During Week five Professor Asani explored the tension that emerged after the death of the Prophet regarding who would inherit his religious authority. Asani detailed the creation of five different groups which each claimed authority: the Sunni Alim, Sufi Shaykh/Pir, shi’i imams, Mahdi and Sunni Caliph’s. After growing up hearing about the Sunni and […]
During week four, an overarching theme discussed in lecture and described in the readings was that many Muslims model themselves after the life and teachings of the Prophet. As an example of this, Professor Asani described dominant Muslim perspectives of the Prophets Night journey. According to tradition there are two parts of the Prophet’s journey: […]
In the second week of class, Professor Asani stressed that Islam is not separate from other Abrahamic religions but rather incorporates them into its traditions. Asani introduced this topic by describing Ahl Al-Kitab, a term which literally translates into “the people of the book” and refers to the various worshipers, such as Christians and Jews, […]