1. Learning About World Religions: Islam
Unit 3
Activity 9 Presentation

2. ISLAM Muslim Setting the Stage
So you’ve just learned about WHO started Islam and HOW it grew and spread so fast within the first 100 years.
But what exactly IS Islam?
ISLAM
= “submission to the will of God”
the monotheistic religion of Muslims; also the civilization based on the Islamic religion and the group of countries where Islam is the main religion
monos = one theos = god
= belief in one god
Muslim
= “those who surrender to God”
a follower of the Islam religion

3. beliefs PRACTICES + Setting the Stage So what is ISLAM?
In this lesson, we’ll learn about:
beliefs
PRACTICES +
what the Muslims know to be true about their religion
what the Muslims DO based on their beliefs

4. Important Words to Know
Foundational Text of Islam
“the straight path”
the holy book of Islam
contains God’s descriptions of laws and moral teachings
contains revelations Muhammad received from the angel Gabriel
beautifully-composed Arabic poetry
Supplemental Text of Islam
“reports” or “tradition”
Reports/stories about Muhammad’s life (what he said, did, approved, disapproved) that spread 300 years after his death
= “the practice” – practical expression of Islam (how
one should act/say); taken from what
Muhammad did/said, the example that
Muhammad set for Muslims while alive
Scholars had to verify whether some of these stories are TRUE, whether they are a STRONG or WEAK
account of what Muhammad really
said/did during his lifetime #1
Qur’an
in religious authority #2
Hadith
in religious authority
Sunnah*
used to SUPPLEMENT and SUPPORT the Qur’an
*hadiths
are not the ONLY source to find Muhammad’s Sunnah.
Records of what he did/said were also gathered from his biography.

5. Important Words to Know
a pillar, like ones of a building, provides SUPPORT for something
Five Pillars of Islam
the five basic acts of worship for Muslims
(Makkah)
the Ka’bah!
shahadah
salat
zakat
siyam
hajj

6. Important Words to Know
“to strive/struggle/fight” for something…
“the way/path”
jihad
Shari’ah
Something people disagree STRONGLY about publicly
You may have heard these two words on the news before and the controversy surrounding them!

7. Important Words to Know
“to strive/struggle/fight” for something…
“the way/path”
jihad
Shari’ah
Let’s try to define them the best way possible,
but also look at ways that they HAVE been used whether “appropriate” or not.
Something “appropriate” on this matter would be a view that MOST non-radical Muslims would agree on.
Something radical = something extreme
If you have radical views, you have extreme views that can be mostly unpopular and/or unsupported by most people.

8. Important Words to Know
“to strive/struggle/fight” for something…
“the way/path”
jihad
Shari’ah
struggles Muslims go through as they strive to please God in their actions
Islamic law that guides Muslims in how they should worship and act in human interactions

9. Important Words to Know
“to strive/struggle/fight” for something…
jihad
Two forms of jihad/struggle:
Physical struggle against enemies
Internal struggle to overcome spiritual challenges
As stated in the Qur’an:
Muslims should only fight to protect themselves from those who harm them or to right a terrible wrong
Examples of jihad historically:
Used jihad to protect territory and extend empire
Examples of jihad now (accepted by MOST Muslims):
Use jihad (nonviolent) to be a good Muslim and to inform people about Islam
Examples of jihad now (by radical extremists):
Use jihad (violent) to make governments more Islamic or to resist perceived aggression from non-Muslims with acts of terrorism
jihad
What’s MORE on the news!!!
And DISAPPROVED by
MOST Muslims!

10. Important Words to Know
“to strive/struggle/fight” for something…
Majority of Muslims Say Suicide Bombing is NOT Right!
% of Muslims who say suicide bombing in defense of Islam is…
jihad
Two forms of jihad/struggle:
Physical struggle against enemies
Internal struggle to overcome spiritual challenges
As stated in the Qur’an:
Muslims should only fight to protect themselves from those who harm them or to right a terrible wrong
Examples of jihad historically:
Used jihad to protect territory and extend empire
Examples of jihad now (accepted by MOST Muslims):
Use jihad (nonviolent) to be a good Muslim and to inform people about Islam
Examples of jihad now (by radical extremists):
Use jihad (violent) to make governments more Islamic or to resist perceived aggression from non-Muslims with acts of terrorism
= rarely/never right
jihad
= often/sometimes right
Source: PEW Research Center
What’s MORE on the news!!!
And DISAPPROVED by MOST Muslims!

11. Important Words to Know
“the way/path”
shari’ah
system of Islamic laws that offers moral and legal guidance for Muslims to live according to God’s wishes
Where do the laws come from?
The Qur’an: the holy book of Islam
Example of actions and words by Muhammad (from the hadiths and accounts of Muhammad’s Sunnah)
Living body of law that’s continually developing and examined by Muslim scholars
What do the laws cover?
how Muslims should worship (the Five Pillars)
how they should act (finances, inheritance, marriage, food/drink/lifestyle, punishments, war)
Shari’ah
In the United States, there IS a difference between religious and nonreligious life.
In traditional Islam, there is no difference between religious and nonreligious life. And that idea translated into how sharia law came to being. These laws offer both moral and legal guidance to live according to God’s wishes.
Instructions and examples in the Quran, the hadiths, and the Sunnah give Muslims guidelines for nearly every aspect of their daily lives such as how to pray, what to eat, what each gender’s roles are, dress codes and so forth.
For later situations that didn’t exist in the 8th century such as abortion, religious scholars created modern guidelines based on a combination of what most people agreed on or by looking at similar situations in the past.

12. Important Words to Know
“the way/path”
shari’ah
What’s important to note:
Muslims around the world vary GREATLY when it comes to HOW to interpret shari’ah laws
Why?
Some parts of shari’ah laws = very extreme! (especially those that deal with severe corporal punishment or when fundamentalists use shari’ah law to say they are RIGHT in their acts of war and terror!)
BUT some parts of shari’ah laws = necessary! (especially those that outlines the Muslim faith = the Five Pillars or those that help settle family or property disputes!)
Shari’ah ? ?
Fundamentalist = someone who believes that religious texts (like the Qur’an) should be upheld in strict, literal interpretation despite changing times

13. Important Words to Know
“the way/path”
Shari’ah in the world
Fundamentalist Muslims want to see a society that is governed only by the strictest interpretation of Sharia. However, most Islamic governments only incorporate parts of Sharia in different degrees into their country’s legal system. For example, they would ban alcohol or require women to follow Islamic dress codes. Some Muslims countries have both religious and nonreligious courts---and the religious courts are used to solve family matters.
GEOGRAPHY QUESTION!
Is shari’ah law widely used in the world?

14. http://www. pewresearch