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HUM 120 Study Guide 10 The World of Islam

1. What are the five pillars of Islam?

The Five Pillars of Islam or five Pillars of the Faith are the five fundamental

principles of faith for Muslims, which include one affirmation and fourrequired devotional practices. The affirmation of faith states thatThere is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger. The four

acts of devotion are the following: to pray five times a day facingMecca, to fast during the lunar month of Ramadan, to give alms to thepoor, and to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

2. What is the Quran and how is it organized? What is the Hadith?

Quran isThe Qur'an, meaning "recitation," is a collection of God'srevelations to Muhammad. Originally memorized by Muhammad'sfollowers, an official written version was finally completed about 20

years after his death. Unlike the Jewish and Christian scriptures whichare organized somewhat chronologically, the Qur'an is made up of 114chapters, that are organized from the longest to the shortest. TheHadith which is sacred text, which tells the life of Muhammad as wellas other guidance and advice, and is considered a supplement to theQur'an itself

3. Describe the concept of adab and how it relates to literature? Identify and

describe the various forms of Islamic literature.

A central theme in Islams literary culture was adab, or refinement. Much ofthe literature written during this period was in the form of poetry, suchas the ghazals which deal with love, or the qasida which are odescelebrating the same ideals as the epic poems of the Greco-Roman

tradition. Early Islamic poetry had all of the following as prominent themes

such as love, religion and the elegy for the dead except war. Although dramawas not an approved form of literary expression, other fictional taleswere written during this period such as the "1001 Nights," which likelater European works such as the "Canterbury Tales" and the"Decameron.

4. What is the significance of arabesque in Islamic visual art?

Arabesque designs are not just fancy decoration, and remind us of thereligious purpose behind the art of the Egyptians. The never-endinggeometric designs, where one can find neither a beginning or an end,represent the nature of God, who infuses everything and who is aconstant never-ending presence in the lives of his followers. Thisdesign is also intended to help put one in a tranquil almost hypnoticstate of prayer that will help block out all the external images thatdistract from the true nature of God.

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5. Identify the architectural elements of a mosque and how they embody Islamic

beliefs and teachings.

A mosque is a place for worship in Islam. Although prayers can be doneprivately, either indoors or outdoors, nearly every community ofMuslims dedicates a space or building for congregational prayer. Themosque consists of a minaret which is a slim tower rising which wasused as a high point which the muezzin would deliver the call to

prayer. There are repetitions of the archways and the painted designon the mosque which are meant as a symbol of the never-endingpresence of God in everything, and the interconnectedness of allaspects of life.

6. How does Islamic music compare and contrast to Gregorian chant, its medieval

Christian counterpart?

The point of most music in the Islamic world is to express and sum upthe most important concept of the Qur'an "unity with God. Same as

Gregorian Chant and its Christian counterpart which consist of unitywith God. Islamic music consists of solo chanting of the Quran. UnlikeGregorian chant or other medieval Christian counterpart there are noIslamic choirs. There choral music was Christian and Jewish, but theIslamic music was solo recitation of the Quran.

7. What is Ibn Khalduns definition of civilization, and how does the individual fit

into a civilization?

Ibn Khaldun viewed world civilization as identical with human socialorganization. Meaning that humans have to stay in common andcooperate in order to make a living. Several human beings, with theirGod-given power of thinking, begin to cooperate with each other andto form some kind of social organization, or "civilization" is one of thekey terms in Ibn Khaldun's system.

8. According to Ibn Khaldun, what are the three degrees of humanitys ability to

think?

According to Ibn Khaldun, the three degrees of humanitys ability to think are the

discerning intellect, the experimental intellect and the speculative intellectThe first degree is man's intellectual understanding of the things that exist in the

outside world in a natural, so that he may try to arrange them with the help of his

own power. This kind of thinking consists of perceptions. It is the discerning

intellect.

The second degree is the ability to think which provides man with the ideas and

the behavior needed in dealing with his fellow men and in leading them. It is

obtained one by one through experience, until they have become really useful.

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This is called the experimental intellect.

The third degree is the ability to think which provides the knowledge, of an object

beyond sense perception without any practical activity like going with it. This is

the speculative intellect.