IRKH 5130 Islamic Civilization

Transcription

1 IRKH 5130 Islamic Civilization The Sirah/Biography of Muhammad s.a.w. Issue 1

2 2 Contents What is civilization? What is Sirah? Why study it? Distinctive features Great man in history: Hart s Ranking Arabian Milieu: The Jahiliyyah period Physical background Socio-Moral Economic-Political Major Powers in the Region Muhammad s family background

3 What is Civilization? Western definition of civilization overemphasizes material culture at the expense of non-material culture Islamic civilization was primarily a value-based civilization There were not much of material cultural traces during the time of the prophet 3

4 Examples; mosques were simple in structure as opposed to the Mesopotamian Ziggurat or Egyptian pyramid, no Islamic coin yet. From western view-point, Islamic civilization in terms of the development of material culture started from the time of Abd Malik ibn Marwan (construction of the dome of Aqsa, Islamic coin, Arabization of administration) reached its peak during the Abbasid time 4

5 From Muslim view-point, despite the general absence of material culture during the time of prophet, it is regarded as the most pivotal period-normative period, foundation stage of Islamic civilization 5

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7 7 The Major Rules Major Muslim Rules Prophet s Islamic State ( ) Rashidun ( ) Umayyad ( ) Abbasid ( )

8 8 Sirah al-rasul s.a.w. from the Arabic word sara yasiru sirah means journey or travelling. Therefore sirah discusses the journey of a person s life, Prophet s way of life. Sirah is the study the life/biography of Prophet Muhammad The Sirah is a collection of narrations about the people and events surrounding the Prophet (SAW) arranged in a chronological order. Some of the famous ones, Sirah Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham

9 9 Why Study Sirah? M s sirah is the story of an ordinary person (even underprivileged one-orphan) bestowed with prophethood and miracles yet he was human. Never given the divine character. The fact that M is not divine makes him as uswatun hasanah (role model) for Muslims ل ق د ك ان ل ك م ف ي ر س ول ا ل ل ه أ س و ة ح س ى ة ل م ه ك ان ي ر ج و ا ل ل ه و ا ل ي و م ا ل آخ ر و ذ ك ر ا ل ل ه ك ث ير ا You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.

10 Qur an & Hadith و إ و ك ل ع ل ى خ ل ق ع ظ يم "And beyond doubt, you are of an exalted character' (Al- Qalam /68: 4). Anas reported: The Messenger of God was the best of all the people in conduct. [Sahih] Abdullah bin 'Amr ibnal 'Aas reported: the Messenger of God did not use indecent speech nor did he listen to it. He used to say, "The best of you is the best among you in manners.'' [Sahih].

11 Ghandi s Words on Muhammad the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume [of his biography], I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.

12 The Character of the Prophet Through the Eyes of Non-Muslims It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, 1932, p. 4

13 13 Distinctive Features of Sirah 2. The various phases of M s life have been meticulously documented not only from his birth to his demise but also predating his birth (marriage between Aminah and Abdullah etc). detailed account about M his birth, childhood, youth, life before prophethood, careers in trade, reception of the message/prophethood, Makkah phase, Medina are documented in chronological order. Unrivalled by other figures of revealed religions

14 14 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is a perfect model of human being in all areas of life, as a father, grandfather husband, cousin, brother, political leader, military leader, imam, and friend. Sirah An-Nabawiyyah helps us in having a better understanding of Quran and Islam. The Holy Quran was revealed in stages and it took almost 23 years for it's revelation to be completed. Many events that happened during the life of Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions are mentioned in the Holy Quran. This Divine book taught the Prophet and his companions how to deal with different events through their lives.

