REL 137g 1st Edition Lecture 7 Current LectureAbbasid Revolution Umayyads, the first dynastyStarted by Mu’awiyahBetween Ali and Mu’awiyahAli wanted to arbitrate, followers turned on him and assassinated him Mu’awiyah becomes the first Ummayad rulerGeographic expansion of Islam brings in non-ArabsArabianized They speak Arabic but their central/peripheral vision is not necessarily the sameUmayyads control the impact of this expansion through their chauvinismDid not accept non-Arab practicesAbbasids are one of the groups who come inSupported by Arabasized non-Arabs; the MawaliSibuwayhWrote the most definitive book about Arabic grammarClassical Synthesis A number of competing tendencies, readings Someone had to decide what to make official, orthodox Ways of understanding Islam (organization)LawTheologyPhilosophySufism ShiismCaliph/Sultan dichotomy Arabic Muslims measure their degree of integrity through conversation with classical synthesisTopics continually debated, even today, because that’s what it means to be Muslim Where interpretive authority liesUntil presently, one cannot understand Islam by simply going back to Koran, Hadith/SunnaBecause Islam is a communal self-understandingWhich interpretations are within the boundaries of orthodoxy (not necessarily correct)Five Pillars and issues of faithShahadahTestimony of faithThere is not god except God and that Muhammed is his messengerPrayer5 times a day FastingMonth of Ramadan (not a set month in the year)No food, drink or sex Hour and a half before the sun comes up until it sets If you fail, fast for 60 days or feed 60 people or free a slave Alms2.5% of surplus income (surplus is once you get to a certain threshold) to the poor Tax on the wealthy, on surplus wealth PilgrimageTo Mecca once in a lifetime (if they are able)Most Muslims do not make this pilgrimage because they are too poorIdea of jihad as a pillarNot a part of classical synthesisOnly a pillar to modern activists Under the right circumstances it can be an obligation, but it is not a pillarIman vs. Islam Internal convictions vs. actions seen by other peopleWith God alone vs. with other Islamic people Praying because you have faith inside vs. necessary to have faith within your
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