at Kerbala, Iraq. gains tax. This is in addition Shia extend the Shahada—“There is no The Five Pillars are practiced by to zakat. god except God, and Muhammad is the Sunni and Shia Islam. While the jihad—The struggle to do good messenger of God”—with “Ali is the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam has personally and socially, for wali (friend) of God.” seven Pillars in all, mainstream example by not telling lies and Shia Islam has five “roots” or by picking up litter. principles of faith (usul al-din) amr bil-maaruf—Encouraging and ten “branches” or practices others to do good deeds. (furu al-din). The furu al-din are nahi-anil-munkar—Forbidding the Shia counterpart to the what is evil and trying to stop Sunni Five Pillars; they include others doing wrong. salat (prayer), sawm (fasting), tawalla—Expressing love zakat (alms), and the Hajj toward the Prophet and those (pilgrimage to Mecca), but to who follow the straight path. these four practices they add tabarra—Disassociation from the following: those who mock or insult God.

40 THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADA The profession of faith Know that there is no god century. These bear the message While there is no prescribed order but God. Implore Him to “There is no god but God alone,” to the Five Pillars, the one that is which is almost but not quite often given first is the Shahada, forgive your sins and the Shahada. The same is true or profession of faith, which forms to forgive the true believers, of the inscriptions on the Dome the most basic element of Muslim of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra) in belief. It is the combination of two men and women. Jerusalem, Islam’s oldest surving basic phrases that Muslims say 47:19 monument, which was originally to honor God and bear witness completed in 691–92 ce; these refer to their submission to Him: to God and Muhammad but do not use the formula of the Shahada that There is no god but God, is commonplace with inscriptions and Muhammad is the on later mosques. messenger of God... there is no god but God,” while Bearing witness In Arabic it is La ilaha illa llah, sura 48:29 states that “Muhammad The first phrase of the Shahada— Muhammadun rasul Allah. When is the messenger of God” (which “There is no god but God” (La ilaha saying the Shahada, Muslims will some translations render as illa llah) — is, clearly, a reference to often begin it with Ashadu ana, or “Muhammad is God’s apostle”). God as a monotheistic divinity and “I bear witness that….” These passages, and others like a denial of the pre-Islamic notion them in the Quran, appear not as that there might be multiple gods. The word shahada is an Arabic ritual utterances but as a part of God’s oneness is the single most verb that means to testify or bear wider contexts. The two phrases significant religious component witness. In this way, the words not were linked later by Muslim of Islam. only form a phrase of worship, but scholars and made to serve as indicate a life that reflects a succinct testimony of what it The Shahada’s second phrase— submission to God. means to believe as a Muslim. “Muhammad is the messenger of God” (Muhammadun rasul Allah)— While the Quran repeatedly Evidence that the Shahada took acknowledges that Muhammad higlights the Shahada’s two time to become formulated exists was granted revelation from God phrases, and others that are very on early Islamic coins of the late 7th and that this is the final revelation similar, it does not link them to be sent to humankind. The together in any sort of profession statement further establishes of faith. For example, sura 47:19 Muhammad as the bearer of God’s reminds Muhammad, “Know that guidance and the supreme example of what it means to follow God. At first sight, the Shahada stands out from the other pillars, in that it denotes correct belief as opposed to specific matters of action. It is said during each of the five daily Muslim prayers, but the Shahada also has various practical applications. For example, it is uttered by Muslims as notice of the intention to do an act for the sake of This baby is celebrated at an aqiqa ceremony in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, when the Shahada is recited for the second time since his or her birth.

