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| Photo Credit: Asian Civilisations Museum Website. Left most - rare 8th century North African Qu'ran on parchment. Right most: Shahadah (proclamation of faith) from Pakistan with Persian influence. |
Question: Give an introduction of the origins of Islam. Use the timeline, maps and nearby pieces to help you.
Feedback from mentors:
1) Always remember to be mindful of visitors trying to come into the gallery, and don't block the passage way.
2) Know other artifacts in the area beyond those you're introducing, in case of questions from visitors.
3) Use questions to engage visitors - it's ok to just answer it yourself if you waited like 2 seconds and didn't hear a response.
4) Insert appropriate humor, but always be respectful of others culture. Laughter always attract attention.
5) Walk around the showcase to point to the appropriate artifacts. The visitors will follow you (this may sound basic, but when you're trying to remember a script, you tend to be "frozen" at one place)
This 10 min presentation is harder than I thought. Note to self - don't try to remember the script. Use stories, or the sequence of the artifacts as cues.
The Paper:
The world’s population reached 7 billion in October 31 this year. Among the 7 billion people, as much as 1.5 billion people are Muslims, and the number is still growing. Islam is the last of the monotheistic religions, meaning religions that believe the one and only God, to emerge. How was Islam started? What’s its origin, and history?
West Asia is the region which generally comprises the lands from the west of South Asia to Turkey, at the borders of Europe. During the early 7th century, prior to the beginning of Islam, the Arabian peninsula was surrounded by two dominant empires: the Byzantine empire, also known as Eastern Roman empire, and the Persian Sasanid empire. The Byzantine empire was characterised by Christianity, and predominantly Greek-speaking. The Persian Sasanid empire believed in the monotheistic religion, Zoroastrianism, which was once among the largest religion in the world.
Being flanked by these two monotheistic empires, the Arabian Peninsula was the last area in the region with a major pagan presence. At that time, Mecca was a religious centre where surrounding tribes made pilgrimage to. The object of pilgrimage was the Ka’ba, the square black stone shrine containing images of pre-Islamic gods. Mecca also traded with the frontier cities of Byzantium and Persia, and this trade created a wealthy class, composed of the tribe of Quraysh.
Muhammad ibn Abdallah, later known as the Prophet of Islam, belonged to a clan of Quraysh called Hashim. The current King of Jordon also belongs to this leading tribe. Muhammad was raised by his grandfather who was the chief of the clan, and later, by his uncle. Muhammad also belonged to this group called hanif, men dissatisfied with the pagan environment, and who made retreats to the caves of surrounding mountainsides. It was during one of these retreats in the slope of Mount Hira, that the archangel, or chief angel Gabriel, appeared to Muhammad holding a scroll, and commanded him to read it. Terrified, Muhammad pleaded that he was unable to, as he was illiterate, like most of his fellow men during that time. Thus, Muhammad repeated the words after the archangel, reciting the first five verses of what is now the 96th chapter of the Qur’an, which includes these words. “Recite! In the name of the Lord who created. Created humanity from a blood clot!”. Subsequent revelations followed, and collectively these revelations are known as the Qur’an, regarded as God’s direct and inalterable word by the Muslims. The term Islam, are often translated as “peace and submission”, or “obedience to God”. It is believed that obedience to God will create peace in the universe.
Artifact: Rare monumental Qur’an leaf, early 8th century, North Africa
One can see a folio from a massive Qu’ran, produced in North Africa in the early 8th century. This style of calligraphy is known as kufic, with its well-spaced, carefully drawn and stately writing. Early Qu’ran were written on expensive parchment, or dried animal skin. Such large Qu’ran are rare and were probably made for use in mosques.
The revelations Muhammad received asserted the Oneness of God, and warning of punishments for those who did not abandon polytheistic beliefs. Leaders of the tribe of Quraysh became worried, since they were the protector of the Ka’ba and the sacred city of Mecca, and they were fearful of their authority and revenues being threatened. After the death of his uncle, Muhammad lost the support of his clan. Muhammad and his followers were persecuted, and they were forced to take refuge in Yathrib, later know as Medina, an oasis some 350 km to the north. Muhammad and his followers left for Yathrib on July 16, 622 C.E., and they passed the night in a cave. While they slept, it was said that a spider spun its web across the mouth of the cave. Their pursuers saw the unbroken spider web on the cave and rode on. Thus Muhammad and company were able to reach Yathrib safely. This exodus from Mecca is known as the hijra, which means “migration”. The year 622 was taken as the first year of the Muslim lunar calendar.
