World History 14-15

Islam Facts Today Islam is the religion with the second largest following in the world Over 20% of the world’s population is Muslim Most Muslims live in Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and Southeast Asia Islam = the religion Muslims = the people

Islam Facts Islam was started by the Prophet Muhammad in the early 7 th century Muslims believe that the word of Allah (God) was revealed to Muhammad Muhammad told his followers that he was the “seal of the prophets” Other religious prophets, like Moses and Jesus, also spoke the word of God and Muhammad said that he would be the last prophet

Islam Facts People of the book Muhammad taught that Christians and Jews were to be respected because they believed in the same God Muhammad believed that his message was more complete and that the beliefs of Christians and Jews had been corrupted over time

Beliefs of Islam In order to be a Muslim, a believer must follow the Five Pillars of Islam

Beliefs of Islam Pillar #1: Belief/Faith Muslims must acknowledge Allah as the only god and Muhammad as his prophet It affirms both Allah's importance and the central role of the Prophet

Beliefs of Islam Pillar #2: Worship/Prayer Muslims must worship Allah five times a day while facing Mecca — at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nightfall The believer washes according to a ritual and prays on the ground in the direction of Mecca; it only takes a few minutes to perform and can be done anywhere There is also a Friday service that men are supposed to attend at noon; in some Muslim communities women also attend but are often required to sit apart from the men

Beliefs of Islam

Pillar #3: Fasting Muslims must fast (not eat or drink) during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan (the 9 th month in the Muslim calendar) The end of the month of Ramadan is always marked by a feast, known as the Id al-Fitr

Beliefs of Islam Pillar #4: Almsgiving Muslims must contribute alms (charity) for the relief of the weak and the poor and donate a fixed amount of their property to charity every year Many Muslims established soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, libraries, mosques One of the most common forms of charity in medieval Islamic cities was to establish a public drinking fountain, where fresh water was distributed freely

Beliefs of Islam Pillar #5: Pilgrimage (the Hajj) Muslims, who are physically and financially able, must make a pilgrimage (a religious journey) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime to honor Muhammad’s travels to Mecca The hajj is carried out in the 12 th month of the Muslim calendar

The Hajj Namira mosque in Arafat, near Mecca November 15, 2010

The Hajj Grand Mosque in Mecca, home of the Ka’ba, can accommodate close to 2 million worshipers

The Hajj Grand Mosque at night

The Hajj The Ka’ba inside the Grand Mosque

Discussion What similarities do you see among Islam, Judaism, and Christianity? Take 1 minute to write your answer in the left margin of your notes Take 30 sec. to share your answer with the person next to you

Sacred Texts & Laws The sacred book for Muslims is the Qur’an Muhammad recited what the angel Gabriel told him to share with his people, this is considered by Muslims to be the world of Allah Originally, the Qur’an was memorized and passed down orally; it was after Muhammad’s death that his followers began writing it down Muslims believe that the true Qur’an is the Arabic language version

Sacred Texts & Laws Sunna Following the Sunna means using the prophet Muhammad’s life practices as an example of how to live The hadith are things that Muhammad said

Sacred Texts & Laws Shari’a Shari’a is an Islamic law code that is based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunna Shari’a law gives rules for family life, moral behavior (deciding right from wrong), business, and community life Shari’a also requires that Muslims show tolerance for Christians and Jews Countries that use Shari’a today include Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt

Sects within Islam Within Islam, there are three major divisions The two largest sects are the Sunni and Shi’a; 83% of Muslims today are Sunni and 16% are Shi’a Sunni – believe that the first four leaders after Muhammad were legitimate leaders Shi’a – believe that Muslim leaders should be descendants of Muhammad and that Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law) should have succeeded him Both groups also say that the other has the wrong idea about the meaning of different parts of the Qur’an

Sects within Islam Sufi Muslims make up about 1% of Muslims today The Sufi believe in living a simple life devoted to prayer and devotion They are less focused on memorizing doctrine Many Sufis also worked to help people in need Sufis celebrate through meditation, a trancelike dance known as whirling dervishes, music, and literature

Discussion How are Sunni and Shi’a Muslims different? Take 1 minute to write your answer in the left margin of your notes Does anyone want to share their answer?

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