Muhammad / Article / Discussion in Class

The Mystical: Of Numbers and Peoples

I had questions about some "mystical" things mentioned about Islam both in the book and in discussion today. So I looked it up. The following are my findings.

From Islam Article, "The Moderate Martyr" . . .

- "the Sohel - where mystical movements often begin" (62)
   Q: Why do "mystical" movements begin there? What type of people live[d] there? What type of culture do they have?
   A:

"The Sahel or Sahel Belt (from Arabic ساحل, sāḥil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara) is a semi-arid tropical savanna ecoregion in Africa, which forms the transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the more humid savanna belt to the south known as the Sudan (not to be confused with the country of the same name).

. . .

The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west, eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad, and through the nation of Sudan to the Red Sea coast. 

The Sahelian kingdoms were a series of empires, based in the Sahel, which had many similarities. The wealth of the states came from controlling the Trans-Saharan trade routes across the desert. Their power came from having large pack animals like camels and horses that were fast enough to keep a large empire under central control and were also useful in battle. All of these empires were also quite decentralized with member cities having a great deal of autonomy. The first large Sahelian kingdoms emerged after 750, and supported several large trading cities in the Niger Bend region, including Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenné." (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sahel)

 "Beginning in the seventh century, traders from the north brought Islam and literacy, which had great impact on traditional beliefs and paved the way for jihads (holy wars) across much of the Savanna. By the nineteenth century, these wars reached deep into western Africa. . . . The Niger River flows from west to east through much of the area, turning south through Nigeria to empty by way of a large delta into the Gulf of Guinea. In Mali, the river separates into a number of streams that later reunite in an area called the inland delta. Here, an early civilization flourished, named Djenne after a nearby city renowned as a center of commerce and learning. . . .

The inland delta is also the homeland of various cultures that resisted Islamic proselytizing, such as the Bamana and Dogon (of Mali), the Mossi and Gurunsi (in what is today Burkina Faso), and the Lobi and Moba (in areas bordering on western Africa)." (http://www.artnetweb.com/guggenheim/africa/sahelsav.html)

From Class Discussion . . .

- I really enjoyed our discussion about magical (or "mystical") numbers! I find things like that very interesting.
   Q: What are some lucky / magical numbers in Islam? Why are they lucky?

   A: 5 appears often in Islam. Here is a list (from online) of where it occurs:

1) Allah made man with five elements mud, water, fire, air and soul
2) Five colour Fair, black, brown, red, yellow
3) Allah made man his viceroy Kalifa on earth and gave him five of his power sight , hearing , speech, intelligence , feeling
4) Allah gave human being five system Respiratory system , Circulatory system, Digestive system , Excretory system , Nervous system.
5) Allah gave human being five fingers One Shadad , Roza , zakat , haj and namaj (Thumb)
6) Allah gave five pillar of Islam**
7) Five essential basic need of human being food, drink ,cloth, house, excretion
8) Five Dua Faith , Health , Rizak , Personal haszat , Success
9) Five essential nutrient Carbohydrate, Protein, Vitamin, Mineral & fats
10) Five type of taste , sweet, salty , bitter , sour , spicy
11) Panjetan pak Huzur , Ali, Fatima Hasan , Hussein
12) Five big Prophet Noah , Abraham, Moses , Jesus and Mohammad
** 1. Shahadah: Acknowledge monotheism and accepting Muhammad as God’s messenger. They proclaim: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”     2. Salah: the requirement to pray 5 times a day
     3. Sawm: Ritual Fasting during Ramadan. Healthy Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours.
     4. Zakat: Alms-giving
     5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. This is expected of every healthy Muslim who can afford to make the trip once in their lifetime.

Read More at http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-5-in-islam

There was also a lot of interesting information on #7 on the same site, but it was more lengthy to include in a Blog post.

Muhammad Chapters 2 & 3 / Discussion in Class

Girls Got Game

  We discussed in class today the double-standard that exists in this world for women. Although I agree that this standard exists, I have always been a stronger girl, playing baseball, basketball, and then softball as a kid. I got to play with the guys at recess. I wasn't 'one of them,' but I wasn't like most other girls.
  I thought of it during class: one of my favorite movie quotes is discriminating towards women. It is:

"You play ball like a GIRL!!" -"Ham" from The Sandlot

  When Ham says this to a player on the rival team, the rest of the boys gasp as if it is the worst-possible insult. I always laugh when I think of this line. I think it is because I have always been proof against this stereotype. I have always been proud of my toughness - as I find most softball girls are, and we carry this pride that we are equals with guys- even that we could take them in fights sometimes. I think that more girls should have this pride and not just in athletic ability. When girls have a similar sort of pride, they can sometimes believe that girls are better than guys. However, I don't always find this is necessary. I find the equality to be a more accurate representation.

   I found it interesting to discuss the berka in Islam culture. I found it informative to know how it originated and how women are more likely to wear them in areas where patriarchal family structure is dominant. I also liked the discussion on how some women use the berka as a symbol of empowerment, modesty, or in pride if their culture. I wonder what other items in Islam can be used as symbols for a number of perspectives, sort of like a baseball.

Muhammad: Chapters 2 & 3

 Of Quraysh and Change

 Why Are Customs that Aren't Etched in Stone So Hard to Alter?