MUHAMMAD 41 The Shahada is ever present in Muslim architecture, as seen here beneath the 230-ft (70-m) minaret at the Grand Mosque in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Muhammad is God’s messenger. Those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, but merciful to one another. 48:29 God, a concept known as niyya. which the Shahada forms part, and used as part of national symbols The niyya can be either a verbal this is recited again at the aqiqa where it adorns flags and other utterance or an inner attitude. ceremony seven days later that emblems. On a personal level, it welcomes the baby into the family. appears on clothing, jewelry, Most significantly, the Shahada At the other end of life, the Shahada and other accessories. is recited when someone becomes is supposed to be the last words a a Muslim. To simply pronounce Muslim hears at the moment of Using the Shahada in this way the Shahada in the presence of their death. is an expression of Islamic identity two Muslim witnesses makes one and helps to mark out public space a Muslim. Babies born to Muslims As well as being a verbal as distinctly Islamic, just as its have the adaan (call to prayer) testimony, the Shahada also adorns verbal usage helps to bear witness whispered in their ears at birth, of many Islamic buildings, and is to Muslim identity and practice. ■ Flying the Shahada Owing to the centrality of the Controversy has erupted when Shahada as an Islamic idea and the Saudi flag has been misused as one of the Five Pillars of Islamic on merchandise, such as when practice, the phrase appears in it was printed on footballs that artistic representation in various would then be kicked around, national symbols. For example, and on disposable drinking cups the national flag of Saudi Arabia that would be tossed into bears a white inscription of the garbage cans. A German brewer Shahada in Arabic over a sword. also inadvertently caused great offense to Muslims when it As the phrase is considered put the Saudi flag on beer bottle sacred, great care must be taken tops celebrating the 32 countries in how the flag is used and competing in soccer’s 2018 FIFA depicted. It is never lowered to World Cup, and a British chain half-mast, since this would of pubs had to remove the dishonor the Shahada, and it is Saudi flag from its bunting never hung vertically unless a for the same event. special flag has been issued.

42 HPTROUARSYRAEYLRVT,AOHTUIORNRY CALL TO PRAYER IN CONTEXT T he second pillar of Islam muezzin calls Muslims to prayer. concerns daily prayers, In earlier times, and sometimes THEME known in Arabic as salat. still, the muezzin went up a tower, The Five Pillars of Islam: Of course, Muslims might say any or minaret, connected to the local salat number of personal prayers to God, mosque and loudly chanted the but the main prayers of Islam are call to prayer (adaan). Mostly, WHEN AND WHERE prescribed, formal, and designated however, these calls are relayed by 610–32, Arabia as a unique opportunity to worship loudspeakers—or even by alarm God—as Muhammad did—by clocks in the home. BEFORE acknowledging Him and bearing 5th–6th centuries bce witness to His oneness. Ritual ablutions Returning to Jerusalem from When called to prayer, Muslims exile in Babylon, the prophet These formal prayers take are encouraged to go to the mosque, Ezekiel and the Men of the place five times every day: at dawn or, if not possible, to pray privately. Great Assembly institute (fajr), early afternoon (zhuhr), late Prayers are preceded by ritual formal prayers and other ritual afternoon (asr), sunset (maghreb), ablutions (wudu), without which a observances for the Jews. and evening (isha). Often the Muslim would not be considered purified for proper worship. After 1st century ce Throughout When you are safe, making the intention (niyya) to the Gospels, Jesus presents attend to your prayers: perform wudu, a Muslim washes prayer as the way to receive for prayer is a duty incumbent first the hands, mouth, and nostrils God’s blessings. on the faithful, to be with clean water, and then the face conducted at appointed times. followed by the forearms, wiping AFTER the head and ears, and washing 2007 Muszaphar Shukar, 4:103 feet and ankles, as these parts will a Muslim astronaut from touch the ground during prayers. Malaysia, prays from his post The number of times this ritual is on board the International performed before prayer varies Space Station. according to different traditions. Today A global survey reports Having purified themselves, in 2017 that the majority of Muslims must also make sure the Muslims (two-thirds in the US, space in which they are praying is for example) pray daily. clean. If it is in a mosque, the space is already considered pure, but at

MUHAMMAD 43 See also: The early life of Muhammad 22–27 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada 36–41 ■ The Six Pillars of Faith 86–87 ■ Rites of passage 256–59 A rakat is a sequence of prescribed movements that constitutes a single unit of Islamic prayer. Worshippers stand facing Mecca and begin with the invocation “God is great” to announce their intention to pray. The worshipper followed by then standing, all before prostating The worshipper before making begins prayer with a bending low with the while reciting themselves on the then sits with feet another prostration recital of verses from hands on knees… prayers… ground, forehead folded under the to complete the the Quran… to the floor. body… rakat. home, at work, or in public, you turn, there is the Face of God” others. Prayers are said in Arabic worshippers will use a prayer mat (2:115). Or they can use an app or a and are accompanied by bows and (sajada) to create a clean space. specially marked compass to find prostrations (see above), together the exact direction. with raising and lowering of hands. Muslims then stand facing in The set ablutions, movements, and the direction of Mecca. A niche The act of prayer times of prayer give Muslims a (mihrab) marks this direction in The act of praying begins with the shared sense of unity. Whether side- mosques. Muslims praying declaration, “God is great” (Allahu by-side at a mosque or in the privacy elsewhere can simply face the akbar). Then, a fixed set of prayers of their own home, they are praying general cardinal direction of Mecca is recited that includes passages at the same time as other Muslims (east, west, south, or north); as the from the Quran. The Shahada is around the world. This in itself is a Quran says, “To God belongs the repeated and peace is offered to reminder of God’s greatness. ■ East and the West. Whichever way Sunni Muslims are expected to pray Friday prayers of Friday as the sacred day five times a day. Shia Muslims combine of worship in a sura called al- the second and third prayers, as well as Observant Muslims pray five Juma, which states, “Believers, the fourth and fifth, so they pray three times a day every day, but when you are summoned to times a day. the most important prayer of Friday prayers hasten to the the week is al-Juma, which remembrance of God and cease is the Friday congregational your trading. That would be prayer. In a hadith Muhammad best for you, if you but knew is quoted as saying, “The best it” (62:9). day the sun rises over is Friday; on it God created Adam. On it, In addition to the prayers, he was made to enter Paradise, Friday worship includes a on it he was expelled from it, sermon. Even if they do not and the Last Hour will take regularly attend the mosque at place on no other day than other times, many Muslims will Friday.” The Quran also attend Friday prayers. establishes the importance

