Islam

Beliefs, Traditions, Facts

Origins
The youngest of the Abrahamic faiths.
Began in Arabia.
About 1400 years old.
Founded by Muhammad.
Origins
Example
The Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570.
Islam was revealed to Muhammad in the
7
th
century.
Muhammad was meditating in the
mountains one night when an angel
ordered him to recite.
The words spoken by Muhammad were
recorded and form the Quran.
The Prophet Muhammad
Muhammads preaching threatened
powerful people in Mecca, so
Muhammad and his followers moved to
Medina.
Muhammads followers grew, and they
were eventually able to conquer Mecca.
Beliefs
Six main beliefs:
Belief in Allah as the one and only God
Belief in angels
Belief in the holy books
Belief in the Prophets...
e.g. Adam, Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses),
Dawud (David), Isa (Jesus).
Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final
prophet.
Belief in the Day of Judgement...
The day when the life of every human being will be
assessed to decide whether they go to heaven or
hell.
Belief in Predestination...
That Allah has the knowlege of all that will happen.
Muslims believe that this doesn't stop human beings
making free choices.

Understanding Allah
Allah literally means God in Arabic.
Allah is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent.
Allah has always existed and will always exist.
Allah can do anything that can be done.
Allah has no shape or form
Allah is neither male nor female.
Allah is just and merciful.
A believer can approach Allah by praying, and by reciting
the Qur'an.
Muslims worship only Allah.

There is only one God.
God has no children, no parents, and no partners.
God was not created by a being.
There are no equal, superior, or lesser Gods.
Texts
The Quran is the holy text of Muslims.
Can also be spelled Quran, Koran, or Quran.
The Quran was revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad by God in Arabic.
At the time of the revelation of the Qur'an,
books were not readily available and so it was
common for people to learn it by heart.
Committing the Qur'an to memory acted as a
great aid for its preservation.
Denominations
Islam is split into two main groups: the
Sunni & the Shia.
Both believe in the Quran, but believe
that different people should have
succeeded Muhammad.
Sunni
Believe that one man, Abu Bakr, was
chosen to be Caliph leader of the
Muslims after Muhammad.
Shia
Believe that Muhammads son-in-law, Ali,
should lead the Muslims and be Caliph.
Whats the Difference
Sunni Muslims killed the Shia leader
Hussein and all of his followers.
This is known as the Battle of Karbala.
Sunni and Shia Muslims practice &
interpret Islam differently.
People
Caliph - the head of an Islamic state.
Imam religious leaders.
Practices
The Five Pillars of Islam:
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim
profession of faith
Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper
way five times each day
Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit
the poor and the needy
Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
Shahadah
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is
his messenger.
This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith:
anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly
is not a Muslim.

When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:
That Allah is the only God, and that
Muhammad is his prophet
That they personally accept this as true
That they will obey all the commitments of Islam
in their life
Listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_k
mXOOTwe8
Places
The Mosque:
Muslims worship in a building called a
mosque. An alternative word for mosque,
from the original Arabic, is masjid, meaning
place of prostration.
Outside every mosque, or just inside the
entrance, is a place where worshippers can
remove and leave their shoes. There is also a
place where they can carry out the ritual
washing required before prayer.
The main hall of a mosque is a bare room
largely devoid of furniture. There are no
pictures or statues. Muslims believe these are
blasphemous, since there can be no image
of Allah, who is wholly spirit.


Places
Everyone sits on the floor and everywhere in the
mosque is equal in status.
A niche in one of the walls, called a mihrab, shows
the direction that the worshippers should face in
order to face Mecca.
Many mosques have a minaret which is a tall thin
tower. A muezzin stands at the top of the tower
and calls Muslims to prayer at the five ritual times
of the day.
Women can attend the mosque and when they
do they sit separately from the men. This is out of
modesty and to prevent any distraction. It is more
usual for women to pray at home.

Call to prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBN
UdeWw-wE
Holidays
Ramadan - Ramadan is the ninth month
of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast
during daylight hours. The Qur'an was first
revealed during this month. Muslims fast
during Ramadan.
Eid-al-Fitr Celebration ending Ramadan.