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Islam 101
Overview
The Muslim Creed
 Scene from the movie “The Message”
 The Five Pillars of Islam
 The First call to prayer “The Message”
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The Dictionary
Definitions of Islamic Terms
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Allah
Name of the one and only God.
Islam
Submission to the will of God.
Muslim
One who submits to the will of
God.
The Koran (Quran)
Sacred scripture of Islam.
Surah: chapter Ayah: verse
(16;36)
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The Kaa’ba
First house of worship of the
One God, built by Prophet
Abraham and cleansed of idols
by Prophet Muhammad;
Muslims turn towards the
Kaa’ba during prayer.
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Sunnah
Records of what the Prophet did
or said (hadith traditions).
Muslim Creed
To believe in:
 God (Allah),
 His Angels,
 His Books,
 His Messengers,
 The Day of Judgment,
 Fate whether good or bad.
Allah
“Say: He is God, the One and
Only; God, the Eternal,
Absolute; He begets not, nor is
He begotten; And there is none like
unto Him.” (Surah 112)
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Monotheism “La ilahe illallah”
There is no god but God
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Anthropomorphism and
depiction forbidden
Names of God
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The Gracious, The Merciful, The
Beneficent, The Creator, The AllKnowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the
Universe, The First, The Last, and
others…
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“In the name of God, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.”
Angels
Spiritual beings, do not require food,
drink or sleep
 Obedient to God by nature
 Duties
Jibriil (Gabriel) - brings revelations
Azrail - angel of death
Mikail (Michael) - controls natural
phenomena
Israfil - day of resurrection
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The Message: Holy Books
Reference to books of:
Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus
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Koran, complete and authentic,
By God, to Prophet Muhammad,
23 years; memorized then written,
114 chapters in Arabic,
Theme based.
Interpretations by A.Yusuf Ali, M. Pickthall and Mawdudi.
The Messengers: Prophets
•“For We assuredly sent amongst
every people a prophet (with the
command), worship me and avoid
false gods”(16;36).
•25 mentioned
•Pure Monotheism
•Image: multicolored light bulbs
“We believe in God, and the revelation given
to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac,
Jacob and the Tribes; and that which was
given to Moses and Jesus, and that which
was given to all prophets from their Lord.
We make no discrimination between one
and another of them, and we bow to God”
(2:136).
Prophet Muhammad
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Born in Arabia in the year 570,
Direct descendant of Prophet Ishmael, the first son of
Prophet Abraham,
Received divine revelations (The Holy Quran) over a period
of 23 years,
Last Messenger sent by God for the guidance of mankind
until the Day of Judgment.
“Muhammad is no more than a Messenger. Many were
the Messengers who passed away before him..."(3:144)
The Day of Judgment
Final and fair trial; absolute justice
 Compensation and reward for good
deeds
 Punishment, except for the Grace of
God
 Just like the first creation, even easier
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Fate: Good or Bad
Accept with good Faith all that He does
 Good motive and meaningful purpose
 Our thinking is based on individual or
personal considerations, His knowledge
is limitless and He plans on a universal
basis.
 Fatalism? “Every man’s fate We have
fastened on his own neck..” (17;13)
 Insha’Allah: God willing
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The Message
A History of Islam
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Produced and directed by Moustapha Akkad;
Starring Anthony Quinn; 1998 Anchor Bay Ent.
First Muslim emigrants take refuge from the
Pagan Makkans in Abyssinia (today’s Ethiopia)
where a righteous Christian king rules. A debate
take place in the court of the King of Abyssinia…
the Makkans want the Muslims returned to them
in order to punish them for rebelling against their
forefather’s religion…
The Five Pillars of Islam
Testimony of Faith
 Prayers
 Fasting
 Purifying Alms and Charity
 Pilgrimage
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The Testimony of Faith
 The
first pillar of Islam; believe and
declare the faith by Shahadah (“witness”):
“La ilaha ila Allah; Muhammadur-rasul
Allah.”
(I bear witness that) there is no god but
Allah; (I bear witness that) Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah.”
Prayer (Salat)
 Fiver times a day: dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, and nightfall.
Believer washes according to a
particular ritual and prostrates on the
ground in the direction of Mecca while
reciting certain phrases.
Takes only a few minutes and can be
done anywhere.
The Message
A History of Islam
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First Muslims get together to build the
first place of prayer. They need to
decide how to call people to prayer.
Bilal an Ethiopian Muslim reads the
first call to prayer (Adhan).
Fasting (sawm)
Abstain from food and drink, smoking and
bodily desires, between sunrise and sunset.
30 consecutive days in the month of
Ramadan; the ninth month in the Muslim
calendar which is lunar.
Individual and community dimensions.
Individual dimension
Beneficial to health.
Leaving worldly pleasures,
one gains
true empathy for those in need.
A method of self-purification and
discipline. Spiritual growth (patience,
flexibility, self-restraint).
Community dimension
Iftar (fast breaking dinner), sharing the
food with others.
Reflection of blessings we tend to
overlook. Company of fellow human
beings is a also blessing. Great awareness
of God’s presence.
Katrina and Rita have left thousands
without home. The value of a hot meal and
a caring community are better understood.
Almsgiving (Zakat)
If financially eligible, required to
donate a fixed amount (min 1/40) of
charity every year.
Act of purification through sharing
what one has with others. The rationale:
everything belongs to God, and wealth is
held by man as a trust. Allah says:
“Of their wealth, take alms so you may
purify and sanctify them.”[ 9:103].
Pilgrimage
Obligatory for physically and
financially capable, travel to Mecca at
least once in one’s lifetime.
Ceremonies of the pilgrimage are
associated with the prophet Abraham
and centered around the Kaaba, which
Muslims believe to be the house that
Abraham erected for God.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Universal message
Nearly two million Muslims from all over
the globe gather. Pilgrims wear a simple
two-piece garment (Ihram) which strips
away all distinctions of wealth, race,
status, class, and culture; all stand
together and equal before Allah.
Q&A