From:Colleen Coffin
Subject: Monday, 11/18 Islam

Islam means "submission," as, to God.
It was founded by a man named Muhammad who lived from 570ad to 632 ad. He claimed to be both a prophet and an apostle which were terms he associated with judaism and christianity.

It was developed among predominantly war-like peoples in 7th century Arabia where there existed an uneasy truce for the purpose of allowing people to make trades via caravan routes through the city of Mecca, where the religious groups were polytheistic, pagan, and some Jews and Christians.

The one god Islamic teachings proclaimed was named Allah. Translated, it means, "the god." It was the name previously given to the high god, the moon god, among polytheistic sects. Allah was the patron god of Muhammad's tribe, the Koresh. The Koresh tribe controlled the city of Mecca.

Existing just below Allah were his 3 daughters which were the major deities, A-lat (sun), Al-uzza (venus) and Marat (fate). Minor deities were also worshipped as well as earthly spirits called Jinn (the word Genie comes from Jinn). Jinn were good, bad or indifferent. These beliefs probably were the result of superstition which was widely existent. Also common was immorality, drinking, gambling, and occult.

The Kabah is a square-shaped temple in Mecca. It contained 360 idols from multiple cultures. Reasons for the Kabah's existence- it was good for business and it gave the people what they wanted for worship requirements.

LIFE OF MUHAMMAD 570-632

his father died before his birth
his mother was fanatic spiritualist
he was orphaned at 5 and shuffled around
he ended up being raised by a poverish uncle
he enjoyed spelunking
he spent time conversing with people from
caravans about religion culture, etc.
he had a vision of an angel stirring insides
from age 25 to 40 he was married
his wife, Khadijah, was 15 yrs older
he became a caravan owner
he managed a family fruit stand
at 40 yrs old he received a call to prophecy
(night of power)
he may have had epilepsy which accounted for his visions during seizures.
demon possession and mental illness were common explanations for seizures then
he attempted suicide but was interceded by
an angel, Gabriel
his friends and family members whom he
confided in were his first followers
he came up with the satanic verses as an
excuse for why he said it was ok to pray to
the 3 major deities and then changing his
mind to keep everyone happy
he then fled to ta-if to avoid being killed
"preaching Jinn" preceed Muhammad to Mecca
Muhammad is forced out of Mecca again
he goes to Medina (yathrib) where he invokes
a truce between warring tribes
Medina becomes his base where he plans to
take Mecca by force
he loots and pillages caravans around Mecca
he plundered the Jews heavily
the Meccans defeat Muhammad's army, nearly
killing M at Uhod
he rebuilds his army and works out a treaty
with Mecca which is somehow breached
he takes over Mecca, destroying the Kabah
though he saves the statue of Mary
he instills the worship of Allah
he takes over the Saudi Arabian peninsula
Islam is spread via the sword


CHARACTER OF MUHAMMAD
Hadith means "traditions" of Islam and is about the life of Muhammad. He was very charismatic and skilled diplomatically. He was a trusted leader and was innovative in providing women's rights. On the other hand, he had an irate temper, liked to plunder and assassinate, and rendered severe punishments.