44 IGTSOIVHTEOHAWOLSM[EMSTEHRACTY..]. THE QURAN, 7:156 IN CONTEXT T he third pillar of Islam In this way, the Quran indicates is almsgiving, known in that a love of God is demonstrated SOURCE Arabic as zakat. One of by a love for the most vulnerable in The Five Pillars of Islam: the chief concerns in the Quran, society. Zakat is the primary means zakat and one of the main components by which Muslims demonstrate of Muhammad’s preaching, was the this kind of love. WHEN AND WHERE treatment of the poor, marginalized, 610–32, Arabia and disadvantaged. As the Quran From a theological standpoint, reveals, “Show kindness to parents if everything that a Muslim receives BEFORE and to kin, to orphans and to the comes as a blessing from God, then 1st century ce The Jews destitute, to near and distant it is right that they return some of codify the concept of tzedakah neighbors, to those who keep that abundance to God by giving to mean “doing what is right company with you, to the traveler to those who have received less. and just.” In practice, this in need, and to the slaves you In this sense, zakat can be seen means a religious obligation own” (4:36). as a sort of purifying tax—just to give alms. as ablutions purify the body, and The Quran also makes clear salat (prayer) purifies the heart AFTER that someone is righteous not only and soul, zakat purifies the wealth, 632–34 Abu Bakr is the first because of what he or she believes property, and possessions of Muslim leader to institute a but also in the manner in which Muslims and makes them pleasing statutory zakat system. Some they treat the needy (2:177). to God. Arab tribes refuse to pay, leading to the Ridda Wars. All the wealth that a It is right that Muslims Muslim receives comes should return to God 717–20 Tradition relates that a portion of that wealth during the reign of Caliph from God. Umar II zakat is not collected by giving to those because no one needs it. who are in need. 2020 Islamic financial analysts estimate that annual zakat spending is anywhere between US$200 billion and $1 trillion per year.

MUHAMMAD 45 See also: The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada 36–41 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: sawm 46–49 ■ Sayings and actions of the Prophet 118–23 To be charitable in public is The percentage at which zakat has good, but to give alms to the traditionally been set is 2.5 percent, poor in private is better for you. or one-fortieth. 2:271 In many Islamic communities, zakat is discretionary. Whether an individual actually gives or not is largely enforced by peer pressure or an individual’s own personal sense of obligation. There are countries, however, such as Saudi Arabia, in which zakat is mandatory and is collected by the state. In its purest observance, zakat Zakat al-Fitr Types of zakat should be paid to the needy in a person’s own neighborhood. A Zakat al-Fitr is another, lesser There are eight categories of Muslim should have knowledge Islamic charitable obligation that eligible recipients of zakat, of their own community in order falls at the end of Ramadan. This derived from the Quran. to identify those in need of charity. is money given to the poor so that In this way, zakat encourages social they can partake in Eid al-Fitr, Al-fuqara (“the poor”)—zakat engagement and responsibility. the major feast that marks the is collected to provide social In practice, however, it is more end of the month of fasting. It is welfare services or a public common for Muslims to pay to traditionally given well in advance safety net for people in need. one of a variety of different of the actual feast days. Al-masakin (“the needy”)— institutions, either governmental anyone in need of assistance or non-governmental, depending This also dates back to the in the aftermath of a crisis on the country a person lives in, time of the Prophet—Muhammad or natural disaster. or on their tradition of Islam. determined the amount to be Al-gharimin—this relates to donated as one saa of food, which is people burdened with debt. Those who fail to give during about four double handfuls of grain, Al-muallafati qulubuhum their lifetime will subsequently rice, or dates. These days, cash is (“the reconciliation of be held accountable on the Day given rather than food. Charitable hearts”)—this relates to of Judgment. websites set a value based on the promoting the image of Islam. price of staple food, typically about Fi sabilillah (“those in the $15 per family member. ■ path of God”)—promoting the Islamic value system. Payment of zakat The poor have a right to a Ibn al-sabil (“wayfarers”)— small percentage of the riches refugees and internally Except for the poorest, every man displaced people. and woman is expected to give of the wealthy. Fir riqab—people in bondage zakat annually. Before being Prophet Muhammad or slavery, so people who are required to pay zakat, a person wrongly imprisoned or victims must have a minimum amount of of trafficking. wealth, known as nisab—this is Al-amilina alayha—the calculated as the value of 87.48 collectors and administrators grams of gold or 612.36 grams of of zakat, and a part of what is silver. Zakat is due on any wealth given can be used to cover over nisab. This includes savings, administrative costs. shares, stocks, and the cash value of any gold, silver, and jewelry.

