1. ISLAM

2. EARLY BEGINNINGS A prophet named Muhammad was born in 570 A.D.
He was orphaned at age 6 and raised by an uncle and grandfather
Muhammad’s uncle was a trader and Muhammad went with him on his travels
Muhammad grew to dislike the traditional worship of the tribes people
Muhammad met Jews and Christians who worshipped one God and he grew to respect them and their beliefs

3. Muhammad the Prophet
At age 40 Muhammad was meditating on Mt Hira near Mecca
Muhammad heard a voice say, “ You are the Messenger of God.”
Muhammad believed that God spoke to him through the angel Gabriel
He then began preaching that there is only one God named Allah and all other gods must be rejected

4. MEDINA: CITY OF THE PROPHET
Some people in Mecca did not like Muhammad speaking against the long held traditions
They threatened to kill Muhammad
In 622 AD Muhammad moved north to Medina with his followers
This date marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar
In Medina Muhammad laid the foundation of the Islamic faith
Islam means “peace through the submission to the will of God”
A Muslim is one who believes in Islam

5. RETURN TO MECCA In 630 AD Muhammad returned to Mecca
He had 10,000 followers with him
He was able to capture Mecca without much resistance
Mecca became the center of the Muslim world

6. THE KA’ABA
It is a holy shrine believed to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael as an altar to God
It is located in the center of Mecca
Upon his return, Muhammad reclaimed the shrine
He cleaned it and rededicated it to Allah
It is the center of Islam to this day
It is the place of the annual pilgrimage and direction of prayer for Muslims from all corners of the globe

7. MUHAMMAD’S DEATH In 632 AD Muhammad lead a pilgrimage to Mecca
He gave his final speech here
He urged kindness and respect towards others; especially women
Muhammad died shortly after this speech
He is buried in Medina

8. SPREAD OF ISLAM
Between 636 and 639 AD Muslims conquered and converted many countries around them
These included Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Mesopotamia
In less than 50 years the Muslim borders were from Spain to China
This was half of the known civilized world at that time
Muslims were tolerant of existing religions
Especially monotheistic religions like Judaism and Christianity
Muslims did not try to force others to convert to Islam

9. QUR’AN The Qur’an is the Muslim holy book
It is a code that tells how to live your life so you can have a place in heaven
It is believed that Muhammad’s speeches were messages from God
Muhammad could not write; so at first the messages were given orally
After Muhammad’s death his followers wrote down his words in Arabic
This became the first written form of the Qur’an
It has 114 chapters called surahs

10. BELIEFS There is no other God but Allah Muhammad is his prophet
God is all powerful and all knowing
There is a Judgment Day where one’s soul will enter heaven or hell depending on how one lived their life
Muhammad is the last in a line of prophets which include Abraham and Jesus

11. 3. Alms-Give to the poor and needy
PRACTICES
Five Pillars
These are the 5 duties all Muslims must perform to demonstrate their submission to the will of God
Faith- Believe and say, “There is not God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet”
Prayer- Pray in Arabic five times a day, at specific times, and facing Mecca
3. Alms-Give to the poor and needy
4. Fasting- Fast during the month of Ramadan each year, avoiding all food and beverages between sunrise and sunset
5. Hajj- If possible, make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca once during a lifetime

12. MUSLIM COMMUNITY SPLITS
The Muslim community splits over how to choose a leader after Muhammad died
There are two main Sects:
Sunni’s- 90%-believe any Muslim who follows Muhammad's example may be ruler
Shiites-10%- believe only a descendant of Muhammad and Ali ( Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law) may be a ruler
The division between the Sunni and the Shiites continues to cause conflict in the Muslim world today

13. FACTS Islam is the second largest world religion
It is the fastest growing religion
There are 1.2 billion Muslims today
There are 43 countries with Muslim-majority populations