15 The Theory of Great Men a theory held by some that aims to explain history by the impact of "Great men", or heroes: highly influential individuals, either from personal charisma, genius intellects, or great political impact. is often linked to 19th century philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle, who commented that "The history of the world is but the biography of great men." The Great Man approach to history was most popular with professional historians in the 19th century lengthy and detailed biographies about the great men of history, but very few general or social histories

16 Name any one great-man in history. Great man may not necessarily be great in a positive sense. He/she may also be terrible & brutal, but his decisions and actions are significant in shaping the development in the world. Name one great person in history, and reason/s for choosing him/her.

17 17 It contains biographies of all the influential people, ranked in order from most influential to less influential, along with the author's reasons for the ranking.(in the Conclusion) 1.Muhammad 2. Isaac Newton 3. Jesus Christ

18 18 Selection from M. Hart s My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world's great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader.

19 19 Today, his influence is still powerful and pervasive. The majority of the persons in this book had the advantage of being born and raised in centers of civilization, highly cultured or politically pivotal nations. Muhammad, however, was born in the year 570, in the city of Mecca, in southern Arabia, at that time a backward area of the world, far from the centers of trade, art, and learning. Orphaned at age six, he was reared in modest surroundings.

20 20 Since there are roughly twice as many Christians as Moslems in the world, it may initially seem strange that Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. There are two principal reasons for that decision. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity.

21 21 Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament. Muhammad, however, was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical and moral principles. In addition, he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in establishing the religious practices of Islam.

22 22 Moreover, he is the author of the Moslem holy scriptures, the Koran,?a collection of certain of Muhammad's insights that he believed had been directly revealed to him by Allah. Most of these utterances were copied more or less faithfully during Muhammad's lifetime and were collected together in authoritative form not long after his death. The Koran therefore, closely represents Muhammad's ideas and teachings and to a considerable extent his exact words. No such detailed compilation of the teachings of Christ has survived.

23 23 It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influential political leader of all time.

24 24 Of many important historical events, one might say that they were inevitable and would have occurred even without the particular political leader who guided them. For example, the South American colonies would probably have won their independence from Spain even if Simon Bolivar had never lived. But this cannot be said of the Arab conquests. Nothing similar had occurred before Muhammad, and there is no reason to believe that the conquests would have been achieved without him.

25 Talking Points? Did Makkah meet classical Criteria for emergence of civilizations? Then, why the Prophet was chosen among the people of the area (Arabs) What differentiate the Prophet s.a.w. from other great leaders? 25

26 The Middle Eastern Politics on the Eve of Islam two powers dominating & vying for control of the region-the Romans and the Persians The Roman/Byzantine & Persian Empires Origins: f. ca.650 BC started as a city state Practiced pagan religion until the conversion of Constantine (r ), the Roman Empire became Christian too 26

27 The Persian State: Sasanids ( CE) The Persians were the bitter enemies of the Roman Empire They established an extensive empire controlled much of Central Asia They established Zoroastrianism as the state religion and introduced a strong and centralized administration 27

28 Basic teachings: i) our life is basically a continuous struggle between good and evil, darkness and light. ii) Good is represented by Ahura Mazda (WISE LORD) iii) bad by Ahriman (DESTRUCTIVE SPIRIT) 28

29 Also placed premium importance on the culture of learning- sending out scholars to other countries collecting and translating good books into Persian. Zoroastrianism was founded by Zoroaster lived ca to 1000 BC 29

30 Each empire had a client Arab tribe (ally) in return for military services protecting the border, etc. Ghassanid pro-roman; pro- Sassanids Lakhmids The advent of Islam in the 7th century posed a threat to both superpowers in the region, but the fates of both powers would be different. 30

31 Map 31

32 Pre-Islamic Arabia The 7th cent. Arabia located on the southern peripheries of both superpowers. In addition two other substantial regional powers on both sides of the Red Sea. Ethiopia/Abyssinia an ancient kingdom where Coptic Christianity was the state religion. Yemen in the southwestern Arabi- a fertile land also a transit point for long distance trade. 32

33 33 The Period M was born is known has the Jahiliyyah? What is Jahiliyyah period? Literally the Age of Ignorance (of divine guidance) The term coined by scholars during Islamic period describing the period about 2 centuries before the advent of Islam in Arabia (ca., CE) The Pre-Islamic Arabia Jahiliyyah- the life & times of the Arabs in Hijaz & surrounding areas during the centuries before Islam.

