Author: Nick Rubnitz

This chapter revolves more about Muhammad’s successors or more like his disciples. Muhammad had changed and shifted many peoples’ views on life and divinity. Many people did not want to believe that Muhammad was dead, but Abu Bakr went before the community and said, “O men, if anyone worships Muhammad, Muhammad is dead; if anyone worships God, God is alive, immortal!” (Aslan, 85). Aslan describes that people were scared to continue on because they felt like they were not prepared for it. There would need to be a new leader, and it was the one that implied that people need to move on and accept Muhammad’s death, Abu Bakr. However, Abu Bakr had someone who would compete with him for the throne, and it was Muhammad’s cousin, Ali. But, Ali agreed it should be Abu as he appointed Umar his successor.

Abu would have military campaigns against these fake prophets. However, Abu died two years after Muhammad, and Umar was the next leader. Umar turned out to be a great military leader. He was a leader who was all about equality, inclusion, and peoples’ voices being heard rather than being autocratic. His successor was Uthman who had more wealthy power than being a regular ruler through leadership. He’d appoint people in his clan and was accused of supporting nepotism. However, he was murdered. Finally, Muhammad’s cousin Ali was the final leader chosen, and Aisha had led a revolt against him which would be called the Battle of the Camel. Battle of the Camel was the first Islamic civil war. There was a divide between the sectarian lines. However, Ali agreed to settle between the two lines even though he was going to win. After, Ali was murdered by Kharijites who seceded from his party, and his successor was his son, Yazid. Overall, this was a very interesting chapter about the successors who kept filling the role of Muhammad’s next heir.

The chapter revolves around the meaning and creation of Jihad. As Muhammad declared Yathrib as a sanctuary city, Mecca was dealing with Medinan raids and attacks. The Battle of Badr started as the Medina’s and the Muslim community fought the people of Mecca. I remember learning about the Battle of Badr as it was more of a turning point for Muhammad as he struggled against Meccan pagan tribes. From this Battle and his victory, especially over the Quraysh tribe, this allowed him to rise to even further power in Medina, the Arabian Peninsula, as well as furthered his takeover of Mecca. The word Jihad was partially developed from this as it was seen as more of a “struggle” or “striving” (Aslan, 67) in a fight against enemies. It is fascinating to hear because to this day, people still say this word, especially in the Middle East. Aslan explains how this struggle and striving for war are more understood as defensive and less about aggression. This helped Muhammad evolve more within his prophetic consciousness.

The Battle of Uhud and conflict between the Quraysh tribe and Muhammad’s followers helped bring a rise in the tribe because of the Jewish tribes. It also crushed the morale of the Ummah. However, Muhammad did have the Jewish people surrender and leave Medina. There were many further battles that Muhammad won that allowed him to rise to more and more power. One thing he did was allow many people to surrender, but their punishment was depended on who they were. Sometimes it would be death or harsh punishment for tribes who were anti-semitic. The Jewish tribes that did not ally with the Quraysh were not punished and allowed to live in Medina.

Tolerance was a big part of Muhammad, but it didn’t mean that the tolerance of another religion made them feel equal to theirs. However, they were viewed and part of the same Ummah, which was described as People of the Book as well as the community. Muhammad had his views on many monotheistic religions, especially Judaism. Aslan stated that he respected Judaism even though the Qur’an is fairly critical of it. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all believe in one God, but these religions have distinct stories and views on what they believe with divinity. At the end of this chapter, and which I found very fascinating, Muhammad made a truce or peace agreement with the Quraysh as he went to Mecca and to the Kaaba and hacked the idol of the Syrian god, Hubal, into pieces. Overall, this was a very interesting chapter as it deals with the power Muhammad created through Jihad.

This chapter revolves around who the first Muslims were and their significance to the city of the prophet. I also wanted to state how much I enjoy how these chapters are transitioning through this story very efficiently. As these chapters continue, it is incredibly fascinating how Muhammad has instilled such change into most people’s lives at this moment. There are new movements the Muslim citizens are doing, especially the Hijra, which was a secret operation for “daughters to sneak out of their fathers’ homes at night, young men gathering whatever provisions they could carry on their backs for the arduous week-long journey through the barren wilderness” (Aslan, 48). This was a long journey for many people who could not receive homes in Yathrib. It was also interesting to note how the Medinan period helped shape and model the religious ideology of Islam and the Islamic Empire came to be after Muhammad’s death with the Medina.

Once many couldn’t find homes in Yathrib, the area was mostly controlled by the Jewish population as well as the Bedouin tribes. However, there was a huge quarrel between the Was and the Khazraj. However, the Constitution of Medina was a document Muhammad created signaling that he was the leader for all the tribes and religions in Yathrib in order to stop the disputes. This constitution is the model for the power of a specific ruler for the Muslim people, who designates responsibilities and rights to the various communities. This created more equality amongst the communities as well as the blood-worth in order for one’s life to not be less valuable than another. He outlawed usury, supported the needy, as well as supported and fought for more equality with women. However, Muhammad’s wives did practice wearing a veil that is still used to this day, but it is used to protect women, especially in the Middle East. After Muhammad’s death, the legacy he left for equality in the Muslim community was next to none. Overall, this chapter was very fascinating to see how Muhammad utilized his power to influence the Islamic communities as well as others in Yathrib as well as Medina.