46 IN CONTEXT IBFFSAOESLRDTIEEYICNVOREGUERESD, THEME The Five Pillars of Islam: THE QURAN, 2:183 sawm WHEN AND WHERE 622, Arabia BEFORE 5th century bce The Torah specifies 25 hours of fasting on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. 1st century ce According to the Gospels, after his baptism, Jesus fasts for 40 days to prepare himself to do God’s will (Luke 4:1). AFTER 1918–47 Activist Mahatma Gandhi undertakes 17 fasts during the struggle for Indian independence: his longest fast lasts 21 days. For Gandhi, fasting is not only a spiritual practice but also a nonviolent weapon of protest. T he fourth pillar of Islam is fasting, known in Arabic as sawm. Muslims might fast on any number of occasions as a spiritual detoxification or as a penance for sins. Fasting can also function as a replacement for other ritual obligations that a Muslim might have been unable to fulfill. For example, sura 2:196 reveals that “if any of you is ill [and cannot complete the Hajj], he must do penance either by fasting or by almsgiving.” Observing Ramadan Sawm has special relevance as a fast related to Ramadan, which is the ninth lunar month in the Islamic calendar. It was during this month

MUHAMMAD 47 See also: The early life of Muhammad 22–27 ■ Hijra, the flight from Mecca 28–31 ■ The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada 36–41 ■ The Islamic calendar 116–17 Spiritual Communal Social Thoughts turn inward, Fasting is a shared Fasting Muslims experience to the divine and self- experience, building fraternity and solidarity empathy toward the poor examination. among Muslims. and needy. Sawm No food or drink during daylight hours. Thoughts go elsewhere. that the Quran began to be revealed The elderly or people who are ill, Muslim countries, attitudes are to Muhammad in 610, while he was pregnant, or traveling, for example, more relaxed, and some locals will meditating on Jabal al-Nur. The first are not expected to fast—although continue to frequent coffee shops command for Muslims to fast was they are expected to make it up at and cafés throughout Ramadan. given during the Hijra, when the a later date. Prophet and his followers fled The Night of Power Mecca to seek refuge in Medina. Muslims and even non-Muslims In ceasing to satisfy regular human who eat, drink, or smoke in public appetites, the fasting person is During Ramadan’s 30-day fast, can be fined or even jailed in some encouraged to look inward and all Muslims past the age of puberty Muslim-majority countries. In other reflect upon spiritual matters— are obliged to abstain from all food including revisiting any wrongs and drink (water included) during Fasting is a shield with they may have done and giving daylight hours. As no material which a servant protects thought to the suffering of those substance should enter the body, less fortunate. An especially pious smoking and sexual intercourse are himself from the fire. act is to read the Quran in its also prohibited. Prophet Muhammad entirety. This activity fits well in the month of Ramadan since the In the same pursuit of spiritual text can be divided into 30 sections virtue, Muslims should also refrain of equal length (known as juz), one from cursing, fighting, or gossiping of which is read on each of the days during Ramadan. In general, of the fasting month. however, the fast is not intended to be more than a person could The 27th night of Ramadan reasonably bear (“God desires your commemorates the occasion of well-being, not your discomfort,” Muhammad receiving the first ❯❯ advises sura 2:185 of the Quran).