34 Pre-Islamic Arabia What do we mean by Pre-Islamic Arabia? Period? Way of Life or both? No outside power had ever succeeded in subduing the region. WHY? Remote Tough terrain Extreme fierceness of the Arabs 34

35 35 Physical Arabia-a vast peninsula. One of the hottest and driest lands An arid land-1/3 rd is stony desert- the biggest is Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter-devoid of all living things)

36 MAP Map

37 37 Arabia is the world s driest and most rainless country The only big country with has no river Very little rainfall except in the coastal regions esp.ly yemen and Uman- very little vegitation People: dwellers of the desert (Badawi/Bedouins) and the dwellers of the town (hadhari e.g. Makkah) A great majority (80%) were Bedouins They were divided into tribes comprised of clans (banu) each clan of several families, related together by acommon ancestor

38 38 They were nomadic (always on the move seeking for greener pasture, literally!) Economy: self-sufficiency/survival- rearing animal, raiders etc. Once a tribe become too big, it will be subdivided e.g. Banu Hashim and Banu Abd Sham were originally one tribe but over time become tribes on their own and rivals too. Town-Arabs- they too were divided into tribes-but did not lead a pastoral and nomadic life

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41 41 Permanent settlement in a town/oasis Economic activity: trade and agriculture Conditions during the Jahilliyyah Domestication of the camel along with cultivation of the date palm provided the transportation and nourishment for travel

42 The dominant pattern of life was nomadic, in organized, regulated way. People traced their lineage & identity by genealogy(tribe) not location (tribal society) live and die for it. social system they were organized into clans and tribes. A number of tents joined together formed a hayclan (qaum) 42

43 Each tribe governed by a council who represented the various clans/smaller family groupings. The council elected a shaykh Tribal council highest legislative/executive deciding when to launch war/raid etc. 43

44 Muruwwa their constant movement no chance to develop architecture, painting, sculpture. But possessed a marvelous form of artistic expression- poetry. muruwwa- the code of honor-the well-established Arab Bedouin code of virtue e.g. bravery in battle, persistence in revenge protection of weak, hospitality to visitors, patience in misfortune, loyalty to the tribe, fidelity in keeping promises. The moral principles that people needed to survive in the desert, and the verses of the odes/poems helped to fix the muruwwa in their minds. 44

45 MURUWWA OR MURU A Harsh conditions and few resources in desert engendered survival traits known as the Code of Honor: HOSPITALITY and GENEROSITY, STRENGTH and BRAVERY, GOOD JUDGMENT, and an intense LOYALTY to one s kin and clan part of Muruwwa `IRD = Honor of warriorship

46 TRIBAL SOLIDARITY AND ORGANIZATION No concept of law in political-juridical sense No authority to legislate or enforce universal rules beyond kinship group Notion of universal justice or abstract legal principles was absent Protection under family and extended kinship relations

47 INDIVIDUAL WITH KINSHIP Primary loyalty to closest relations Feeling of Tribalism = to be aware of one s close relationship to the other Solidarity = protect one s tribal members from constant threat of predatory raids from outsiders.

48 RAIDING (al-ghazw) Raiding practiced against outsiders as an important means of gaining or redistributing resources Raiding practiced during certain periods of the year, rules of engagement honored The Shaykh (tribal leader) received one-fifth of any spoils

49 REVENGE (qisas) retaliation or retribution when blood was spilled The system of mutual revenge (tha`r), as a preventive to reckless killing The system of diya (paying a blood money) evolved as a less honorable substitution Fighting a natural part of Bedouin life

