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Islam
History
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Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570
CE
Around 610, he began meditating in a
cave
One night, the Angel Gabriel spoke to
him the Word of God (Allah, in Arabic)
These revelations continued until
Muhammad’s death in 632
The Quran
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The unaltered Word of God
Muhammad had secretaries that wrote
down his revelations
Compiled the revelations into the Quran
(means “recitation”)
Muslims believe the Quran is closer to God
than Jewish and Christian
texts because it is the direct
Word of God without being
edited
Often doesn’t make sense or
flow
Major Beliefs
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Muslims believe in one God, the God of
Abraham
– Same God that Jews and Christians accept
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Muslims accept many Jewish and Christians
as prophets
– Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc.
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View Muhammad as the final prophet and
Islam as the culmination of the JudeoChristian faiths
Tie the ancestry to Abraham through his
other son Ishmael (Jews through Isaac)
The Five Pillars of Islam
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Declaration of Faith (shahada)
– How someone becomes a Muslim
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Prayer (salat)
– Five times a day facing Mecca
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Charity (zakat)
Pilgrimage (hajj)
– Pilgrimage to Mecca once in your life
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Ramadan
– Fast for one month during day time hours
Sects
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The split in Islam
– After Muhammad died, the umma argued over
who should lead
– After a series of battles and assassinations, two
sects developed
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Sunnis
– Anyone can become the leader of Islam
– More popular
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Shi’ites
– Leaders of Islam should be descendants of Muhammad
– Celebrate different holidays
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Sufis
– Mystical branch
– Try to get closer to God through physical activities
Women in Islam
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Treatment of women in Islam hasn’t always been so harsh
– Modern governments have interpreted Shari’a more
strictly
Women in rural areas worked in fields and took care of
animals
Urban women expected to cover themselves in public
(popular in other empires at the time, too), but could still
get educated
Better treatment than Jewish and Christian women at the
time
– Could inherit property and keep it even
if married
– Could remarry, initiate divorce, and
receive payment after divorce
– Could testify in court