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Islam
By: Joe, Jason, Brendan, Steven, and
Chris
General Information
۞ Islam is one of the youngest and fastest growing religions
۞ There are 5 pillars to Islam: Declaration, Prayer, Fasting, Giving
to the Poor, and Pilgramage.
۞ Contrary to popular thought in the West, Jihad is not actually a
pillar.
۞ The Qur’an is their holy book similar to the Bible or Torah.
۞ Second largest religion in the World behind Christianity.
۞ Second largest religion in the UK.
۞ There are approximately 1.4 billion Muslims in the World.
۞ France has the largest amount of Muslims on the West.
Elements of Culture
System of Government- Run by wealthy families or by
the army
Economy- Large deposits of petroleum
Language- Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
Literature and Art- Literature began 1,500 years ago
in the Qur’an.
Technology- Camels and mud huts were replaced by
cars and steel enforced buildings and urbanization.
Customs- Strong family ties and traditional belief
system.
Religious Sects
 Sunni- Largest group of Islam. Sunnis believe that Muhammad
is a perfect example to follow, and that they must imitate the
words and actions of Muhammad as accurately as possible
 Shi’a- Secon largest branch. They honor different accounts of
Muhammad and have their own legal traditions. A HUGE
difference between both sects is that the Shi’a believe that a
leader should be a natural descendent of Muhammad rather
than a system of electing or choosing a leader.
 Sufism. Mystical form of Islam followed by both Sunni and Shi’a.
Focus more on the internal and spiritual aspects of Islam.
Basic Beliefs
۞ Monotheistic religion, believed that the Qur’an was sent by God
and interpreted by Muhammad.
۞ Muhammad was God’s final prophet
۞ Believe that the Qur’an is flawless, and it is the final revelation
of God to humanity
۞ Believe that Christians and Jews distorted the word of God after
it was revealed to them
۞ When Muslims refer to the Qur’an they are referring to the
words rather than the actual text.
۞ Muslims believe that the Qur’an is on perfect if recited in Arabic,
otherwise it is commentary of the Qur’an or interpretations of
what is really is
Jihad
‡ A Jihad is a wide variety of things. Anything from an
inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a
political or military struggle.
‡ It is mainly used to say a “holy war” through the
military
‡ A person is considered a Mujahid or a Jihadist if they
participate in such activities
‡ In the West it is referred to mainly as a terrorist group
as part of the War on Terror (which is completely
wrong)
‡ It can be over such things as memorization of the
Qur’an
5 Pillars of Islam
» Shahahada- “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God
and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Is the most
important pillar and is the foundation of Islamic religion. Children are
taught to recite as soon as they can.
» Salat- Muslims must perform 5 daily prayers. It is a reminder to do
good and strive for greater causes as well as a restraint from harmful
deeds.
» Zakat- Giving of charity. Personal responsibility to ease economic
hardship and eliminate inequality.
» Sawm- An obligatory action of fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from
dawn to dusk. It is supposed to bring nearness to God as well to
remind them to think of the poor.
» Hajj- A pilgrimage to Mecca. Is only supposed to be done by the
physically and financially able. Must be done at least once in a lifetime.
Islamic Law & Traditions
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Qur’an is basis for all law
Sharia is second to the Qur’an in all legal power
All aspects of life are covered in the Sharia
Islamic law prohibits a Muslim from drinking alcohol, eating or drinking
blood or it by-products and eating the meat of a carnivore or omnivore.
(domestic animals)
‫ א‬For the meat of a land animal to be eaten, it must be slaughtered by a
Muslims or a Person of the Book (Christian or Jew), while mentioning
the name of God
SYMBOLISM FOR ISLAM
ƒ Muslims do not accept any official symbol because they believe it goes
against the monotheistic teachings
ƒ Many people believe that a star and crescent are the symbol for Islam
but it is really an insignia for the Ottoman Empire