   In Samuel Beckett's famous play Waiting for Godot, the protagonists, Vladimir, "Didi," and Estragon, "Gogo," embody the in flexibility of human nature to change. In the final conversation between Didi and Gogo in Waiting for Godot, the two characters discuss their plans for the next day: hanging themselves. They tried to do it that day, but they were unsuccessful at even that action. In the scenes leading up to this one, they have not succeeded in making any progress in helping their tragic yet comedic situation. Their last lines read:

 

DIDI: Well? Shall we go?

GOGO: Yes, let’s go.

[They do not move.] (Beckett 83)

 

 Didi and Gogo stay next to the same “low mound” (3) the entire play. The play ends, and they stand where they started, where Gogo takes off his boots, symbolizing the lack of development the characters have in the play.

 

   I think that this is one of the best metaphors for the deep-seeded habit that humans have of resisting change. In the Quraysh tribe, Muhammad challenged the most important values to the Islam culture at his time: tribal loyalty. The leaders of the tribe wanted him to change his message to align more with their traditional beliefs. His recounts of his visions were splitting up the tribe into those that believed him to be the Arab prophet and those that did not. Those that believed him to be tended to be his younger audience. It makes me think of the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, where "tradition" lives on merely because that is what the people have always known so they do not challenge it. And, when the schoolteacher shares his beliefs with Tevye's daughters, Tevye does not approve because they go against their "tradition."  
   In both incidences, the youth in the society is more accepting of change than the elder crowd. The elders are used to one thing and then the youth wish to separate themselves from the older generations. This makes sense. Both in media and in religious and/or historical texts, there is evidence to support that humans do not receive change well. My question is: why? What makes human nature so opposed to change?

Muhammad: Intro. & Ch. 1

Of Creatures & Karim(s)

   Armstrong discusses the Islam belief of a creature known as a djinn (9), who misleads people on their journeys. I know of another supernatural creature called the will-o-the-wisp (a.k.a. the hinkypunk in English folklore). Popularly believed to dwell in bogs, this beast was known for leading lost travelers astray, especially at night. If you saw a light amidst the fog and followed it away from the worn path, you were believed to have been misled by a will-o-the-wisp, which were mischievous creatures that could kill those who followed its light into the bog's depths or off cliffs. I find it interesting that many cultures create similar creatures, some without ever knowing the other's folklore. I wonder: what other mythological creatures the Islamic people believed in?

   I noticed another archetype that is similar between Islam and another culture: the Greeks. Armstrong explains that the word karim translates to "generous hero" (13) and what qualities were considered virtues in a hero to the Bedouins. She describes ideal heroes as having certain qualities, such as pride (14) and generosity (13). Armstrong details that the Bedouins valued loyalty to "blood relatives" and "the tribe" (13). She also states, "Tribal solidarity ('asibiyyah)encouraged bravery and selflessness" (13). I noticed that the heroes she describes are similar to the heroes created in Greek mythology, such as Heracles, who "pit [himself] against overwhelming odds" (15). A "karim was supposed to be proud" (14), but his arrogance could become "reckless and excessive" (15). This reminded me of tragic heroes in Greek myth, who often suffered from the tragic flaw of hubris, such as King Creon in Antigone. Like the ancient myths show us, we can learn what qualities the society valued by what they expected of their heroes.

   My question is this: how did Muhammad grow to have so many followers? Jesus and Confucius were political leaders, searching for support while trying to accomplish a goal. What was Muhammad trying to accomplish (if anything)? Why did he have so many followers? What qualities did Muhammad possess?

Muhammad: Intro & Ch. 1

Prince Ali

   After reading about Allah in Armstrong's book, I wondered if Ali was a title used in Islam to distinguish social or religious class. I thought it might designate that a person was closer to "Allah" and that the title may come from the word Allah. I remembered hearing the name in such instances as "Muhammad Ali" and in Disney's song "Prince Ali." I thought it would make more sense if the name had meaning that raised the person above other men.
   I looked it up and Ali is actually a popular name that can mean "Exhaulted One." However, it is also a word in Arabic and one of Muhammad's closest followers. The link to the definition is posted below.

http://www.islamic-dictionary.com/index.php?word=ali


Side Note:
   It didn't occur to me until now: We were talking in class today about how there is not a hierarchy in Islam. I understand that there is no equivalent to the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church, but what is the Islam equivalent of a priest or rabbi? Or is there none?

Confucius Chapter 4 & 5

"Li[-d]" The Way

   In moving on to Chapters 4 & 5, I wanted to note a connection I made between Confucius' "Way" and another "Way" that I know of. The Way is also a film directed by and starring Emilio Estevez. The Way depicts the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), an ancient, religious path leading through France and Spain to Galicia, Spain. Estevez's film portrays a father who decides to walk the trail in memory of his son who died trying to travel it. The father takes his son's ashes with him as he journeys.*

  This story, along with having the same name as the translation of "Li" (the Way), illustrates some of Confucius' teachings. Following the Way (Li) includes standing by your family, as Confucius reveals in the telling of the story of "Upright Kung." This same lesson is exposed in the film, The Way, in how the father completes the task that his son wanted to complete but could not. The father shows the respect toward his son that Confucius would appreciate.

   In discussion today, we talked about how Confucius adamantly told that along the Way, it was the journey that mattered and not the final destination. On the Camino de Santiago in the film and in reality, I believe this to be true as well. Estevez's Way and Li share that they are personal journeys that cause their travelers to develop and learn on their paths. I want to go on a (somewhat) spiritual journey like the Way to see what it is like to go on a journey for the sake of the road, not the place you end.



*The movie is based on a number of true stories from Estevez's life, his son's life, and "Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down The Pilgrim's Route Into Spain" by Jack Hitt.