Islam: Theme 1 (A)

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  • T1(A): The significance on the development of Islam of both the life and teachings of Muhammad in Makkah following the Night of Power
    • The nature of Pre-Islamic Arabia
      • Tribal system built upon extended families and clans
      • The time before Muhammad was known as Jahiliyya which means ignorance in Arabic
      • Heritage and codes of conduct shared through oral tradition
      • Raid and trade
      • Poetry
      • Human rule, not submission to God
      • Four goals of social justice: honour, generosity, hospitality and giving
      • Tribes lead by Shayk
      • Bravery and virtue passed down (Muruwa meaning manliness or honour)
      • Desert land populated by Bedouin nomads
      • Social injustice: inequality, human suffering, breakdown of social structures
    • The impact of the Night of Power upon Muhammad
      • Night of Power: vision of Angel Jibril, followed by a silk cloth with ‘recite’ written on it being given to Muhammad
      • Muhammad had a preoccupation with God which took him a mountain cave for meditation
      • Sent by the God of the Christians and Jews to recite the same revelation in Arabic
      • Contemplated suicide struggling to come to terms with revelation
      • Voice from Heaven told Muhammad not to commit suicide
      • At first, those who joined Islam did so in secret
      • Took Muhammad years to go public with message
      • Time spent thinking about spiritual matters (preparation)
      • 'Dark night of the soul’
      • “Read in the name of the Lord and Cherisher who created, created man out of a mere clot of blood” (Sura 96)
      • Revelation seemed similar to that of soothsayers; Makaans accused Muhammad of being inspired by spirits rather than God
    • Muhammad’s early message
      • Islam as correction of Judaism and Christianity
      • Monotheism (Tawhid)
      • Warn what would happen if they did not submit to Allah’s will
      • Miraculous power of God’s character
      • The Day of Judgement for everyone (Akirah)
      • Bring Arabia back to the religion of Islam (Risalah)
      • All humans have a responsibility to their fellow man
      • Muhamad’s second revelation, Sura 74, ordered him to ‘rise and warn’
    • Muhammad's early life
      • during his childhood, his clan declined in importance
      • taken care of his uncle, abu Talib who was the leader of the Hashemite tribe
      • employed in the trading business
      • His father died before he was born and his mother died two years later. He then went in to the care of his grandfather who died two years after that
      • “Did we not find thee an orphan and shelter thee?” Sura 93
      • born into the Hashim tribe - lower clan of the Quraysh tribe
    • Muhammad’s interest in Makkan religions
      • His own household consisted of two Chritians - a slave and his wife’s cousin
      • As a result of this, Muhammad started to spend more time in prayer and meditation in the cave ‘Hira’
      • Muhammad encountered a hanif named Zayd ibn Am’r
    • Religion of Pre-Islamic Arabia
      • Ancestors as stars
      • Believed that Gods could be against them
      • Pilgrimage to Mecca
      • Bedouins believed in many Gods, including Allah, his wife Allat and their two daughters al Manat and al Uzza
      • Jinn
      • Religious differences: Judaism, Christianity, Hanifs (accepting the idea of one God, but not Christianity or Judaism) and Bedouin polytheism (the religion of most of the population of Arabia)
      • Sooth-sayers
      • Bedouin polytheism was animistic (belief that natural objects, like trees and rocks, were inhabited by spirits)
      • Idols at the Ka’ba
    • Muhammad’s open preaching
      • Several underlying themes of Muhammad’s early message delivered to Makkah including Muhammad as Seal of the Prophets, Prophethood, Divine Unity, Bodily resurrection, Judgment Day, Shirk and Warnings
      • The early message of Muhammad created a direct challenge on economic, social and religious grounds
        • Criticism of the annual pilgrimage had implications on the economy
        • Leaders and people of wealth were concerned that their power was under challenge
        • Those selling idols felt that their businesses were threatened
        • Conflicting views (mono/polytheism)
    • Muhammad's marriage to Khadijah
      • Muhammad and Khadijah got on so well that he married her
      • By the time he was 21 Muhammad was employed as a trading manager by a wealthy widow, Khadijah
      • Khadijah was fifteen years older than Muhammad - but bore him six children
    • How was Muhammad prepared for Prophethood?
      • He had a unique reputation, even before his prophethood, and was known as a good judge and referee in times of dispute
      • He attended the inaugural meeting of the League of the Virtuous, a gathering to protect the honesty of the Makkan trade
      • Muhammad earnt the names of al’Amin (the trustworthy) and as’Sadiq (the truthful)
      • He was the only one who could replace the blackstone at the Ka’ba when it needed repairing, without any of the clans being offended
      • He was involved in the ‘Wicked Wars’, in which the Makkans defeated the Central Arabian tribes of Hawazin, confriming Makkan dominance of Arabian trade routes
      • He learnt the techniques of trading, dimplomacy and warfare
    • the Makkan reaction to Muhammad's preaching and its implication for the development of Islam
      • The persecution in Makkah
        • His meetings were often broken up by hooligans
        • Some of his followers were totured and killed
        • Strengthened by the conversion of two great Makkan warriors, Hamza (the prophet’s young uncle) and Umar
        • Attempts on Muhammad’s life
        • The persecution became so bad that Muhammad sent 83 Muslims and their families to Abyssia to be protected and cared for by Christians
        • Hostile campaign against Muhammad
        • Muhammad and his family were protected by the ‘clan system’: as part of Abu Talib’s clan they were protected (despite Talib never becoming a Muslim himself)
      • The boycott of Hashim
        • During this time Muhammad received many revelations from God about previous prophets who had faced rejection, but in the end God’s will had triumphed (Yusuf, Nuh and Ibrahim)
        • The clan were sent to Shi’b (mountain hideout) where they were smuggled food and clothes
        • Some Muslims remained in Makkah but were unloyal to their Prophet, failing to visit him during the three years of siege
        • abu Jahl (Makkan leader) and the Quraysh (powerful merchant tribe who controlled Makkah) made many attempts to isolate Muhammad from his clan
        • The Quraysh turned to sterner methods, isolating Muhammad, his followers and the clan of Banu Hashim
        • After three years, the clan returned to the city, however the boycott continued and they were unable to buy and sell things or marry
        • Quraysh was rendered powerless before Banu Hashim
        • Abu Talib ensured this did not happen by gaining the support of the Banu Hashim clan

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