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Islam Islam By Michael Stahl The religion of Islam is the second most highly practiced religion in the world. Only Christianity has a greater following than that of Islam. It is estimated that 1.5 billion people, almost onequarter of the planet’s population, are members of the Islamic faith. Practitioners of Islam are called Muslims, most of whom live in Africa, the Middle East, and the southern portions of Asia, though some groups can also be found in the Orient, Russia, and North and South America. Muslims believe in only one God. And they, similarly to Christians, have based their entire belief system on the foundations of teachings from a prophet – Muhammad. Muhammad is believed to have been born during the late sixth century, close to the year 570 AD, in the Arabian city of Mecca. He died on June 8, 632, but not before leaving his mark on history and humanity. Muhammad was a man of deep faith and upon returning home after a particular prayer retreat in his fortieth year, he informed others that he had indeed received a revelation – a message from God. One statement he relayed to the people who began to follow him was that “God is one.” This has been interpreted as meaning that there is only one, unique and universal God in existence. The Muslim name for God is “Allah.” Allah, to all Muslims, represents everything that is good and it was He who Muhammad said commanded the creation of all things in the universe. Allah is so great that humans cannot truly comprehend Him or His reach of influence. In addition to that, Muhammad preached that mankind’s mission in life must be to worship Allah and make a genuine effort to be good in order to reach Paradise or “Jannah,” the Muslim word describing “heaven.” It is in Jannah, during the afterlife, that everything a person desires in life on Earth will exist. © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Islam Upon gaining a number of followers, Muhammad began to be treated with hostility from other tribes in his very own home city. Many rejected his teachings. Then, in 622 AD, he led those who chose to follow him, many of whom were feeling dejected upon not being accepted into other clans, on a migration to a neighboring area called Medina, which became known as the Hijra event and marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar. The Hijra sparked a time of tremendous growth in the Islamic religion, as Muhammad’s number of followers grew to nearly 10,000 in the eight years following. Still, Muhammad was a man away from his home, which was a burden on his mind. In Mecca, local officials who detested the Islamic migrants began to take hold over whatever property Muhammad’s followers still had in Mecca. Obviously, this angered all of the newly converted Muslims in Medina who were shaping their religion under the guidance of Muhammad, their spiritual leader. Soon thereafter, Muhammad organized his followers into a small fighting force and launched attacks on his homeland in an effort to regain his people’s property and resources. Muhammad proved to be a strong military leader as well, thus quieting doubters about him and his mission. However, the attacks on Mecca made the leaders of that city desire vengeance. The Meccans launched counterattacks against the Muslims. During one battle, The Battle of Uhud, Muhammad’s own uncle was slaughtered. The Muslims lost that battle, but refused to completely give up the fight and Muhammad saw to it that his uncle Hamza would become a “martyr.” A martyr is a person who dies while refusing to accept the beliefs of others and fights for their own. Hamza became a Muslim symbol for their right to practice Muhammad’s Islamic religion, a right they clearly would attempt to gain at any cost. For years the Muslims of Medina had conflicts with Meccan armies. Truces were written and broken. Muhammad’s numbers grew though and eventually, he had an army of ten thousand soldiers. He ordered his troops to march on Mecca for one last, fateful battle. In the year 630 AD, Muhammad finally won back control of his home city of Mecca. The residents of Mecca, now realizing the might of Muhammad and of Islam, began to practice the religion too. The fighting was not over though. Threats came at Mecca from across the Arabian Peninsula. However, Muhammad in fact succeeded in soon uniting the entire peninsula under Islam. Finally, in the year 632 AD, ten years after his first migration into Medina and soon after the wars had ended, Muhammad led his followers on a pilgrimage, starting a new Islamic tradition, the Hajj. At his Farewell Sermon, Muhammad instructed his people to end all feuds and conflicts. In the new Islamic community, there would be peace. He also spoke in favor of equality and respect for all other human beings. Muhammad would die in Medina in his wife’s © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Islam home just a few months later, after falling ill. Mecca, the city that he once fled from and would later take back by force is considered the holiest of cities in the Islamic religion and a pilgrimage there, still referred to as the Hajj, is required for all Muslims. The Islamic religious core quickly began compiling all of the teachings of Muhammad into one book. They tracked down all known writings and transcripts of Muhammad’s speeches, sermons, and lessons. The book became known as The Quran (pronounced: kor-AHN), a word that translates from Arabic to “the read.” Muslims believe that the words in The Quran summarize the teachings of God as told