Islam

Mr. Davis

Spring 2013

Muhammad

• Born into an important family in Mecca in 570 C.E.

• Managed a caravan business

• At age 25, Married Khadijah.

Becoming a Prophet

• When Muhammad was 40, he went to meditate in a cave.

• An angel spoke to him.

• Muslims believe that God spoke to Muhammad through the angel.

Being Muslim

• The messages Muhammad received is the basis of Islam.

• In Arabic, Islam means “to submit to God.”

• Followers of Islam are called Muslim.

Muhammad’s Teachings

• Follower’s memorized his messages

• After his death they collected them and wrote them down to form a book called The Qur’an.

• The Qur’an also gives guidelines for worship is in Mosque, moral behavior, and social life.

Five Pillars of Islam

1. Shahadah: There is no god, but God, and Muhammad is his prophet.

2. Salah: Pray five times a day.

3. Zakat: Give to the poor.

4. Saum: Fasting.

5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca

Islamic Law

• Sunnah: examples of Muhammad’s actions and teachings, basic rules about how to treat others.

• The Qur’an and Sunnah form the basis for the Islamic law, called Shariah.

• Islamic law is not found in one book. Instead, it is a set of opinions and writings.

Sunni vs. Shia• Caliph: a title that Muslims use for the

highest leader of Islam. In Arabic, it means successor.

• Shia: Muslims who thought that only Muhammad’s descendents could be caliphs.

• Sunni: Muslims who thought a caliph did not have to be a descendent of Muhammad.

Ramadan

• Ninth month of the Islamic calendar

• A time of worship and contemplation.

• Every Muslim is expected to fast from sunrise to sunset. They get up before dawn and have a light meal.

• Ramadan concludes with Eid-ul-Fitr. It’s the breaking of fasting at the end of Ramadan. It lasts three days.

Dhu Al-Hijja

• The month of pilgrimage during which all Muslims, at least once in their life, should try to make to Mecca.