Muslim Religion (Islam)

Basic Facts They consider Allah the supreme being. One of the fastest growing religions. (Nearly 1.57 billion Muslims world wide. Approximately 23% of the world) Muhammad is their prophet, he founded Islam.

“Allah” written in Arabic calligraphy

Branches of Islam Sunni’s – The Sunni’s are the more dominant of the two branches. This branch makes up roughly 80% of the Muslim population. Sunni’s are mostly found in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sunni’s are considered to be more conservative.

Branches Of Muslim Religion (cont.) Shi’ites – Make up 16% of the Muslim population. They are mostly found in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and parts of Africa. Shi’ites are considered to be more of fundamentalists. Both branches believe in Jihad (holy war) however, both have different interpretations of what Jihad actually is. Sunni’s consider Jihad to be a spiritual war, as opposed to Shi’ites who see it as literal.

Six Articles of Faith There are 6 different categories, in which all Muslims share the same beliefs. 1.God 2.Angels 3.Scriptures 4.Prophets 5.Resurrection 6.Divine Creed

God Muslims believe there is one supreme entity. They believe he alone is the creator of all.

Angels Muslims believe in angels and each of their angels has a different purpose. Kiraaman and Katibeen – to record the actions of human beings (Kiraaman records good deeds, Katibeen records bad deeds) Azrael – the angel of death. Takes a persons soul from their body after death.

Scriptures They believe in all four books; the Torah (Moses), the Psalms (David), the Gospel (Jesus), and the Qur’an (Muhammad) However they believe that the Qur’an is the only one that will never be changed because Allah himself has taken on the roll of guarding it.

Prophets Muslims are obligated to believe in all messengers from Adam to Muhammad without discrimination.

Resurrection It is believed that one day the world will come to and end and on that day every individual soul will be held accountable for what they have done in their lives. This day is known as the Day of Judgment. Innocent souls will stay in heaven, and corrupted souls will be sent to hell.

Divine Creed Muslims believe that everything that has happened or has yet to happen was already predetermined by Allah. He knows all and has no limitations.

Mosques Muslims go to mosques to perform Salat (prayers). The Blue Mosque in Mazar-i- Sharif

Ka’aba

Ka’aba (Cont.) The Ka’aba is the most sacred place in Muslim religion. It is located in Mecca which is one of the most religious cities in Saudi Arabia. It is a large cube that is believed to have been placed there by Ibrahim (Abraham) to reflect the heavens. All Muslims pray facing the Ka’aba no matter where they are geographically.

Muslim Prayer

Bibliography t9.htm t9.htm gion/islam/beliefs.htm gion/islam/beliefs.htm muslim-islamic-quran.htm muslim-islamic-quran.htm a-religion/prayers-and-mosque a-religion/prayers-and-mosque