48 THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SAWM revelation of the Quran and is together for a small breakfast, The Ramadan meal of iftar is a known as the Night of Power known as suhur, that must sustain communal affair, shared with families (Leilat al-Qadr). This is considered them throughout the entire day. or at vast public gatherings, as seen the holiest night of the year, when, At sunset, heralded by the evening here at al-Satwa bus station in Dubai. according to the Quran, a single act prayers, Muslims traditionally end of worship is better rewarded than the fast, as the Prophet did some month-long soap operas and live 1,000 months of prayer (sura 97). 1,400 years ago, with a sip of water game shows with large cash and some dates. This is followed by prizes. Orthodox Muslims often Celebrating Ramadan the evening meal, known as iftar. complain that the holy month is According to the Quran, Muslims This is a time for families to visit becoming commercialized. are allowed to eat and drink in and take part in a large communal Ramadan “until you can tell a white meal that usually includes foods The end of the month-long thread from a black one in the light prepared especially for Ramadan. fast is commemorated with Eid of the coming dawn” (2:187). Shortly al-Fitr, or the Feast of Breaking the before then, just before daybreak, Across the Islamic world, Fast, which is a three-day national Muslim families will gather mosques, aid organizations, and holiday—in Muslim countries. It is wealthy individuals set up tents Better is the Night of Qadr and tables for the public to eat There are people who fast than a thousand months. free iftar meals every night of and get nothing from their Ramadan. In the Arabian Gulf 97:3 countries, sheikhs hold majalis, fast except hunger. where they open their doors to Prophet Muhammad people for free food and drink. For those who can afford it, five- star hotels host Ramadan tents offering lavish and pricey meals. At the same time, Ramadan evenings are filled with shopping and television. Many television companies launch their biggest shows during Ramadan, including

MUHAMMAD 49 a huge social occasion, complete The sense gathered from this Ramadan lanterns, known as fanous, with large meals and gift giving. passage is that Ramadan and its became popular in Fatimid-era Cairo Children, in particular, often related activities link Islam to its and are now a tradition widely adopted receive new clothes and presents. monotheistic cousins, Judaism and throughout the Muslim world. In places with majority Muslim Christianity, which also incorporate populations, Eid celebrations are fasting and its associated festivals. large affairs that spread across Yet despite the links between cities and public spaces, with more Ramadan and the fasts undertaken eating, only now it occurs during by other People of the Book (both the day rather than at night. Jews and Christians), the event is intended to have a truly Islamic The origins of Ramadan flavor. Ramadan is not the somber Although many of Ramadan’s Lent of Christianity or Yom Kippur customs have developed over time, of Judaism. Although it is certainly its origins lie in the Quran. The a period of spiritual discipline, second sura describes some of the personal introspection, and basic elements of the communal fast purification, it is also meant to be observed by early Muslims onward: joyful. This is why Muslims break the fast each evening with Believers, fasting is decreed for communal meals. you as it was decreed for those before you… Ramadan also serves another purpose. Not only was the first Fast a certain number of days, but revelation of the Quran given during if any one among you is ill or on this month, but also the Battle of a journey, let him fast a similar Badr was fought, Ali and his son number of days later; Hussein were born, the Prophet’s first wife Khadija died, and Mecca and for those that cannot endure it, was finally conquered in 630—all there is a penance ordained: during this month. The sense of the feeding of a poor man. communal spirit engendered during Ramadan also reinforces Muslim He that does good of his own accord identity by reminding participants shall be well rewarded; of their history and formation. ■ but to fast is better for you, if you but knew it. (2:184) Flexible hours of fasting Ramadan specialities vary from Since Islam follows a lunar period between dawn and country to country, but many include a calendar, Ramadan moves 11 sunset can exceed 22 hours. type of biscuit made with dates known days back in relation to the Until recently, there were no as kahk eaten during the Eid. Gregorian calendar each year. In Muslim communities in the some years—for example when Arctic, but global migration has Ramadan coincides with the changed that. Faced with the heat and long days of July— impossibility of adhering to a fasting is more arduous than strict sunrise-to-sunset rule, others. (The Arabic root al- Muslims have had to find other ramad means “scorching heat.”) ways of determining the hours of fasting—such as fasting The length of dawn to sunset during the hours corresponding also varies in different parts of to the closest Islamic country, the world. While most Muslims or synchronizing fasting times will typically fast for 11 to 16 with Mecca. hours, in polar regions the

IOI AAMMLOHHREERRDEE, THE TALBIYYA (PILGRIM’S PRAYER)