|
|
|
|
|
Class Prep
|
|
|
|
Shaping the Qur'an in Islam
The Arabic word "Bismillah" ("in the name of Allah"), represented in calligraphy to the right, is a frequent prayer in Islam. It is a shortened version of the phrase, "Bismillah al rahman al rahim," which translates, "in the name of Allah most Gracious, most Merciful." Every chapter or surah in the Qur'an begins with this verse, except surahs 2 and 9.
Just as the motif of Allah's grace and mercy dominates the text of the Qur'an, the grammar and sheer poetry of much of the Qur'an (which is regarded as Allah's direct speech) makes Allah sound sad and compassionate. According to Michael Sells, author of Approaching the Qur'an, this does not come across in an English translation.
|
 |
The poetry and majesty of the Arabic is lost, and the tone makes God sound more angry than compassionate. One way you can compensate for that loss is to listen to the Qur'an being sung in Arabic, as we will do in class. "Qur'an" comes from the verb "to recite" or "proclaim," and it is customarily recited or sung out loud.
- The chapters in the Qur'an are referred to as "surahs" or steps. The surahs assigned for today are thought to be among the first revelations that Muhammad received. Read them, and then consider the journal question, "If God speaks directly, how should one respond?" This may be more or less hypothetical for you, depending on whether you believe in a god, but even if you don't, consider how one might respond if they did. Consider not so much the immediate response one might have, but the ongoing, lifelong, daily response one might organize their life around, if the encounter is truly transformational.
-
- It certainly was a transformational encounter for Muhammad; the Esposito and Campanini readings narrate what occurred when Muhammad first began to receive revelations and how he struggled to understand the significance of his religious experience. As you read these pages, consider the following questions:
-
- Campanini doesn't think that our term "religion" captures what Islam is for Muslims. What is Islam for Muslims and how is that different from what westerners think of as "religion"?
- What were the characteristics of life on the Arabian peninsula in the 7th century CE, and how did Muhammad's preaching both challenge and build on these characteristics? (Esposito)
- Identify the three options available to peoples conquered by the armies of Islam. (Esposito)
- Trace the succession to the prophet Muhammad through the "four rightly-guided caliphs," and account for the split of Sunnis and Shi'ites upon the death of the fourth caliph. What are the primary differences between Sunnis (roughly 85% of contemporary Muslims) and Shi'ites (roughly 15%)? (Esposito; we will discuss this in our next class, but the reading should be done for today)
- Describe the structure of the Qur'an and its composition history. (Campanini)
-
- Also, learn the meaning of the following terms
- surah
- hijra
- umma
- sunna of the prophet
- hadith
|
- tawhid
- shirk
- jahilliyya
- jihad
|
-
-
- Assigned Readings
-
- Primary: Surahs 1; 96; 74:1-31
-
- Secondary: John L. Esposito, excerpts from Islam: The Straight Path, 4th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011) 1-15, 36-43, 46-52; Campanini, The Qur'an: The Basics 1-34
-
-
- Slides from Lecture
-
-
- Further Reading
-
- Bonner, Michael. Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2006; French original, Paris: Téraèdre, 2004.
-
- Cook, David. Understanding Jihad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.
-
- Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path, 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
-
- McHugo, John. A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi'is. Washington, D. C.: Georgetown University Press, 2018.
-
-
-
- Links
-
-
- Sources
- Graphic:
|
|
|
|
|
