Owning Your Worldview Informing Your Worldview Series:

An Overview of Islam:Inspiration to ISIS

The Ancient Near East in Review

• By the end of the Roman Empire the Ancient Near East had survived a myriad of different empires.

• Each community had its own particular pagan pantheon of gods.

• When the political landscape changed, people had to change their religion and the gods they worshiped.

• Politics and religion became unstable and fluid. They were tied together and inseparable in the minds of the native population.

Mecca ( مكة or Makkah)

• Mecca is the greatest Islamic holy city.

• The origin of the city is attributed the descendants of Ishmael, in Islamic tradition.

• It is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad.

• At the time of Muhammad the Quraysh were a tribe of traders that controlled Mecca.

• The Kaaba is a critical location within Mecca.

The Kaaba ( الكعبة, al-Kaʿbah, or The Cube)

• Today the Kaaba is located in the center of Islam’s most sacred mosque, named Al-Masjih al-Haram.

• The mosque and the Kaaba have a religious significance similar to the Jewish Temple and the Holy of Holies.

• Islamic tradition holds that Abraham traveled to this site with Ishmael and together they built the Kaaba.

• The Kaaba existed long before Mohammed and the Islamic religion.

The Kaaba (Before Islam)

• Tradition holds that sometime after the Kaaba was built, the native populations fell away from the monotheism of Abraham and into the polytheism of paganism.

• The Kaaba became a shrine to many gods. The pantheon represented had 360 gods, the greatest one was Hubal.

• Hubal consists of “Hu” which means spirit or god and “bal” which is a reference to the pagan god Ba’al.

The Kabba (Before Islam)

• In ancient Mecca pilgrims would travel to the Kabba to worship the gods. The pilgrims were a significant source of wealth for the Quraysh.

• The pilgrims also came to see the Hajarul Aswad (Black Stone). Islamic tradition holds that these stones fell from heaven and were the original stones used by Adam and Eve to build the first alter.

• The Hajarul Aswad were mounted on the Kaaba by Muhammad, and are still there today where they are venerated as a holy relic.

The Kaaba and Pilgrims.The Black Stone (lower right)

Muhammad: The Boy

• Muhammad was born in approximately 570 AD, in the city of Mecca.

• He was born into the Quraysh tribe that ruled the city.

• He was orphaned at a young age and suffered a series of tragic losses as people who were caring for him died, and he was passed to the next person.

• This made him very sensitive to the harsh realities of life in the near east.

Muhammad: The Young Man

• Around the age of eight Muhammad came to be in the care of his uncle Abu Talib.

• As he grew into manhood he became a trader like his uncle. This gave him exposure to much of the world around him that was inaccessible to his peers.

• He came into contact with many cultures and religions from across the entire middle east region. This included Judaism and Christianity.

Muhammad: The Young Man

• Muhammad gained a reputation as a fair and honest man, who was also an excellent third-party arbitrator.

• People in the region looked to Muhammad to resolve disputes, provide wise judgment, and increasingly to provide leadership in sensitive situations.

• He eventually married an older widow named Khadija.

Khadija: The Wife

• When Khadija married Muhammad he was her third husband.

• She was a successful trader, which was rare at that time.

• She approached Muhammad with the marriage proposal.

• They had six to eight children together.

• They had a monogamous relationship and by all accounts they had an excellent marriage.

Muhammad: The Thinker

• As Muhammad became more secure he thought about the society that he lived in. His childhood must have had much to do with how he saw his world.

• During retreats into the mountains he contemplated creation, theology, and social justice.

• In 610 AD he was reflecting in a cave on Mount Hira. He had an experience where he believed an angel came to him and gave him his first revelation.

Muhammad: The Prophet

• After his first revelation Muhammad was upset and confused. He returned to his wife Khadija and she tried to calm him and help him understand the experience.

• Muhammad and Khadija went to her cousin Waraqah. Waraqah was familiar with Judeo-Christian scriptures and identified the giver of the revelation as the angel Gabriel.

