notes+you+can+build+on

0-3 min: Islam interwoven with the West Muslims found Greek ideas while the West was in the Dark Ages The Muslims sowed the seeds of the Renaissance 600 years before Leonardo da Vinci They healed the sick and popularized Arabic numerals (1,2,3 instead of Roman Numbers I, II, III) Many cultures have been shaped by Islam 3:30: Mohammed Messenger -- born 570 in a land of savage scarcity -- lived among Bedouins locked in tribal warfare Born in Mecca, but sent out to be with Bedouins -- they had deeper cultural values Both his parents died by age 6 -- he lives with his uncle, who cares for him What does it mean to be an orphan in a tribal society? He can relate to people on the "outside" He develops compassion for marginalized peoples He's a child of everybody 7:00: Bedouins are from an oral culture -- poetry is revered Similar to Homer in Greek culture -- but what do these people write about? It's less of a quest... Celebrate heroic ethos, as well as the tragedy of constant tribal warfare Warfare and constant conflicts are the grim realities of life in the desert Wells are scarce (we can relate a little with the recent drought here) Graze land and trade routes? Need to have clan protection -- each clan has its own god Kaaba = cube 10:45: Kaaba = peaceful place where there is a truce -- it's a sacred enclosure 11:30 Kaaba has spiritual and economic significance -- it brings about a mixing of cultures via trade Items traded include: Arabic incense Exotic perfumes Indian Spices Chinese Silks Egyptian linens 12:25 Mecca = center of trade -- links Byzantine and Persian Empires to China and India 13:00 Mohammed is a merchant At age 25 he meets a woman named Khadijah (she's 40 years old when they meet) She proposes to M M has contact with many merchants He communicates well with lots of people and becomes skilled at resolving disputes 14:00 who will put the black stone back in the Kaaba? M solves the problem -- take the four corners 15:00 M becomes known as "Al Amin" or "The Trusted One" So life is good for M… but he wants more (echoes of Buddha, perhaps?) He has a vision in a cave above Mecca -- the Angel Gabriel appears and tells him to RECITE 16:00 Imagine being a normal person with an intense interest in social justice And a voice comes to you 17:00 There is ONE GOD -- there's an indivisible unity of god -- you can only think about one thing 18:00 ONE GOD means ONE PEOPLE -- so there should be no more tribal divisions This appeals to the poor, because they were unprotected by their clan The leaders of the various clans will be skeptical and will want to keep their power 19:00 Share the wealth and social justice -- everyone is equal (we will see this reflected in the Hajj) Question from Mr. Goldberg: Why (and when) do women start to lose equality in Islam? Verbal expression matters in this culture 20:00 M's following begins to grow Muslims are those who surrender to Allah (Islam means "to surrender") Koran is oral originally, but it gets written down 21:00 Ethical and social guidance in ARABIC Vision -- image of actual life in dusty desert There's a picture of an oasis that is quiet (no howling wind) and has water 22:00 Water and paradise are closely connected in the Koran Hard to talk re: god without reifying or personalizing god re·i·fy [ ree - uh -fahy, rey - ] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing. to convert into or regard as a concrete thing: to reify a concept. Pasted from  23:00 Koran shifts pronouns Pictures not favored -- no images -- message: go to the text Do not worship M because he is not divine 24:00 There are images of M, but those are NOT portraying him as a religious figure Not decorational (can't read what I wrote) Learn your history 25:00 People skeptical Where's your miracle if you are a prophet? M's answer: The QU'RAN is the miracle Doubt goes up -- afterlife? Come on! 26:00 Eternal damnation for the unjust -- "mountains crumble and the skies rolled up like scrolls" Go to the fire This ticks off the tribes -- it's seen as a threat to the social order and traditions It's also an economic threat because Mecca is a pilgrimage site and M is mucking it up 27:00 Social fabric of Mecca is deteriorating Concern: M and his message must be removed (bad for business) Strategy: Run M out of town 28:00 Proposal: get his uncle to remove his protection that would clear the way for M's assassination without fear of retribution M's Uncle refuses -- we might see a tribal war M is forced out of the marketplace 29:00 in 619 Khadijah dies, and M's uncle dies also (M's protection is GONE) Yathrib, a city to the North of Mecca, has deadly clan rivalries It wants to get M as an arbitrator/peacemaker He has Solomon-like wisdom (recall David and Solomon and the baby story) 30:00 M goes to Yathrib in exchange for getting refuge for his people His people are leaving the place of their ancestors and families and tribes This is a HUGE DEAL -- it's one thing to say you follow M; it's another to really LEAVE HOME Leaving homeland is the ultimate test of devotion -- they form a new community 31:00 People following M are now bound together not by land or tribal allegiance, but by FAITH. The leaving happens in 622 and it's called the HIJRAH