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Beliefs of Islam Part 4
҉ There are around 1.5 Billion Muslims
҉ Making it the world’s second largest religion after Christianity
Sunnis V. Shi’ites
• The major controversy centers on the true successor of Muhammad
• Sunnis believe that a caliph (Head of State) should be elected by the whole community
• Shi’ites assert that only Allah himself can choose a leader, and that Muhammad’s only
rightful successors are his descendants
• Sunni and Shia Muslims also accept different sets of Hadith (moral guidence and Law)
• Hussein was Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, by his son-in-law, Ali.
• The battle arose from a schism over whether or not the position of caliph (leader of
Islam) should stay in the Prophet’s bloodline.
• Hussein was family, but not widely recognized as the caliph
• The man who occupied the position at the time of Hussein’s death was Muawiya bin Abi
Sufiyan.
• He was said to have murdered his predecessor, Ali, who served as Islam’s fourth caliph
Sunnis
• 80-90 Percent of Muslims are Sunnis
• Majority in most Muslim countries in Africa, Asian, and the Arab world
Shias (Shi’ites)
• Around 10-20 percent of Muslims are Shi’ites
• Shias make up the majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain
• Largest group on Lebanon
• Exist throughout the Middle East and Asia
• Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, and India
Hadith
• A report regarding the statements or actions of Muhammad
• Not the word of God, but are important sources of Muslim moral guidence and religious
law
• Sunnis and Shi’ites disagree which collections of the Hadith are authentic
6 Articles of Faith
1. Belief in Allah
2. Belief in his Angels
3. Belief in his books, especially the Quaran
4. Belief in all messengers sent by Allah
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment and Afterlife
6. Belief in Destiny (Fate)
*Shia Muslims reject the 6th Article
Ka’ba
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The physical center of Islam, located in Mecca
A roughly cubical stone structure supposedly built by Abraham and his son Ishmael
Muhammad rededicated it to Allah in the 6th Century
During daily prayer, Muslims face the Ka’ba
All Muslims must visit it once in their lives
Islamic views on Jesus
• Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was a true prophet, and they accept his virgin birth
• But they assert that the messge transmitted through Jesus was incomplete and became
corrupted over time
• The Qur’an is God’s completion of that message
Human Nature in Islam
• In the Islamic creation story, Allah forgives the sins of Adam and Eve even as he
punishes them with mortal life
• Therefore, all humans are born into a natural state of submission to Allah, and are
inherently good, through they have the capacity for evil
• This is an important contrast with the Christian doctrine of original sin
Muslim Afterlife
• After death, the body remains in the grave, awaiting judgment
• On judgment day, Allah will recreate the bodies of the dead, and all humans will be
judged by their deeds
• Those whom Allah deems good will be sent to eternal paradise
• Warriors who die in the service of Allah will be immediately sent to paradise
• Enemies of Islam will be immediately sent to hell