This chapter revolves more around the rise of Muhammad. I find this fascinating as I never learned too much about Muhammad, or how he became the prophet that he is. The reading states that there was a dominance in Mecca at the end of the fourth century by “an ambitious young Arab named Qusayy who had managed to gain control of the Kaaba by united a number of feuding clans under his rule” (Aslan, 32). It appeared that these clans were comprised of extended families, and some of these family clans merged based on their political beliefs and intermarriage alliances.

There is an interesting debate about the trade that went on in Mecca. Some people believe that Mecca was an International trading ground and others view the opposite that it rarely attracted much trade at all. However, both sides do agree that whatever trade did go on in Mecca, it was due to the importance and significance of the Kaaba. However, there was a problem in Mecca that the wealth had destroyed the tribal ethic and the egalitarianism was swept away. It also weakened the structure of the tribes and could not protect the community.

This article gets back into Muhammad’s life as he was basically rescued and later married a wealthy female merchant named Khadija. She also had hired him for work. The marriage “paved the way for Muhammad’s acceptance at the highest levels of Meccan society and thoroughly initiated him into the religious-economic system of the city” (Aslan, 37). From having little to no family, Muhammad almost had no chance of being accepted by society until this marriage. This shows that almost anything can happen to anyone at any time, even if the odds seem stacked against it. Another fascinating story was of Muhammad’s “burning bush” revelation about a spirit forcing him to recite words that revealed how he knew he became a prophet. This revelation helped spread the word of God and other right and wrong morals, and the people who had wrong morals or who believed in injustice were punished by God. This caused a backlash with the Quraysh, and they boycotted his clan. His clan moved to Yathrib for Muhammad to spread his wisdom. This chapter sheds incredible light on how Muhammad came from nothing and rose to become this prophet.

Through much of my 7th-grade experience, in history class, our main learning was about the creation of Islam, and I especially had a research paper and presentation on the Kaaba. It is very intriguing to see how it affects people’s lives in such a positive way. The Kaaba contains many beliefs of divinity like “Hubal, the Syrian god of the moon; al-Uzza, the powerful goddess the Egyptians knew as Isis and the Greeks called Aphrodite; al-Kutba, the Nabataean god of writing and divination; Jesus, the incarnate God of the Christians, and his holy mother, Mary” (Aslan, 18). I had learned that there are nearly three hundred idols in the Kaaba creating one of the most sacred spaces for mankind.

Another Interesting piece I read was about the relationship between the Arabs and the Jewish community. It stated that “the relationship between the Jews and the pagan Arabs was symbiotic in that not only was he Jews heavily Arabized, but the Arabs were also significantly influenced by Jewish beliefs and practices” (Aslan, 21). This is fascinating to read because that is not how that is viewed today. Arabs and the Jewish community might have some of the largest disagreements and feuds in the world. It is seen, and I still believe today that much of the violence and war in the world stemmed and stems from religious beliefs. It is also interesting to see how the rise of so many religions came to be, especially with the rise of Christianity. It is known that many people went on missionary work to convert other people to Christianity and other religions like Judaism did not do as much missionary work. However, Christians were very divided over their theological issues about the nature of Jesus Christ, especially in Syria and Yemen.

Lastly, they discussed the early life of Mohammed about how his parents died when he was young and he was raised by his uncle. One of the passages that stood out most was when he was nine years old, a monk told everyone that he was “the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds”. Soon after that, Mohammed was viewed as a prophet. Overall, it is fascinating how the Kaaba shares many tales and stories of many religious happenings as well as how symbolic it is, especially in the desert.

India has been hit fairly hard recently with the whole pandemic. It has just been reported in the India Times that the death toll has risen to 10 as “Delhi reporting second death, while the number of coronavirus-positive uses, including casualties, in India, reached 519 on Tuesday”. This was reported by the Union health ministry. However, starting today, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that India will have a 21-day complete lockdown in order to control the spread of coronavirus. This virus continues to affect each country severely.