50 50 Politics A mixture of positives and negatives e.g. muruwwah honoring guests and going to war for the sake of honor Arabia was never politically united. Centralization is the opposite of tribal identity (each tribe as an independent political unit) South- Kingdom of Saba and San a only at regional level Tribal spirit of unity- assabiyyah wars were frequent Tribal pride and greed made disputes frequent

51 51 Lack of centralized authority to manage the tribes made it even more difficult. Tribal wars were fierce some lasted several years or even decades- Poets called them Ayyamul Arab ( The days of the Arabs) Reasons were petty- dispute over the boundaries of pasture/ spring-water, an injury to a person/animal of a tribe by another The tough conditions in Arabia made alliance a must- without alliance, they could not survive (weak ones join stronger ones)

52 52 Politically, anarchy and disunity defined by tribal affiliation Romans and Persians would not dream of expanding into this area- they were impossible to be governed. The task of unifying these disparate groups seemed impossible. But, Muhammad a Quraisyi eventually managed to do the impossible by repudiating tribalism and rallying around the principle of Tawhid (Unity)

53 53 Women Women were of inferior status During this time women s status worsened no rights. When a man died the son inherited the step-mother His brother/s inherited his widows Among some wealthy Quraisy- the cruel custom of infanticide (of female infant), partly to the perverted sense of honor! They lamented the birth of daughters, Umar r.a. during Jahiliyyah killed his own daughter

54 54 Social Vices Jahiliyah produced many social vices- wine-drinking, prostitution, gambling With increasing wealth in urabn areas, prostitution also prevailed

55 Religions of Pre-Islamic Arabia Paganism- 360 idols around ka bah Animism-veneration of stones, etc Jews- primarily in Yathrib, south Arabia Christians-Najran, South Arabia Hanifiyyah- a handful of people e.g. Waraqah bin Naufal 55

56 Were the Pre-Islamic Arabs uncivilized? Scholars of Semitic languages wondered how, in a largely illiterate society, the Arabs managed to develop a common poetic language, which we call classical Arabic. The knowledge of poetry (qasidah) was not limited to literary circles. Practically everyone engaged in it at some level. 56

57 57 Illiterate Society yet produced masterpiece ode/poetry The classic qasida is an elaborately structured ode of 60 to 100 lines It maintais a single end rhyme that runs through the entire piece Popular subjects: muruwwah Trivia which object is praised the most in pre-islamic qasidah? Thinganimal, plant/flower/human (the beauty of women)? There are about 1,000 words for --- in classical Arabic Jamal, Naqah, Ibil etc

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59 59 Family background Muhammad was born in 570 CE (The Year of Elephant) Born into the clan of Banu Hashim of Quraisy (Genealogy in next slide) Hashim- a man of great importance for Quraisy Opening up of the Syriantrade route Feeding and watering of pilgrims A wealthy and generous man The other clan is Banu Abd Shams (brother of Hashim)

60 60 GENEALOGY OF MUHAMMAD QURAYSH Abd-i-Manaf Hashim Abdu l-muttalib Abdu l-sh Shams Umayyah Abdu llah Abu-Talib Abbas MUHAMMAD HASHIM CLAN Ali Umayyad Caliphs UMAYYAD CLAN

61 61 Banu Hashim of QURAYSH WERE THE KEEPERS OF THE KAABA

62 62 Family Background Abd Shams was a poor man with a large family After Hashim s death the status of Banu Hashim had declined while Banu Abd Shams thrived commercially Abd Mutalib (Hashim s son) was a prominent leaderspokesman for Makkans during Abraha s attack Responsible for the re-opening of the Zamzam well

63 63 Banu Hashim After the death of Abd Mutalib (ca. late 570s), Banu Hashim became even more marginalized It joined a tribal confederation known as Hilf al-fudul- an association of the less successful clans to ensure fair trading and prevent trade monopolies of Banu Abd Shams and other dominant clans When prophet was born, Banu Hashim were no longer economically and politically dominant It was in this family, the noble family who were the custodians of ka bah and pilgrims, Muhammad was born