Islam

Founded by Muhammad around 630 CE Muhammad believed he was called by God to be the last of the prophets Muhammad was from Saudi Arabia

God: Allah – Monotheistic Islam: submission to the will of Allah Muslim: one who has submitted Holy Book: Qur’an (Koran) – The words of Allah spoken to Muhammad – Also believe in the Old Testament Prophets: Acceptance of Judeo- Christian prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (but Jesus is NOT recognized as the Savior) – Muhammad is the LAST of the prophets Place of Worship: Mosque Holy Day: Friday

1.Faith: one must testify, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” 2.Prayer: five times a day, Muslims face toward Mecca to pray. The duty of praying serves to bring Muslims closer to God 3.Alms: Muhammad taught that all Muslims have a responsibility to support the less fortunate. Muslims meet that social responsibility by giving alms, or money for the poor, through a special religious tax 4.Fasting: during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast. They eat and drink nothing between dawn and sunset. A simple meal is eaten at the end of the day. The duty of fasting reminds Muslims that they have “greater needs than bread” 5.Pilgrimage: all Muslims perform the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime. During the pilgrimage events in Mecca, all wear identical clothes so they stand as equals before God.

Mecca – the city where Muhammad was born – Muhammad began teaching here – Location of the largest Mosque in the world and the Kaaba. Muslims all face Mecca for their prayers and are supposed to visit at least once during their lifetime Medina – Originally known as Yathrib – Muhammad and his people migrated there after the Meccans denounced his beliefs – the city where the Holy Mosque of the prophet Muhammad is located Jerusalem – Dome of the Rock: a large mosque built over the place where Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven

When Muhammad died he left no directions for how the religion was to be led – Abu-Bakr, close friend of Muhammad, was chosen to be the first Caliph – Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn al-Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib all ruled as Caliphs following Muhammad’s actions and using the Qur’an to guide their decisions – These Caliphs are known as the “rightly guided” Caliphs There was disagreement in choice of leadership after Ali and Muslims split into 2 groups: – Shi’ite (Shi’ah) Muslim: believe leaders must be related to Muhammad Imam is the religious leader – Sunni Muslim: believe leaders should be elected from among those capable of the job Caliph is the religious leader

In the first 3 centuries after Muhammad’s death, Islam expanded rapidly – Spread quickly into Syria as Abu-Bakr put down a rebellion of the Arab Tribes – Spread into the Byzantine and Persian empires through the trade routes from Mecca and Medina