However, citizens in India are used to their prayer and worship in the comfort of their own homes. They are able to kneel and pray wherever they may be. Throughout my years in intermediate school, I learned that Muslim citizens pray in the direction facing the city of Mecca but specifically their holiest shrine called the Kaaba. It is nice to know that this virus optimistically will not interfere with this sacred worship and prayer.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/coronavirus-india-update-india-corona-virus-cases-latest-news-and-state-wise-coronavirus-in-india/articleshow/74785133.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/coronavirus-in-india-live-updates-pm-modi-to-address-the-nation/liveblog/74783769.cms

On Thursday, we had our first class via zoom, and this was a new change for a lot of students, including myself. We are in a scary time in society where nearly 40% of Americans will get or eventually get the coronavirus. We all were aware that Thursday was going to be our last class of the year, and it was great to see everyone again. I enjoyed, during this class, we reflected on what we’ve done throughout the semester, and what the plan was going to be for the remainder of this course. I am pleased to write more blog posts, as it gives me a chance to write down what I am not only thinking about through this time but more about the readings we are assigned regarding our new topic: India. I am going to enjoy having extra time to improve my writing and other skill sets and definitely hope that every person is staying safe and being smart and cautious. This is indeed a frightening time in our society, and most of the people may not feel or be prepared to wait it out this long, but it’s a great time for people to come together, with social distancing, and beat this out.

I went to a presentation on the Incarceration, Nationalism & Religious Identity in China. The first speaker was Dr. Timothy Grose, who is a professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. His main focus is on Chinese studies. He explained a moment during April of 2016, During an April 2016 speech, China’s General Secretary Xi Jinping made a speech that demanded that all of the religious groups merge their religious practices with Chinese culture, but it must abide by Chinese laws and regulations, and the people must devote themselves to China’s reform. Because of this, there were a lot of temples, churches, crucifixes, and mosques that were destroyed due to the merge of “religious freedom”. I believe that the merge contradicted what religious freedom really means because it doesn’t necessarily allow people to follow what they want to believe. He then went on to talk about Joseph Stalin’s four characteristics of a nationality which were Common territory, Common language, Common economic life, and Common psychological nature.

The second speaker was Dr. Elise Anderson, who is currently involved with the Uyghur Human Rights Project, which is regarding the destruction of Uyghurs mosques. Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group that makes up most of the Northeast part of China. She talked more about the oppression that was going on in the Xinjian Region like the Silencing of Religious Life and China’s campaign of repression.

The third speaker focused his studies on religion in the United States. It was regarding how many people’s religions in the U.S. view each other’s religion. There has been oppression, especially with Islamic citizens in the last 15 years. Overall, I really enjoyed these speakers as they created a nice bridge into what we have learned over our discussions regarding Chinese culture through religion and nationalism. These speakers created a nice closing to the Chinese topic, and I am looking forward to the second part of our class regarding India’s culture.

I attend the Leila Fadel event about the reporting on Muslims In the American Media. This was a very moving talk. She documented much of Indian oppression. She won many awards, one being a Gracie award for a single mother in Tunisia and lost her children to ISIS. She says great journalism captures the moments in time. When she got back from the Middle East, she was writing about oppression and horrific events through communities in the Middle East. Her job now revolves around telling stories about the diversity of her country, but she says that it is overwhelming because this is about a culture that deals with a lot and there is so much to say. She says that Muslims have a bad stereotype when it comes to what people think of them. This is an issue since there is more hate in the U.S. nowadays than there has been in the recent past. She did a six-part series on NPR and national geographic about what it means to be Muslim in today’s society. We then heard a Bosnian girls’ choir and it was very beautiful to hear what they sing. Their parents would tell them they can’t wear a scarf in this society since the stereotypes have gotten so bad.

We listened a podcast from two Muslim women in their twenties about Muslim identity. They use their podcasts to talk about what is most important to them like race, leadership, and equality. They started talking about how they were getting bullied in school because of their religion, which was disgusting about how kids were treating them and what they were saying and writing about them. At a school, people are supposed to feel safe, but at this school, some kids were saying how the Muslim students were dirty and going to bomb the school and they see them as more of animals rather than humans. However, they also explained how Islamic citizens are not the only ones who are marginalized. There are other people who are Jewish or a part of the LGBTQ community who are marginalized. This has been a large issue for as long as I have been alive.

She then explained about how we can’t make a person’s religion and a bad event and take that as a norm. She goes to people’s homes and summer camps and events where they practice and pray and reaches out about certain attacks and how they view the hate and stereotypes they view around the world or view personally. She recited a line that someone said, “post 911 there is more of an effort to demonize Muslims” that people are invalid regarding Muslims identity. She said one of the most shocking questions she was asked was are people going to want to be Muslim in 10 years. Even though it’s shocking it’s an interesting question that people are even going there because the hate is so horrific in society, and how the power of storytelling any be deteriorating. That it is not storytelling, but it can be the voice of one person to display hate and provide facts that can blast an entire community of individuals. She explains that an accurate story and the most powerful stories are those that people will let you into their lives in the times that they hurt from or affect them personally. Overall, it was a very powerful event, and I was very happy I went.

Our group continued on from our last meeting learning more about the Lion Dance. We continued to practice how the dance is done, but this time we added a new move to the dance as well as implementing a drum. The drum is designed to carry on the beat and movement of the lion, especially when the lion bows three times. The drum carries the beat and rhythm for the cheerleaders/dancers as well.

This was a fascinating meeting learning more about the Lion Dance. I always enjoy seeing how different cultures celebrate, especially through dance. I am looking forward to learning more about this dance and getting better at it myself.