The Walking Qur An

Ibn Battuta’s 1331 journey to West Africa provides a contrast of two worlds: Battuta’s pre-modern Islamic culture conflicting with African societies’ interpretation of Muslim beliefs and tribal traditions. He is especially critical of the various roles of women he observes—thus, allowing us insight into his own judgments formed by his culture and society.

Thesis: In his book, No god but God, Reza Aslan recounts the history and teachings of Islam in order to deconstruct the barriers within interreligious comprehension.

Chraibi’s book Muhammad: A Novel is a fantastic, powerful read because it is just that: a novel. It is a fictional story, but written by an author who had an unusual, mystical calling himself to write the book. By using original aspects from the traditional biographies of Muhammad and then adding his own personal, esoteric twist on these characteristics, Chraibi creates a work of literature that is truly compelling and shows Muhammad’s journey to becoming a prophet in a mystical light. Two central distinctions, namely Muhammad’s relations with Khadija and Bahira, add the spice in this novel that really help the reader grasp what is mystical about both this literature and most importantly, Muhammad himself.

Edward Curtis IV is Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Curtis is also founding co-editor of the Journal of Africana Religions. Edward Curtis’s credentials include a B.A., Kenyon College, 1993. M.A., Washington University in St. Louis, 1997. D.Litt et Phil., University of South Africa, 2000. Curtis does not seem to endorse or show any bias towards any one particular group or person. The main topics in the book only seem to analyze Muslims around the world as a whole and how they interact with other each and other religious groups around the

In “The Phony Islam of ISIS,” religious studies professor Caner Dagli addresses an argument made by Graeme Wood about the real intentions of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Dagli explains how Wood’s essay “implies that such a rejection of ISIS by other Muslims can only be hypocritical or naïve, and that ISIS members and supporters follow the texts of Islam as faithfully and seriously as anyone.” Dagli opposes this argument by claiming that ISIS does not take the texts seriously, and further examining the Quran and its contents to support this point. He explains the complex nature of the book and how it consists of the ḥadīth which is an extensive collection that has been compiled over time. Dagli describes how ISIS “members search for text snippets that support their argument, claim that these fragments are reliable even if they are not, and disregard all contrary evidence.” This fallacy does not equate to ISIS following the texts faithfully or seriously, but rather “cherry-picking what they like and ignoring what they do not” (Dagli). In order to further expose the “phony Islam” that ISIS members follow, Dagli identifies the narrow and rigid interpretation of the Quran that the group uses, stating, “this is not literalism. It is exclusivism.” Using Wood’s argument that ISIS speeches are “laced with theological and legal discussion,” Dagli explains that there is a difference between being able to “lace” a conversion and actually comprehending the traditions and meaning of a religion. To

Over the course of this semester, we have talked about the five main religions, each of which containing their own views, backed by their own scriptures and holy books. Due to a length limit, I am going to outline how the Protestant Bible and the Koran came to be in order to demonstrate the differences between how these books were created. I do not begin to understand all of the complications on this topic, nor will all of the arguments that could be made be touched on; however, my critical analysis will include how these books were manifested, and their unique paths to authentication and being accepted by the people of their religion.

Religious scholars, and scholars for that matter, tend to be male. The educated female perspective found in the book The Qur’an and Women Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective by Amina Wadud was deeply refreshing. To hear an interpretation of the Qur’an strictly from a female perspective was fascinating, but more than that eye opening. Wadud was very careful to focus solely on the teachings of the Qur’an and not Islam as a whole, this was something I was grateful for. While it was a challenging read with advanced and interesting concepts she never assumed preexisting knowledge and explained all of her reasoning meticulously. This female voice was not only educated and well informed but also very needed. Many of the concepts she addresses are reinforced wholly by the teachings found in the Qur’an, contrary to what most would expect.

For this ritual project, I decided to observe the ritual of going to mosque and performing their prayers. The reason I decided to choose an Islamic practice for this project was in part because of the recent increase in Islamophobia both in the States and in Canada. I was also very interested to maybe observe some of the differences and similarities in Islamic practices compared to Christian practices as I have grown up in a very traditional Christian (Pentecostal) household and have never really had the opportunity to experience, first-hand, a religious ceremony foreign to my own. Additionally, when going to the mosque for this ritual, I had my best friend, Kimia, come with me as she grew up in a Muslim household and has attended mosque

Chon, M., & Arzt, D. E. (2005). Walking While Muslim. Law and Contemporary Problems, 68(215), 215-254.

Prior to reading an excerpt on Islamic theology and Islamic philosophy in the book Introduction to Islam by Carole Hillenbrand, I did not realized the tremendous effect and contributions Muslims had on the fields of theology and philosophy. According to Hillenbrand, “the term normally used for “theology” in Islam is kalam, which literally means “speech”” (Hillenbrand, 170). Similar to all religions, those following the Islamic faith would eventually be faced with opposition and questions about the teachings of Islam. Hillenbrand explained that Muhammad was not looked to as a theological figure because he merely gained his revelations from the all-knowing God, Allah; therefore, Islamic theologians would begin to emerge overtime. These Islamic theologians would engage in debates on core issues and topics that oppositioners had with the islamic faith, such as

In “Images of Jesus Christ in Islam,” Oddbjorn Leirvik warns the reader that one can easily read the Quran with a Christian bias, ignoring historical context (28). Examining the similarities and differences in the Christologies presented in the Bible and the Quran can easily garner such biases. Leirvik brings several issues forth that add perspective to examining the Muslim Jesus in comparison to the Christian Jesus. It is indisputable that each religious tradition is in support and full belief of its own message. Both Christianity and

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in

(Book: “The Story of the Qur 'an, its history and place in Muslim life.” Second edition. Author: Ingrid Mattson. Page 95) When looking at this passage in broader historical context you must start with the events leading up to this point. Muhammad was seen as god 's messenger. He would recite passages of the Quran and the word of god from memory which had been given to him by the Angel Gabriel. He would recite these passages orally, as he was illiterate and could not write. Many of Muhammad 's Sahaba(companions) were able to memorize the whole Quran by heart after Muhammad recited the passages. Once the Prophet died in 632 AD many wanted to complete the Quran and add the finals surahs(chapters of Quran). Many believe that this process was completed in two stages (Mattson, pg 94). The first stage was when Umar the Sahabi or senior companion of muhammad, went to Abu Bakr(father in-law) (the first caliph) and told him, he was concerned that many qurra(reciters) died in the battle of Yamama. He also worried that these qurra would also die in future battles and not be able to provide information on the Quran. In turn, Abu Bakr eventually agreed with Umar and gave the task of collecting the Quran to Zayd Ibn Thabit(one of prophets most reliable scribes). Zayd then proceeded to collect the Qur 'an passages from parchments, chest of men, and from the other companions themselves. (Mattson, pg 95). The general rule he followed was that the passages had to be verified by two witnesses.

Due to its ability to harbor some notable rhyme, it hardly appears as plain prose. Concurrently, the Quran lacks the appropriate meters to categorize it as a piece of poetry. It firmly appears as an ascertained approach that was popularly referred to as Saj in pre-Islamic Arabia, although it was an epoch of heated discussions among scholars (Mir). Although the contents, language, and method of the Quran, as well as the social and legal implications emanating from the same, have been examined since ancient duration, new advances have typically been proposed to investigate the book in the light of the mentioned approaches.