Summary of Reza Aslan's No god but God (Updated Edition)

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The Ka‘ba is a small, nondescript sanctuary in Mecca that the pagan Arabs refer to as the Cube. It is where the gods of pre-Islamic Arabia reside. The pilgrims who visit the Ka‘ba rotate around it seven times, some pausing to kiss each corner of the sanctuary before being swept away by the current of bodies.
#2 The pre-Islamic Arabs were not a unified group, but rather a variety of different tribes and sects. While they were all polytheistic, paganism, as a religious perspective, was receptive to a multitude of influences and interpretations.
#3 The pre-Islamic Arabs had a complex form of neo-animism, which provided a host of divine and semi-divine intermediaries who stood between the creator god and his creation. The most powerful of these intermediaries were the three daughters of Allah, Allat, al-Uzza, and Manat.
#4 The Kahins, a group of cultic officials, were the poets who served as soothsayers and would fall into a trance to reveal divine messages through rhyming couplets. The god Allah was not the central deity in the Ka‘ba, but he was the most important god in the Arab pantheon.

Sujets

• Religion
• Philosophie et théologie
• Islam
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 05 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798822501294
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Reza Aslan's No god but God (Updated Edition)
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Ka‘ba is a small, nondescript sanctuary in Mecca that the pagan Arabs refer to as the Cube. It is where the gods of pre-Islamic Arabia reside. The pilgrims who visit the Ka‘ba rotate around it seven times, some pausing to kiss each corner of the sanctuary before being swept away by the current of bodies.

#2

The pre-Islamic Arabs were not a unified group, but rather a variety of different tribes and sects. While they were all polytheistic, paganism, as a religious perspective, was receptive to a multitude of influences and interpretations.

#3

The pre-Islamic Arabs had a complex form of neo-animism, which provided a host of divine and semi-divine intermediaries who stood between the creator god and his creation. The most powerful of these intermediaries were the three daughters of Allah, Allat, al-Uzza, and Manat.

#4

The Kahins, a group of cultic officials, were the poets who served as soothsayers and would fall into a trance to reveal divine messages through rhyming couplets. The god Allah was not the central deity in the Ka‘ba, but he was the most important god in the Arab pantheon.

#5

The Jewish presence in Arabia can be traced back to the Babylonian Exile a thousand years earlier, and they were highly influential in Arab society. The Arabs were heavily influenced by Jewish beliefs and practices, and the Ka‘ba was originally a Jewish sanctuary.

#6

Christianity had a large presence in Arabia, and many Arab tribes had converted to the faith. However, the Romans and Byzantines, who were in charge of spreading Christianity, were preaching two very different Christianities.

#7

The presence of Christianity in Arabia had a significant impact on the pagan Arabs. The biblical stories recounted in the Quran, especially those dealing with Jesus, imply a familiarity with the traditions and narratives of the Christian faith.

#8

The pre-Islamic Arabian religious experience was one of intermingling between Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism. The relative distance these three religions had from their respective centers gave them the freedom to develop their beliefs and rituals into fresh, innovative theology.

#9

The Hanif movement was a primitive Arab monotheistic movement that preached an active god who was intimately involved in the personal lives of his creation. At the heart of the movement was a commitment to an absolute morality.

#10

Hanifs believed that everyone would have to answer for their moral choices after death. They were a proselytizing faith that spread throughout the Hijaz, and Muhammad likely heard about them.

#11

The belief that Muhammad was monotheisticly monocultural is an important aspect of Islam because it supports the belief that the revelation he received came from a divine source. However, this belief is based on the common yet erroneous assumption that religions are born in a cultural vacuum.

#12

The birth of Muhammad was accompanied by signs and portents. While pregnant, Amina heard a voice tell her, You are pregnant with the Lord of this people, and when he is born, say, ‘I put him in the care of the One from the evil of every envier’; then call him Muhammad.

#13

When he was six years old, Muhammad had his first prophetic experience. While herding a flock of lambs, he was approached by two men, clothed in white, who carried with them a golden basin full of snow. They extracted a drop of black liquid from Muhammad’s heart and washed it clean in the snow before returning it to him.

#14

The story of Muhammad’s childhood is similar to the stories of Jesus’s and David’s, as they are all about the prophet’s infancy. They explain what it means to be a prophet, and they explain that prophethood is a state of existence that predates birth.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The Meccan city of Mecca is transformed into a city bursting at its borders with pilgrims, merchants, and caravans traveling to and from the great commercial fairs in neighboring towns like Ukaz and Dhu’l-Majaz.

#2

Qusayy’s genius was his recognition that the source of Mecca’s power rested in its sanctuary. He began by strengthening his city’s position as the dominant place of worship in the Arabian Peninsula, collecting all the idols venerated by neighboring tribes, and transferring them to the Ka‘ba.

#3

The Ka‘ba, which was the center of the Islamic religion, transformed the city of Mecca into a neutral zone where fighting among tribes was prohibited and weapons were not allowed. The pilgrims who traveled to Mecca during the pilgrimage season were encouraged to bring with them merchandise to trade.

#4

The city of Mecca was endowed with a special sanctity that went beyond the Ka‘ba itself. The Ka‘ba was a universal shrine, and every god in pre-Islamic Arabia was said to reside in it.

#5

The Quraysh’s system was not meant to be egalitarian, but rather to maintain a sense of social solidarity among the tribe’s members. The Shaykh of the tribe was the most highly respected member of his community, and he represented the strength and moral attributes of the tribe.

#6

The Law of Retribution, which was based on the idea of an eye for an eye, was the only method of maintaining order in the tribe. It was the Shaykh’s responsibility to maintain peace and stability in his community by ensuring the proper retribution for all crimes committed within the tribe.

#7

The pre-Islamic Arabs had a complex network of alliances and affiliations, but the Shaykhs of Quraysh had become far more interested in maintaining the city’s trade than in caring for the poor and marginalized.

#8

Muhammad was a successful merchant, but he was also extremely conflicted by his status in Meccan society. He was a member of what may be considered an anachronistically middle class, but he was also aware of his complicity in the city’s religio-economic system.

#9

The experience of Muhammad’s first revelation is difficult to describe. The sources are vague, and sometimes conflicting. According to one of Ibn Hisham’s traditions, the first recitation was written on a magical brocade and placed in front of Muhammad to be read.

#10

The Quran describes Muhammad as the unlettered Prophet, meaning that he was illiterate. However, this was not true historically. Muhammad was able to read and write basic Arabic, and he may have had rudimentary skills in Aramaic as well.

#11

The prophet Muhammad had a difficult time adjusting to his prophetic consciousness, which was accompanied by a variety of supernatural experiences.