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Posted by: confusedbanana19 on: February 21, 2012

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We continued hearing Muhammad’s backstory in class this week. My favorite part of the story was the Battle of Badr between the Quaraysh and Muhammad’s new followers in Medina. I thought it was cool that God made the Quaraysh see an army that was six times the size of the army Muhammad actually had. It reminded me of the movie ”300″ and I liked the underdog aspect of it. Later, we discussed Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha. I was very glad to learn she wasn’t actually 6 years old (probably?!), but the age difference is still a little large for me to personally agree with.

This week’s readings came from the Hadith. I thought the problems associated with the Hadith’s validity could translate to similar problems in many other religions. Because there are so many transmitters, it could be argued that the stories in the Hadith had been altered along the way as it was passed down. I thought back to all the disciples stories in the Bible which are roughly the same. However, some followers question the validity of the Bible, like the Hadith, because not every aspect can be completely proven. This is why faith comes before all when it comes to religion.

Some of the readings have really made me want to ask my Muslim friends about the customs I’ve been reading about. For instance, when I was reading the Cambridge Companion articles last week, I was tempted to text my friend and ask if he really followed all the guidelines for trimming one’s nails. I thought it was against Islamic rules to drink yet I still have some friends who go out to parties. I wonder if I am misunderstanding the culture or if this is an example of how some rules of Islam are more suggestions than obligations as the article said.

In response to 195theo, I was appalled by what you shared from the Wall Street Journal. I think it is terrible that citizens in the US would be put on a “secret list” just for trying to culture themselves. It makes me fearful of how much the government is monitoring us today. I am enrolled in two classes this semester which focus on the Middle East. Would a government official get suspicious of me just by looking at my transcript? The idea is absurd.