12/05/01


5 Pillars of Islam

1. Shahadah-(confession) There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet

2. Salat-Prayer towards Mecca 5 times a day

3. Zakat-Charitable tax of 2.5%(of your net worth) given to poor Muslims

4. Swam-(Ramadan)Fasting for one month, no eating or drinking allowed in daylight hours

5. Hajj-Pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in your lifetime(funds permitting), head of household has to go at least

*All these had precedence in older paganism


Sunnis and Shi'ites

*After Muhammad died(possibly of complications from poison given to him by a Jewish slave) he left no clear line of succession
*Muhammad's successor ended up being Abu Bakr (Muhammad's Father in Law)
*Some Muslims believed that Ali'(Muhammad's Son in Law) should have been the rightful successor
*The Muslims that followed Abu Bakr's successorship are the Sunnis and the ones that followed Ali' are the Shi'ites

Sunnis-
*It means "tradition"
*They follow the written tradition in the Quran and the Hadith(the Hadith is similar to the Jewish Talmud)
*Leader of the sunni sect was/is the "Caliph"
*This sect tends to be more conservative

Shi'ites-
*It means "party of Ali'"
*They rely on the Quran, the Hadith, and also their inspired religious leaders(Imams)
*The shi'ites leader was called the Imam, no one claims to be an Imam at the moment
*This sect is more radical in their way of thought(like Pentacostals or Fundamentalist Christians in general)
*12 principal Imams, the last one is known as the "Hidden Imam"

Sufis
*Sufis are another Islamic sect
*Suf means "wool" taken from the harsh woolen garments that they wear to deny themselves luxury/comfort
*They are a Mystical sect that emphasize religious experiences of oneness with Allah
*They do ritual fasts, prayer, meditation, masochistic practices, and denying bodily wants and needs
*Al Ghazali(1058-1111) moderated Sufi practices to make it more respectable to other muslims
*He emphasizes both inner and outer observance of the faith
*A sub-sect of the Sufi is the "Whirling Dervishes", founded by a man named Rumi who was an intellectual: poet, philosopher...


Afterlife

*More physicalistic then the other monotheistic religions
*The divisions are called Paradise and Hell
*There will be a "Day of Judgement" where the unfaithful and the unbelievers will be tossed in Hell
*Paradise is a Fertile Oasis with scantily clad serving girls, fluffy pillows to sit upon, tons of beautiful women to have sex with, and the best things to eat and drink
*Hell is a very Hot place where you drink boiling water and have to eat from the tree of prickly demon heads