Introduction to Islam 211

Prof. Jonathan Brown

For Syllabus: Faculty.washington.edu/brownj9/211.htm

Introduction to Islam

•What is ‘Islam’?•Does ‘Islam’ ‘do’ things?•Does ‘Islam’ ‘say’ things?•When Muslims do things or say things is this necessarily because of ‘Islam’?

What is Islam?• High Religious Tradition

– Sunnism, Twelver Shiism, Ismailism, Sufism... etc.

• Popular Religious Tradition– A language for expressing and living

religious traditions that may have components totally foreign to ‘Islam’

• World Civilization Tradition– the shared set of institutions, discourses

and high lettered traditions that define the ‘Islamic World’

Muhammad’s Message– One deity only, Creator of all, with no partners– Day of Judgment, when all people will be

judged for their faith and deeds regardless of who they are

– Salvation lies in belief in God and doing good deeds

– This is not a new message – this is the true religion of Abraham revealed by God to every community through the medium of prophets

– Previous messages have been corrupted, Muhammad’s message will remind humanity

Pre-Islamic Arabia/Jahiliyya map

• Problem of Sources• North Arabia vs. South Arabia• The Byzantine and Sassanid Empires• Tribal Structure of Society • A Culture of Honor: image or reality?• Polytheism and Monotheism

– Local cults: the Mecca sanctuary – Christianity in the form of desert hermits– Judaism (what does this mean?)– Hanifs: Abrahamic monotheists?

Near Eastern Context• Gnostic heritage:

– Gnosis: salvational knowledge that allows you to escape the prison of the earthly world and reconnect with the Divine.

• Holy men: monks and saints• Greek philosophical tradition:

– Aristotelian logic, categories of knowledge

• Persian/Zoroastrian political tradition– Divine Kingship of the Sassanians (also late

Roman)– Stratified Society– Circle of Justice diagram

• Judaic Tradition: stories of the Prophets/oral Torah

Christianities of the Near East

• Nestorian/Gnostic Christianity: Jesus had two natures, both human divine; the divine occupied his body like a spirit. Dominant in Sassanid Iraq.

• Monophysite: Jesus had only one nature: divine. Dominant in Egypt and Syria.

• Nicean: Byzantine orthodoxy, Jesus is both fully man and fully divine, one in substance with the Father

Royal authority exists through the army, the army through money, money through taxes, taxes through cultivation, cultivation through justice, justice through the improvement of officials, the improvement of officials through the forthrightness of viziers, … - Anushiravan (d. 579) Near Eastern Context

Strong State

Secure populace

Well-funded army

Good tax yield

“The authority of the prince must be defended by a military force; that military force can only be maintained by taxes; all taxes must, at last, fall upon agriculture; and agriculture can never flourish except under the protection of justice and moderation.” – Artaxerxes, 1st Sassanid ruler