Artifacts: Dala’il al-Khayrat (Guide to Goodness) 18th – 19th CE, India; late 18th – 19th CE, Turkey
The city of Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and the city of Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad took refuge, are the two most important cities in Islam. These are illustrations of the two schematic aerial views of the sacred mosques in Mecca and Medina, from the popular prayer book written by a North African Sufi in 1465. Medina is identified by a large courtyard and the Prophet’s minbar, the speaker stand where he delivered sermons, while the Ka’ba in Mecca is the focus of four mosques representing the cardinal directions. These are stylised renditions of both cities, and the inclusion of essential information is prioritized over naturalistic representation.
HISTORY:
The start of the Islamic calendar is year 622. The Ummayyads Caliphates, caliphates meaning system of government ruled by successor to Muhammad, ruled from about 661, moved the capital from Medina to Damascus. The abandonment of Medina for a cosmopolitan place of Damascus, a city in Syria, symbolises a fundamental change in the development of Islam. The famous Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, was also built in this era.
Another significant phase of the Islamic history is during the Abbasid era starting in 749 CE, where the center of power was shifted from Syria to Baghdad. During this period, Baghdad became one of the wealthiest and largest cities in the world, rivaled only by Constantinople and Xian, capital of Tang dynasty China. Also, Arabic poetry and writing were encouraged, and the One Thousand and One Night stories, based in Baghdad, were conceived.
Gradually, the Abbasid empire was replaced by regional centres. The Fatimaids ruled from Cairo until the late 12th century. Other regional authorities included Turkic forces such as the Seljuks and the Mamluks. By the 16th century, the Ottomans sultans were ruling from Constantinople, or Istanbul, and the empire dominated North Africa, Near East and Egypt, and much of southeastern Europe. The Mughal empire was started in 1526 in India, and lasted for over 300 years. After which, Islam continue to spread throughout southeast Asia.
Artifact: Tile Panel Containing the Shahadah. 18th century, Multan, Pakistan
The expanding urban centers of the Islamic world created a cross-fertilisation of Arab, Jewish, Persian, and Hellenic culture. One can see the influence of Persian culture from this tile panel from Multan, Pakistan. This technique of painting blue and black designs before glazing was most probably developed in Iran in the 12th century for ceramic vessels. The tile panel displays the shahadah, or profession of faith. It was noted that some funerary monuments in the Multan area has the shahadah on their exterior walls, thus these tiles probably came from a funerary monument or religious institution. The shahadah is as followed: “I bear witness that there is only one God, Allah, with no Associates, And I bear witness that Muhammad is his Helper and Messenger”. This is a strong testimony of one’s devotion to the Islamic faith in the face of death.
The expansion of Islam has historically changed the political map of the world. In light of events in the world that involved the radicals, it is imperative that those who are not Muslims gain a better understanding of the Islamic culture and ideology, to know what Islam truly means.
References:
Aga Khan Museum Online Gallery (2007). Arts of the Book: Illustrated Texts, Miniatures. Retrieved 2 December 2011, from http://www.akdn.org/museum/detail.asp?artifactid=1625
Asian Civilisations Museum A-Z Guide (2006) Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum. pp. 74-75, 184-185, 334-335.
Asian Civilisations Museum Lectern Notes. Gallery 5 – West Asia. Last Referenced 2 December 2011.
BBC Religions (2011). Zoroastrianism. Retrieved 2 December 2011, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/
Cooper, Alison (2011). World Religions: Facts About Islam. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc. pp 10-13, 42-43.
Gordon, Matthew (2002). Understanding Islam. London: Duncan Baird Publishers. pp.6-19.
Lunde, Paul (2005). Islam: A Brief History. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited. pp.16-79.
