Growth and Development of World Religions

Growth and Development of World Religions

Explain how world religions or belief systems grew and their significance.

- Hinduism- Judaism- Buddhism- Christianity

- Islam

Five of the world’s major faiths and ethical systems emerged establishing institutions, systems of thought, and cultural styles that would influence neighboring peoples and

endure for centuries.

Islam• The word Islam means ‘submission’, one must surrender to Allah (the only god in this monotheistic religion)

• One who accepts the Islamic faith is a Muslim, - ‘one who has submitted’

• Islam arose in the Arabian Peninsula

• Islam quickly attracted followers and stretched far beyond its Arabian homeland

Early Life of Muhammad (570

AD as Muhammad ibn Abdullah)

• The prophet Muhammad was born into this world of nomadic Bedouin pastoralists and merchants in about 570 AD

• His parents died before he was six, and he was raised by his uncle and grandfather

• He was also employed by a wealthy woman – a widow named Khadija, who he married in 595 AD

• By the age of 30 he was a successful merchant living in Mecca, where the people recognized many gods, and where there were many Jewish and Christian communities

Spiritual Transformation

• About 610 AD, aged 40, Muhammad underwent a profound spiritual transformation

• He became convinced that there was only one true God (Allah = ‘God’), and that recognition of other gods was wicked

• Muhammad experienced visions we he interpreted as revelations (delivered through the archangel Gabriel – a messenger from god)

• Without meaning to start a new religion, he told his family and friends of these revelations, and by 620 Muhammed had a following of people wanting to learn of his revelations.

The Quran

• As Muhammad spoke about the revelations he had received, some of his followers prepared written texts of his teachings

• During the early 650s, devout followers compiled these written versions and issued them as the Quran (‘recitation’) – the holy book of Islam

• A work of superb poetry, the Quran powerfully explains Muhammad’s understanding of Allah and his relation to the world

• Serves as the definitive authority for Islamic religion and social organization

Muhammad’s Migration to Medina

• The growing popularity of Muhammad’s preaching brought him into religious conflict with the rulers of Mecca (because monotheism offended the polytheistic Arabs)

• Eventually in 622 AD Muhammad fled to the rival trading city of Yathrib, which Muslims soon started calling Medina (‘the city of the prophet’)

• Known as the hijra (migration) Muhammad’s move to Medina serves as the official starting date for the Islamic calendar Ruins of the old city of Medina

Muhammad in Medina• In Medina Muhammad organized his

followers into a community called the umma (community of the faithful)

• Muhammad personally led the umma in daily prayers, and in various battles with enemies in Medina, Mecca and other places

• He began to refer to himself as the final prophet through whom Allah would reveal his message to humanity

• He accepted earlier prophets like Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and held the Hebrew scriptures and Christian Bible in very high esteem

Muhammad preaching in Medina

Establishment of Islam in Mecca• By 630 Muhammad and his followers were so strong that they attacked

and conquered Mecca• They forced the elites to accept Allah, and instituted a government devoted to

Allah• They destroyed pagan shrines and built mosques, buildings created a

sense of community where Muslims gathered for prayer• They retained one old pagan shrine – the huge Kaba (black rock) which was

transformed into a shrine to Allah, which only the faithful could approach

• Muhammad himself led the first pilgrimage (hajj) to the Ka’ba, establishing the hajj as an example for all devout Muslims

This image and overleaf –The Kaba in Mecca today

• Holy Shrine of Kaaba is believed to be the holiest place on Earth

• Each person who visits Mecca, must walk around the Kaaba 7 times!

www.bible.ca/islam/ islam-photos-islam-today.htm

Spread of Islam Throughout Arabia

Muhammad and his followers then launched a series of campaigns against other towns and clans, and by the time of his death in 632, much of Arabia was under their control

The Further Expansion of

Islam• After Muhammad’s death his advisors selected one of his closest

friends and disciples to serve as caliph (deputy)Abu Bakr became head of the Islamic state, as well as chief judge and religious and military leader

• Under his leadership Islamic armies then began to carry their message into the Byzantine and Sasanian worlds beyond Arabia

• They attacked at precisely the moment that these great civilizations were exhausted and soon conquered Palestine and Mesopotamia

Islamic Conquests of West and Central Asia

• During the 640s Arab forces conquered Egypt and North Africa

• By 661 they had toppled the Sasanians and incorporated Persia into their realm

• By 711 they were in Afghanistan and N. India, and in 718 they crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and conquered most of Spain

Straits of Gibraltar from space

The Expansion of Islam

Islamic Division

• Eventually Islamic beliefs began to differ and the Shia sect was created, which offered an alternative to the standard Sunni (traditionalist) version

• The Shia had favored the appointment of Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law) as successor instead of Abu Bakr

• Eventually Ali was assassinated, and his supporters organized their own Shia (‘party’)

• Ever since the Shia has functioned as a source of support for those who opposed the policies of the Sunni leadership

The Five Pillars of Islam

Islamic faith is based on 5 obligations:

1. Muslims must acknowledge Allah as the only god, and Muhammad as the last prophet

2. They must pray to Allah daily while facing Mecca3. They must fast during the daylight hours of the

month of Ramadan4. They must contribute alms for the relief of the

poor5. They must try and undertake the hajj at least

once in their lives

Changing Status of Women• Before Islamic society women enjoyed many rights (to

inherit property, divorce their husbands, engage in business)

• The Quran enhanced the security of women• Women are portrayed not

as possessions but honorable individuals equal to men before Allah

• Muhammad’s own kindness and respect to his wives served as an example of this

Male Dominance • But for the most part the Quran reinforced male dominance

• Women were controlled strictly by men

• Men could also have up to four wives, women only one husband

Veiling of Women• When Islam moved into Central Asia and the Byzantin Empire,

it adopted traditions like the veiling of women (which had been practiced in Mesopotamia since the 13th Century BC)

• Women were forced to veil in public, and could only leave home in the company of servants or chaperones

Islamic Law:

The Sharia• Islamic holy law (the sharia) emerged in the centuries

after Muhammad’s death, offering guidance on all aspect of daily life

• It offers precise guidance on marriage and family life, inheritance, slavery, business dealings, politics and crime

• Through the sharia Islam became more than a religion, but a way of life with a complete set of social and ethical values

Islam and World History

• Muhammad did not intend to start a new religion, but to express his faith in Allah and perfect the teachings of earlier Jewish and Christian prophets

• But his message attracted prophets, and by his death most of Arabia had adopted Islam

• Arab conquerors then spread Islam throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia.

• Today there are more than 1 Billion Muslims!

• Most live in the Middle East

Islamic Facts:

• Mosque: Islam house of worship

• Muslims do not have Holy Days, but they are expected to pray 5 times a day!– Faithful Muslims will

stop what they are doing to bow down

and pray

– Face Mecca

Islamic Holidays

• Ramadan: Sacred month to Muslims– Fast (Do not eat)

between dawn and dusk

• Sacred Month: The time that Quran was shown to Muhammad

Islamic Symbols

• Crescent Moon– Means Progress

• Star– Means knowledge

and light

• Color: Green