Download The Prophet Muhammad

Basic Tenets of
Islam
What is Islam and how is it related to
Judaism and Christianity?
 Islam = “peace,” “submission”
 Muslim = “submitter”

Abraham’s two sons:



Isaac  the Hebrews (Judaism  Christianity)
Ishmael  the Arabs (Islam)
Islam respects the two earlier Abrahamic religions
as “Peoples of the Book”
“The People of the Book”
Judaism, Christianity, & Islam share
the same God, the God of Abraham:
Yahweh = God = Allah!
Who was Muhammad?








b. 570 CE, d. 632 CE
Prophet/founder; human, not divine
Lived in Arabia, near Mecca
Orphaned by age 6, raised by
grandfather and uncle
Worked as a caravan driver for a
wealthy woman – Khadija – 15 years
his senior
Age 25: accepted offer to marry
Khadija
Sired six children; only one
daughter – Fatimah – had children
of her own
Age 40: Revelation begins
Arabia
Mecca


Mecca was the center of a
booming pilgrimage industry,
with much of the local
economy reliant on
worshippers traveling to the
city to pray to the gods at a
religious shrine known as the
Ka’aba
When Muhammad began
teaching against those gods in
favor of Allah, or the one true
God, local leaders began to
see him as a threat
The Hijra (Hegira)
 Muhammad
and
his followers
were forced to
flee from Mecca
to the town of
Yathrib (Medina)
in 622 AD to
avoid
assassination
and religious
persecution
The Development of Islam
Early persecution by Meccans
 Year 619: wife and uncle both die
 Year 622: Hijrah - migration to Yathrib (Medina = “City of
the Prophet”) (year 1 AH)
 Success in Medina, defense against Meccan attacks
 Year 630: Reclaiming of Mecca
 Year 632: first Muslim pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, led by
Muhammad who died a few months later, having united the
Arab tribes under the banner of Islam
 Within 100 years, spread east toward India and west into
north Africa and Spain

The Death of Muhammad
Died in 632, just
months after
delivering his
“Farewell Sermon”
 Buried in Medina
 Tomb next to him
remains empty,
awaiting the return of
the prophet Jesus

What do Muslims Believe?
One God (Allah)
 Spiritual beings:



Prophets & Messengers:


Angels, Jinn and the Devil (“Iblis,” “Shaitan”)
Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad…
Holy Books:

Torah, Psalms, Gospels, Qur’an
Decrements (destiny) – Inshallah (“if God wills”)
 End Times (eschatology)


Resurrection, Judgment day, Heaven & Hell
What is the Qur’an?
Holy book of Islam
 Revealed to Muhammad by God through angel Gabriel
 Written piecemeal by scribes during or shortly after
Muhammad’s life
 Compiled as a whole about 20 years after Muhammad’s
death
 Comprised of 114 chapters (called surahs)
Other Sources: Hadith and Sunnah (stories, sayings, and
traditions of Muhammad)



Qur’an + Hadith and Sunnah = Shariah (Islamic Law)
The Qu’ran (Koran)
Islam as a Way of Life
Shariah (Islamic Law)
 Based on Qur’an + Hadith and Sunnah
 Concerned with preserving human dignity through five
principles:
 preservation of life
 preservation of progeny (family)
 preservation of intellect (education)
 preservation of wealth (property)
 preservation of religion
 not just for the individual but for the society
The Five Pillars

Shahada – Witness:

“There is no God but The God (Allah) and
Muhammad is the Prophet of God
Salat – Prayer, five times every day
 Zakat – alms giving to the poor and needy
 Sawm – fasting, sun-up to sun-down during month
of Ramadan
 Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once in a
Muslim’s life, if able)

The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Shahada





Profession of faith
“There is no god but Allah
and Muhammad is his
prophet”
Prohibits images of
religious figures
Places limitations on the
creation of an organized
central “church”
Should be the first and
last things one hears in
life
2. Salat
Daily prayer
 5 times a day at set
times (dawn, noon,
mid-afternoon,
sunset, nightfall)
 Must face in the
direction of Mecca
 Prayer has a specific
pattern to how it
should be performed

Prayer Rug with Compass
What is a Mosque?







A place for prayer, study, socializing
No shoes in prayer hall
Women cover head, separate from men
Wudu room for ritual cleansing before prayer
Minaret for call to prayer (Adhaan)
Prayer hall oriented toward Mecca
(qibla)
Imam (prayer leader) stands in mirahb
(niche)
Mosque = Muslim house of worship
3. Zakat
Give alms to the poor
 Purifies wealth
 Creates dependable
means of caring for
the needy
 Not as burdensome
as the Christian tithe
(2.5% vs. 10%), does
not go to the “church”
but to the needy!

4. Siyam (Sawm)




Fast (no food, drink, or
sex) from sunup to
sundown during the
month of Ramadan
Renews spirit, brings one
closer to Allah
Teaches self-discipline,
sense of community
Not required for certain
groups (children,
pregnant or nursing
women, the ill)
5. Hajj
A pilgrimage to Mecca
 Should be undertaken
at least once in a
Muslim’s lifetime
 May be excused if it is
unaffordable or if the
Muslim is not
physically capable

The Ka’aba





Older than Islam
Supposedly first built
by Abraham
Eastern corner houses
“the Black Stone”
Covered in black silk
with gold Shahada
Entrance to interior is
strictly limited
Prohibitions
Halal (permissible) and Haram (prohibited)
 No eating of pork (other dietary regulations =
halal)
 No gambling
 No intoxicants
 No fornication (homosexuality, adultery,
prostitution, etc.)
 No usury (charging or paying interest on loans)
(the rich shall not profit from helping the poor)
Who are Muslims?
More than one billion Muslims in the world today
 Two major groups:



Sunni: 80% in many locations throughout the world
Shi’ite: 15%, mostly in Iran
Difference is political, basic beliefs and practices
are the same
 Sufis are Muslim mystics, come from both Sunni
and Shi’ite backgrounds
 Most Muslims are not Arab and not all Arabs are
Muslim

Islam broke into two major
branches: Sunnis & Shiites
Sunni v. Shia
Sunnis …
 Believe that any
devout Muslim can be
the spiritual leader of
the Islamic people
 Almost 90% of
modern Muslims

Shiites …
 Believe that only a
descendant of
Muhammad is
qualified to be the
spiritual leader of
Islam
 Less than 10%,
mostly in Iran
