Download The Story of Islam

The Story of
Islam
Islam in Canada
 Islam
is one of the fastest-growing religious
groups in Canada
 Much of this growth is due to immigration
 Canadian Muslims come from all over the
world – India, Pakistan, the Middle East (a
total of over 50 nations)
 Most Muslims in Canada live in big cities
 Muslims have been portrayed negatively in
the media and some find discrimination to
be a challenge for them
History of Islam







Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the world
Muslims come from many different cultures
Only about 15-20% of Muslims are Arab
Over 22 million people in China are Muslim
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population (over
half of the world’s Muslim population live in SE Asia)
The greatest prophet of Islam was Muhammad,
although many earlier prophets are shared with
Judaism and Christianity
Muslims trace their ancestry to the prophet Abraham
Abraham
 According
to both the Qur’an and the Old
Testament, Abraham had a son with Hagar
before Isaac.
 This son, Ishmael, returned to Arabia with his
mother
 The House of God (Kaaba) in Mecca is said to
have been built by Abraham
Muhammad
 Born
in 570 CE in Mecca
 The Kaaba had been taken
over by polytheists and
filled with idols
 Muhammad never
accepted polytheism
 Had a revelation from God
starting in 610 CE
 These words were written
down as the Qur’an
Muhammad, cont’d








His revelations were not well received in Mecca
Business in Mecca relied on visitors to the Kaaba
Muhammad’s experiences included his Night Journey
when he visited heaven and met God
Ascended to heaven from the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem (connect to Judaism and Christianity)
He eventually fled to Medina (622 CE, “hijra”)
He assembled an army of supporters, who marched
on Mecca in 628 CE
Mecca accepted Islam and Muhammad reclaimed
the Kaaba for the one God
Before his death, Muhammad instituted the hajj
(pilgrimage) and emphasized Muslim equality
Islam after Muhammad
 After
Muhammad’s death, Islam spread quickly
– for 2 main reasons:
 The message was simple and easy to teach
 At times, it was spread through conquest
 Within the first 100 years, it spread as far west as
Spain and east to India and SE Asia
 People could not agree on who should spread
Islam (descendants of Muhammad?)
 This led to the development of 2 groups
Sunni and Shi’a
 Sunni
Muslims make up the vast majority of
Muslims in the world (almost 90%)
 Shi’ite Muslims believe that the leaders should
be blood relatives of Muhammad
 Today the main differences between the two
groups are:
 Sunnis believe that individuals have a direct
relationship with God (no need for a leader or
mediator)
 Shi’ites put a much greater emphasis on
human leadership