Beliefs, Customs, and Traditions of Islam

Pre-Islamic Arabs -Nomadic, Semitic-speaking people originated in harsh, arid climate of the Arabian Peninsula organized into tribes and were led by a sheikh who was chosen from a council of elders The tribes were independent, but worked together; sometimes fought over scarce resources culture valued oral language; poetry, storytelling

Pre-Islamic Arabs: Trade -Arabian Peninsula= important center for trade -Mecca- rich from the traffic of the caravan trade -Domestication of camels allowed trade routes through desert -Merchants became rich from the caravan trade; poor people of the area suffered

الله Pre-Islamic Religion -Before Muhammad, Bedouin tribes were polytheistic -Each tribe had its own chief or supreme god, “Allah”, who was represented by a sacred stone الله -”Allah”= Arabic for “God” -one central stone, the black stone, was placed in a shrine called the Ka’aba, (الكعبة) located in the city of Mecca

Pre-Islamic Religion: Mecca Mecca= important trading and religious center before birth of Muhammad Tribes visited the Kaa’ba in Mecca to worship their idols Kaa’ba= Arabic for ‘cube’ Muslims believe Kaa’ba was originally built by Abraham, who is believed to be the father of Ishmael from whom Muslims are descended

Origins of Islam Islam- founded by Muhammad Muhammad: -born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) to merchant family -orphaned as a child; raised by merchant uncle -became caravan manager -had contact with different people and ideas, e.g. Jews, Christians Muhammad in Arabic Calligraphy

Origins of Islam -Muhammad married an older widow named Khadija; a highly successful businesswoman -Was happy, but over time Muhammad became troubled by corruption of townspeople -Decided to visit the hills to meditate -Muslims believe that while meditating he received revelations from God through the angel Gabriel

Muhammad’s Revelations -Muslims believe the angel Gabriel told Muhammad to recite what he heard -was believed that Allah had already revealed himself through Moses and Jesus, but now had a final revelation for man -This final revelation became the religion of Islam Islam = submission to the will of God

After the Revelation Muhammad’s revelations were rejected in Mecca and he fled with some of his followers to Medina This flight to Medina is known as the “hijra”; which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar In Medina he was accepted and gained more followers, who became known as “Muslims” or followers of the Islamic faith

After the Revelation He and his followers later returned to Mecca and destroyed the idols at the Kaa’ba. The Kaa’ba then became the most holy site for Muslims Muslims= followers of Islam

القرآن The Qu’ran - Muhammad’s revelations were recorded by scribes; became known as The Qur’an, the holy book of Islam Qu’ran = Arabic for “the recitation” The Qu’ran contains ethical guidelines and laws by which Muslims should live their lives.

القرآن The Qu’ran -Written in Arabic; the Qu’ran is only considered to be true when it is written in its original language -Translations are thought to lose the true meaning of the original words which are believed to be a direct revelation from God The Muslim observance of Ramadan commemorates the recording of the holy text

What do the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have in common? They are monotheistic Abraham is the father of monotheism, descendants founded Islam They developed in roughly the same geographic region Jerusalem is a sacred city They have a moral code They have sacred texts establishing the principles of their religion

The Teachings of Muhammad -Muslims do not believe the Muhammad was divine, they believe that he was a man Islam: -is monotheistic, although seen not just as a religion, but as a way of life -teaches a belief in an afterlife, and those who hope to achieve this afterlife must submit to the will of Allah

In order to obey the will of Allah, Muslims believe they must follow the five major principles of Islam known as the Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam 1. Declaration of Faith Muslims must state that there is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet 2. Daily Prayer Muslims must pray five times a day facing Mecca pre-dawn noon afternoon sunset evening

The Five Pillars of Islam 3. Charity Muslims are supposed to help others and donate part of their income to charity 4. Fasting during Ramadan Muslims must fast from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan which celebrates the recording of the Qu’ran

The Five Pillars of Islam 5. Pilgrimage: Hajj At least once in a lifetime, if they are physically and financially able, Muslims must journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and perform the rituals of the Hajj

Facts about Islam Qur’an (Koran)-Holy book of Islam Minaret Qur’an (Koran)-Holy book of Islam Muslim- A follower of Islam Mosque- A Muslim place of worship Minarets- The towers located on a mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.

Islamic Law After the death of Muhammad there were further interpretations of his teachings. These are known as the Hadith. There are different versions of the Hadith for different branches of Islam. These teachings were further interpreted in the Shari’ah. This is a set of laws which regulate many aspects of Muslim life. It does not separate between church and state and covers family life, business, government, and moral conduct. Muslims are expected to practice honesty and justice in dealing with others and are forbidden to gamble, eat pork, drink alcohol, or engage in dishonest behavior.

Muslims believe that Jesus, Abraham and Moses were prophets even though they were Christian and Hebrew leaders. Prophets are people whom God has spoken to. Muslims believe that God spoke to Jesus, Abraham and Moses but that Muhammad was the last person that God spoke to. Language of Islam: Arabic Muslims do not believe in showing living things in art: they use Calligraphy

The Five Pillars of Islam are: The Beliefs, Customs and Traditions of Islam 1. In what way does Abraham connect the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam? 2. What is the Qu’ran (also spelled Koran)? 3. What is the name of God in Arabic? The Five Pillars of Islam are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. Who was the founder of Islam? 6. Where do Muslims worship?

What is the Kaa’ba? What is its significance? What religion was practiced before Islam? What three cities are most important for Muslims? Describe the events that took place after Muhammad’s revelations: