Download • 2nd largest religion • Started in 622 AD, in Mecca • Founder

ISLAM
• 2nd largest religion
• Started in 622 AD, in Mecca
• Founder: Muhammad
• Islam = “surrender to Allah”
• Muslim = “one who has surrendered to Allah”
• Monotheistic
• Holy book: Koran (Qur’an)
• Place of worship: Mosque
Early Arabia
• Bedouin tribes – herders
• Various tribal religions (polytheistic)
• Small Jewish and Christian communities
Muhammad
• 570: Born in Mecca
• 610: Visited by angel Gabriel, who said Muhammad
would be last messenger of Allah (God)
• 622: Fled to Medina for support – Hijra (Hegira)
• Beginning of Muslim calendar (1 AH)
• 630: Returned to Mecca, Meccans accepted Islam
• 632: Died, having unified Arabia under Islam
Development of Islam
• Islam spreads rapidly
• Conquered people have three options:
– convert to Islam
– pay higher taxes and not convert (for Jews, Christians)
– die
a split in Islam
• After Muhammad died, there was disagreement
about who should be the new leader
– Muhammad’s relative or the “best person” for the job?
• Split occurs around 700 AD
– Sunnis (best person) = about 90% of Muslims
– Shi’ites (Muhammad’s relative) = abt. 10% of Muslims
QURAN (KORAN)
Islam’s Holy Book
• Word of Allah, given to Muhammad
• Collected, written down after Muhammad died
• Written in Arabic
5 Pillars of Islam
1. Declaration of faith
2. Prayer 5 times a day
 Dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, before bed
3. Alms (charitable giving)
5 Pillars of Islam(cont.)
4. Fasting during Ramadan
 No eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
 Once in your lifetime
 Hajji denotes one who has made the Hajj
Other Islamic beliefs
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Holy Day: Friday
Believe in paradise, hell, final judgment
Sharia – body of Islamic law to regulate daily life
No alcohol, pork, or gambling
3 holiest cities: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem
Major celebrations
• Ramadan – holy month of fasting
• Muharram – New Year
Connections
• Muslims believe in Judeo-Christian God, which they
call Allah
• Consider Jews and Christians as “People of the
Book”
– Both have a holy book with similar messages to Qur’an
– Muslims believe Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus were
prophets, with Muhammad being the final prophet
Contributions of Islam
• Preserved classical learning (especially Greeks)
• Amazing art and architecture
• Innovations in astronomy, mathematics
• "Arabic" numbers and trigonometry from India
• Advances in medicine
Islam Today
• Muslim is not a synonym for "terrorist" or
"extremist"
• Jihad – “inner struggle” or “holy war”?
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Sunnis vs. Shi’ites
• OIL!