• Islamic tradition says that it was Waraqah that recognized Muhammad as a prophet, and that the revelation was sent by Allah.

• Tradition also holds that Khadija became Muhammad’s first follower.

Muhammad: The Preacher

• After his revelation Muhammad began preaching in Mecca.

• His monotheism and social ideas were a departure from the norm, and threatened the control and revenue the Quraysh enjoyed from their leadership of Mecca and control of the Kaaba.

• The Quraysh began persecuting Muhammad and his followers. Eventually he and his followers migrated to Yathrib (eventually renamed Medina).

Muhammad: The Arbitrator

• In Medina Muhammad became an influential arbitrator between the local Arab and Jewish tribes.

• Muhammad established the “Constitution of Medina” which ruled by secular law and showed respect for people of all faiths.

• Eventually the Meccans came to Medina for vengeance. Muhammad and his followers fought several battles.

• During the conflicts several Jewish tribes turned on Muhammad and they were eradicated as traitors against Medina.

Muhammad: The Warrior & General

• After a series of battles Muhammad and 10,000 Muslim soldiers took Mecca with minimal resistance.

• Muhammad was concerned about military threats in the region. He moved out and eventually conquered the entire Arabian Peninsula.

The Isra and Mi’raj (اإلسراء واملعراج or al-’Isrā’ wal-Mi’rāj)

• In 620 Muhammad experienced what is now referred to the Night Journey.

• This experience was a miraculous event in which Muhammad was taken to Jerusalem and he witnessed several things including The Farthest Mosque (al-Masjidu ‘l-’Aqṣá).

• In 705 AD Muslims gained control over Jerusalem and built the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the place where Muhammad saw “The Farthest Mosque”.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

• The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the associated Dome of the Rock stand on the Jewish Temple Mount, that is possibly the foundation of the Second Jewish Temple.

• The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third most holy site in the Islamic faith.

• This is the reason that Muslims protest that Jerusalem is not a historical Jewish site and actually belongs to Muslims.

Islamic Texts

• Qur’an: Means “the recitation”. This is the most holy text in Islam. Muslims believe the text was given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

• Hadith: Multiple texts that describe the sayings and actions of Muhammad. These were assembled after the death of Muhammad.

• Taurat: The Islamic version of the Torah. Muslims believe the Jewish Torah has been corrupted.

• Zabur: The Islamic version of the Psalms of David. They do not necessarily feel these are divinely inspired.

Comparing Christian and Islamic Worldviews

Responding to an Attack

Matthew 5:39 (HCSB)

But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Responding to an Attack

Sura 2:194

The forbidden month for the forbidden month, and forbidden things in retaliation. And one who attacketh you, attack him in like manner as he attacked you. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is with those who ward off (evil).

Who Dies for Who?

John 3:16 (HCSB)

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Who Dies for Who?

Sura 9:39

If ye go not forth He will afflict you with a painful doom, and will choose instead of you a folk other than you. Ye cannot harm Him at all. Allah is Able to do all things.

Respect for Women

Genesis 2:24 (HCSB)

This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Colossians 3:19 (HCSB)

Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.

Respect for Women

Sura 4:24

And all married women are forbidden unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty hath been done. Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Wise.

The Divine View of Non-Believers

Romans 12:14 (HCSB)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

John 10:10 (HCSB)

A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

The Divine View of Non-Believers

Sura 9:30

And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they!

Your Enemies

Luke 6:27-28 (HCSB)

“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Your Enemies

Sura 60:1

O ye who believe! Choose not My enemy and your enemy for friends. Do ye give them friendship when they disbelieve in that truth which hath come unto you, driving out the messenger and you because ye believe in Allah, your Lord? If ye have come forth to strive in My way and seeking My good pleasure, (show them not friendship). Do ye show friendship unto them in secret, when I am best aware of what ye hide and what ye proclaim? And whosoever doeth it among you, he verily hath strayed from the right way.

Considering Islam, ISIS, and Your World

Open Discussion

Owning Your Worldview

An Overview of Islam: Inspiration to ISIS