Islam By: Joe, Jason, Brendan, Steven, and Chris

General Information ۞Islam is one of the youngest and fastest growing religions ۞There are 5 pillars to Islam: Declaration, Prayer, Fasting, Giving to the Poor, and Pilgramage. ۞Contrary to popular thought in the West, Jihad is not actually a pillar. ۞The Qur’an is their holy book similar to the Bible or Torah. ۞Second largest religion in the World behind Christianity. ۞Second largest religion in the UK. ۞There are approximately 1.4 billion Muslims in the World. ۞France has the largest amount of Muslims on the West.

Elements of Culture System of Government- Run by wealthy families or by the army Economy- Large deposits of petroleum Language- Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Literature and Art- Literature began 1,500 years ago in the Qur’an. Technology- Camels and mud huts were replaced by cars and steel enforced buildings and urbanization. Customs- Strong family ties and traditional belief system.

Religious Sects Sunni- Largest group of Islam. Sunnis believe that Muhammad is a perfect example to follow, and that they must imitate the words and actions of Muhammad as accurately as possible Shi’a- Secon largest branch. They honor different accounts of Muhammad and have their own legal traditions. A HUGE difference between both sects is that the Shi’a believe that a leader should be a natural descendent of Muhammad rather than a system of electing or choosing a leader. Sufism. Mystical form of Islam followed by both Sunni and Shi’a. Focus more on the internal and spiritual aspects of Islam.

 Basic Beliefs ۞Monotheistic religion, believed that the Qur’an was sent by God and interpreted by Muhammad. ۞Muhammad was God’s final prophet ۞Believe that the Qur’an is flawless, and it is the final revelation of God to humanity ۞Believe that Christians and Jews distorted the word of God after it was revealed to them ۞When Muslims refer to the Qur’an they are referring to the words rather than the actual text. ۞Muslims believe that the Qur’an is on perfect if recited in Arabic, otherwise it is commentary of the Qur’an or interpretations of what is really is

Jihad ‡A Jihad is a wide variety of things. Anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle. ‡It is mainly used to say a “holy war” through the military ‡A person is considered a Mujahid or a Jihadist if they participate in such activities ‡In the West it is referred to mainly as a terrorist group as part of the War on Terror (which is completely wrong) ‡It can be over such things as memorization of the Qur’an

5 Pillars of Islam »Shahahada- “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Is the most important pillar and is the foundation of Islamic religion. Children are taught to recite as soon as they can. »Salat- Muslims must perform 5 daily prayers. It is a reminder to do good and strive for greater causes as well as a restraint from harmful deeds. »Zakat- Giving of charity. Personal responsibility to ease economic hardship and eliminate inequality. »Sawm- An obligatory action of fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk. It is supposed to bring nearness to God as well to remind them to think of the poor. »Hajj- A pilgrimage to Mecca. Is only supposed to be done by the physically and financially able. Must be done at least once in a lifetime.

Islamic Law & Traditions אQur’an is basis for all law אSharia is second to the Qur’an in all legal power אAll aspects of life are covered in the Sharia אIslamic law prohibits a Muslim from drinking alcohol, eating or drinking blood or it by-products and eating the meat of a carnivore or omnivore. (domestic animals) אFor the meat of a land animal to be eaten, it must be slaughtered by a Muslims or a Person of the Book (Christian or Jew), while mentioning the name of God SYMBOLISM FOR ISLAM ƒMuslims do not accept any official symbol because they believe it goes against the monotheistic teachings ƒMany people believe that a star and crescent are the symbol for Islam but it is really an insignia for the Ottoman Empire