to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, messages that were transmitted over the course of about twenty-three years of Muhammad’s life, beginning during that important prayer retreat of Muhammad in the year 609 AD. It is The Quran that Muslims look to, not only for spiritual guidance, but solutions to all the problems of mankind. Because of this and its poetic style, Muslims stand firm that The Quran is a one-of-a-kind manuscript and could never actually have been written by man without the help of God. In the 114 chapters of the book, called “suras,” the Islamic belief structure is outlined, with lessons on how one must live their life, what rewards await them should they follow their faith properly, and a history of Muhammad, who is often not referred to by name, but instead as “The Prophet.” Much else is explained about how to be faithful in the religion of Islam and many theologians, or historians who study religion, have observed a good number of similarities between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish beliefs. All three faiths believe in one all-powerful God, as a matter of fact, it is a common God. Thus, these religions have been referred to as the three “Abrahamic Religions,” for they are all rooted in the covenant God made with Abraham in which God promised him land, followers, and blessings should Abraham lead a life of sincere and flawless virtue. The religions generally begin to differ with the introductions of the prophets Jesus Christ, whom Jews do not believe was a true prophet, and Muhammad, whom both Jews and Christians feel was a false prophet. Like Jesus Christ, the Christian prophet, Muhammad delivered lessons from God that have been followed for more than a millennia. In these religions, acceptance of God and proper observations of His words and wishes will lead to an eternal afterlife of happiness. Human beings have ability to do right, but all of these religions also recognize mankind’s sinful actions as well. Damnation in hell will be the consequences of a rejection of God and His teachings. Religious holidays are observed in all of these faiths as well, with some being days of rest, selfsacrifice, or feast. © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Islam Many conflicts and wars between these groups have been attributed to religious differences. However, historians actually credit political views as the reasons behind a good number of those fights, and wars fought through history that may have appeared to be based in religion, were more likely fought over land, resources, or power. © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Islam Name: Date: 1. What happened when Muhammad was approximately 40 years old? A B C D He informed others that he had received a revelation from God. He led those who chose to follow him to Medina. The number of his followers grew to 10,000. He fell ill and died. 2. The author describes the sequence of events in Muhammad’s life. Which of the following events occurred before the Battle of Uhud, in which Muhammad’s own uncle was slaughtered? A Muhammad died in Medina in his wife’s home after falling ill. B Muhammad led his followers on a pilgrimage and delivered his Farewell Sermon, instructing his people to end all feuds and conflicts. C Muhammad led his followers to Medina where they began to shape their religion under Muhammad’s guidance. D Muhammad won control of Mecca and succeeded in uniting the Arabian Peninsula. 3. The Islamic religious core quickly began compiling all of the teachings of Muhammad into one book after Muhammad died. They tracked down all known writings and transcripts of his speeches, sermons, and lessons to create The Quran. Muslims look to The Quran for spiritual guidance and the solutions for the problems of mankind. What can be concluded about Islam based on this information? A B C D Islam Islam Islam Islam spread only after The Quran was created. became a religion after Muhammad died. is deeply rooted in the teachings of Muhammad. is based on different interpretations of Muhammad’s teachings. 4. Which of the following words best describes the early beginnings of Islam? A B C D tumultuous peaceful surprising mysterious 1 © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Islam 5. What is this passage mainly about? A B C D the differences of the three “Abrahamic Religions” religious conflicts in Mecca and Medina Muhammad and Islam wars among different religions 6. Read the sentence: “All three faiths believe in one all-powerful God; as a matter of fact, it is a common God.” What does the phrase “as a matter of fact” most nearly mean? A B C D instead actually regardless in my opinion 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. _____________ Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have differences, they are all rooted in the covenant God made with Abraham. A B C D Since Because Although However 8. List at least two similarities that Islam shares with Christianity and Judaism. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 2 © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Islam 9. Local officials in Mecca began to take hold over whatever property Muhammad’s followers still had in Mecca after they migrated to Medina. What did Muhammad do soon thereafter? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 10. Explain an important characteristic Muhammad had that made him a strong leader. Use information from the passage to support your answer. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3 © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.