Huston Smith

Part  I: 

Islamic Background: 

Question: What is important to the background of Islam? 

Main Points:

• Islam allowed the rise of the Arab Empire
• Islam began with God not with the Prophet Mohammed
• Islam agrees with Genesis 
• Arabs consider themselves Semitic people 
• Descendants of Ishamel lived in Mecca and became Muslims 

Thesis: The banishment of Ishamel by Sarah led to the development of Islam. 
Summary: Islam is centered around the belief in Allah and agrees with the book of Genesis in the way that the world was created. However, the religion began from the descendants of Ishamel in Mecca rather than the descendants of Issac in Palestine, whose descendants were Jews. 

The Seal of the Prophets: 

Question: What is the seal of the prophets? 

Main Points: 

• Islam reached its definitive form through the prophet Mohammed 
• There were prophets before Mohammed but he is the final one ie. "the seal" 
• Life before Mohammed was 'ignorant' 
• An angel appeared to Mohammed to tell him the prophecies from Allah 
• People began to declare Muhammad as God's spokesperson 

Thesis: Muhammad is known as the 'seal'of the prophets because he is the final one.  

Summary: There were two prophets before Muhammad but he is the last one. An angel appeared to him during his hajj to tell him to spread Islam and the word of God. He had a difficult life with two of his parents dying young and at first few people accepting his teachings from God. However, he eventually was accepted as God's spokesperson. 

The Migration that Led to Victory 

Question: What was the lasting effect did migration leave on Muslims? 

Main Points:

• Muhammad died in control of all of arabia 
• Yathrib was known as the city of the prophet 
• mecca was facing internal rivalries 
• god told muhammad to travel to yathrib 
• everyone wanted to meet muhammad who was famous for unifying the tribes into one city 

Thesis: Because of migration Muhammad's teachings spread through all of Arabia and he soon controlled the whole area because people followed his message. 
Summary: Mecca was having many problems with the warring tribes within the city. Muhammad was told by Allah to go Yathrib and word spread of the unified tribes there and people traveled from very far away to see the miracle "city of the prophet". Muhammad later returned and died in 632 with all of Arabia under his control. 

Part II: 

The Standing Miracle: 

Question: Why is the Koran said to be a "standing miracle"? 

Main Ideas: 

• The koran is the most recited book in the world
• the koran is formed by 23 years of teachings from Muhammad
• the koran regulates evaluation of every event 
• the is no doubt in the scripture 

Thesis: The Koran is known as the standing miracle because to this day it continues to form regulations form daily life and is a reminder for right doings. 
Summary: Muhammad was a prohpet and spoke the word of Allah. His teachings were collected over 23 years are written in the Koran. It is known as the most recited book in the world and is even memorized and recited by very young children as a reminder of faith. Even in the present the book remains extremely relevant to the Muslim way of life and how each Muslim should approach individual events and situations. It also remains a remeinder for doing good and being a devoted practitioner of Islam. 

Basic Theological Concepts: 

Question: What are the basic concepts of Islam? 

Main Ideas: 

• Concepts of Islam of very similar to Judaism and Christianity 
• Everything is related to Allah 
• Muslims do not believe is portraying god in images
• Muslims must fear Allah 
• the Koran describes much of the natural world

Thesis: The chief theological pegs of Islam are: God, Creation, the human self, and the day of judgement. 
Summary: Islams basic concepts are very similar and relate easily to those in other major religions such as Christianity and Judaism. Muslims, like Christians, must fear god as this stressed them to follow the right path and to do good. The Koran states that it is bad to show images or display pictures of god. Judgement day is also very important and one must do good in their lifetime in order to impress Allah on judgement day in order to reach paradise. 


Part III:

The Five Pillars:

Question: How do the five pillars guide a Muslim in decision making? 

Main Points:

• the five pillars are instructions on how to live life
• Islam is a directive to keep muslims on the right path 
• Shahadah - there is no god but god 
• daily prayer requirements create a foundation for all muslims
• muslims must pray toward mecca
• charity, ramadan, and hajj also provide instruction for life

Thesis: The five pillars are essential to Muslim life and living a life that does good and follows Muslim values. 
Summary: The five pillars of Islam are shahadah, daily prayer, charity, ramadan, and hajj. These pillars guide daily life for muslims and keep them on the right path for living a life that is good and will guide them to paradise once they die. 

Social Teachings:

Question: What key concepts does Islam teach us when it relates to social teachings? 

Main Points: 

• Islam stresses equality and brotherhood among all Muslims
• this is due to the peace that Islam created in Arabia 
• explicitness of interpersonal relations is key
• the koran outlines issues such as inheritance 
• islam drastically changed womens rights in arabia 
• tolerance and living equally with other races is emphasized in the koran 

Thesis:Islam is very important in the shaping of the social aspects of Muslims lives. 
Summary: The social standards encouraged by Islam drastically changed from the way they were before Islam. Peace, equality, and tolerance are very stressed by the religion and are key to its practice enough though our view of the religion doesn't emphasize that as much in the west. 


Part IV:

Sufism: 

Question:How did sufism come to be and what is it? 

Main Points:

• people in the islamic community after muhammads death were called sufis 
• sufis wanted to encounter god directly 
• esoteric - only understood by a few 
• symbolism is a principle method 
• every message within the koran is important 

Thesis: Sufism started after Muhammad died is the mystical part of the Islamic religion. 
Summary: Sufism is practiced by a small portion of the muslim community. Sufis worship god through symbols in order to emphasize specific ideas and concepts. They believe that everything in the koran is true and that the text is very sacred. Only a few truly understand it due to the sufis want to encounter god in their daily lives. 

Whither Islam?:

Question: How has the whither, or degree of following Muhammad's words, changed in the religion? 

Main Points:

• islam is one of the richest religions on the planet historically
• many scholars and important revolutions in inventions have come from Muslims
• the religion faces many problems with the west 
• the religion is growing and progresses and may still possess a bright future for greater advancements than before

Thesis: Islam has a rich history and has been a very beneficial religion to the entire world. 
Summary: However, Islam faces disagreement with the west and among extremists. The future may still be bright for the religion to reach its former glory and to gain greater following.