 Islam began in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula in the 600s AD.  Muhammad began to hear the voice of the angel Gabriel, calling on him to tell the word of God to the people.  He said they needed to rededicate themselves to the worship of only one God, who he called Allah

 “Muslim” means “ones who submit” to the will of God  Muhammad became a political and religious leader  In 622 AD, Muhammad’s fled from Mecca to Medina. Muhammad’s teachings were not well received in Mecca, which ironically became the most holy of cities to the religion of Islam.

 Together with Judaism & Christianity, Islam traces its roots to the prophet and patriarch Abraham  Muhammad was descended from Abraham’s first son Ishmael  Jews descended from Abraham’s son Isaac (Moses)  Christianity - also from Isaac (Jesus)

 Muslims believe there is only one God  They view Muhammad as his final prophet  After Muhammad’s death in 632 AD, his followers collected his teachings into the Koran  Much of the Old and New Testaments are included in the Koran, so Muslims see the Koran and Islam as the final and complete word of God.

 For Muslims, the Koran offers a handbook for leading a respectable life  Some Muslim countries base their legal code on the Koran, a system known as shariah law

1. Shahada – belief that “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet” 2. Salat – praying five times a day facing the direction of Mecca. Also on Fridays, Muslims are expected to attend noon prayers at a mosque 3. Zakat – charity to the poor 4. Sawm – no eating or drinking during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar 5. Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca sometime during one’s lifetime

 Vegetables and fish are permitted  Pork is strictly forbidden  Lamb, beef, chicken & turkey are allowed as long as the animals are slaughtered according to certain guidelines  Alcohol is strictly forbidden

 Sunni – believe that Muslim leadership can be passed to caliphs elected from within Muhammad’s tribe (about 80%)  Shia – believe that leadership was restricted to descendants from Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali (about 20%)

 Caliph – Muslim leader  Mosque – Muslim house of worship  Jihad – holy war  Hijrah – “migration”. Refers specifically to Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina

Branches  SUNNI  Caliph should be elected from anyone capable  Consider Shiites as Muslims  Believe decisions have a more governmental view and not strictly based on the Quran  Leader of the past – Saddam Hussein  SHIA  Caliph should be a direct descendant of Mohammad (Fatima)  Consider Sunnis as Muslims  Believe every decision should be based on the Quran  Leader of the past – Ayatollah Khomeini