THE STORY OF ISLAM Chapter 6 #1

ISLAM IN CANADA  Islam among the fastest-growing religions in Canada  Canadian Muslims come from: India, Pakistan, Arab & Middle East countries…  Usually in urban centres 61% in ON

WHY IS IT CHALLENGING TO BE A MUSLIM IN CANADA?  Media portrays Islam in a negative way, especially since Sept. 11, 2001  This is important:  THE GOODNESS & WISDOM OF ISLAM CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CANADIAN & GLOBAL CULTURE

ISLAM AROUND THE WORLD  1.5 billion Muslims worldwide  Only Christianity has more followers  Muslims: from diverse places in the world, and have diverse practices  Africans from Nigeria, Arabs from Iraq, Asians from Pakistan & Indonesia…

ORIGINS OF ISLAM: MUHAMMAD, MECCA  Muhammad b. in Mecca, 570  Jews, Christians, polytheistic tribes lived in Mecca  Kaaba : a cube-shaped structure that held 360 deities was the focus of an annual pilgrimage  630 CE Muhammad cleansed it of deities, now the house of Allah (directly below God’s throne)

MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE  Parents died when he was young  Raised by uncle, who was a trader, travelled through much of Arabia and area  As a trader, earned the titles: “the trustworthy one” & “the righteous one”

MUHAMMAD RECEIVES THE QUR’AN  T he inequalities of Meccan society troubled Muhammad  He believed in one God,  610 C.E., received a revelation on Mount Hira

MUHAMMAD’S REVELATION ON MOUNT HIRA  Angel Gabriel, gave the direct words of Allah to Muhammad so he could remember the exact words later  Muhammad received revelations until he died in 632 CE  The sayings: recorded in the Qur’an

MUHAMMAD STRUGGLES IN MECCA  1 st convert: Muhammad’s 1 st wife, Khadijah  Few converts between 610 and 622 CE  “God is one, all must surrender to Allah alone, Muhammad was the messenger of Allah”  Merchants of Mecca, did not welcome this message:  Their business depended on pilgrims  Muhammad’s life in danger

HIJRA  622 CE, People of Medina offered Muhammad protection, leading his people there  This migration (“Flight”) aka, hijra  Muhammad lived in Medina the rest of his life  The community was governed by his revelations