Islam Notes
These will go on page 25 of you IN
Muslims pray at a Mosque
Religious leaders are called Caliphs, or Imams
Holy text is the Qur’an, or Koran
Symbol is the Crescent Moon
Islamic Beliefs and Practices
Page 174-177
Origins of Islam
The Prophet Muhammad was an Arab born in 570
CE, in Mecca, which is in present-day Saudi Arabia.
He was a merchant known as “al-Amin,” the
trustworthy one.
According to Islamic tradition, in 610 CE, while he
was praying in a cave, he had a vision of the angle
Gabriel, a figure in the Hebrew Bible.
The angle gave him messages from God, called Allah
in Arabic.
 Muhammad taught that Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus were each prophets, but that Jews
and Christians had misunderstood their
teachings.
Many of the poor who heard Muhammad’s
message accepted it because he called for
social justice and equality.
A great number of powerful leaders and rich
merchants, however, rejected
Muhammad's message.
They saw him has a threat to their
economic security.
 Before 700 CE, Muhammad’s followers were fighting over his
successor.
 The fight split Muslims into the Shi’a and the Sunni.
 The Shi’a comprise 10% - 15% of Islamic followers today and
Sunni comprise close to 90%.
 Sunni – Orthodox Muslim who accepts the traditional teachings of
the Koran and the authority of the descendants of
Caliph Ali.
 They believe that the Caliph (leader of Islam) does not have to be a
blood relative
of
Muhammad.
 Shi’a (Shiite) – A Muslim
who rejects the
authority of the
religious leaders
who succeeded
Muhammad’s
sonin-law Ali & the
Caliph must
be a
blood relative.
Qu’ran
• Muhammad’s followers
memorized his messages
and his words and deeds.
• After his death,
Muhammad’s followers
collected his teachings and
wrote them down in a book
called the Qu’ran.
• What are the holy books of
the other two major
religions?
Beliefs
• The central teaching of Islam is that there is only
one god named Allah and that Muhammad is his
prophet. (What is a prophet?)
• Islam teaches that the world has a definite
beginning and will end one day and on that final
day God will judge all people.
• Muslims believe that the people who have
obeyed orders will live a life in paradise, which is
a place full of fine food and drink.
• People who have not obeyed will suffer.
Crazy Fact
• “A rat can last longer without water then a
camel!”
Guidelines for Behavior
• The Qu’ran guides worship, moral behavior and
rules for social life. (What are some examples
of social life?)
• The Qur’an has EXPLICIT rules: (what does this
mean?)
• How must Muslim people worship?
• What can’t Muslims eat?
• The Qur’an also has IMPLICIT rules (what does
this mean?)
Jihad
• What is Jihad?
• Jihad is an interal struggle that people must go
through while trying to obey God and
behaving in Islamic ways.
Joke time…
• Where do you find a turtle with no legs?
• Right where you left him!!!
Sunnah
• Muslims also study the hadith, which is the
written record of Muhammad’s words and
actions.
• The hadith is also the basis of the Sunnah.
• The Sunnah refers to the way Muhammad
lived, which provides a model for the duties
and the way of life expected of Muslims.
• This guides Muslim behavior.
Five Pillars
• The Five Pillars are five acts of worship that
are required of all Muslims.
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
How many legs does this elephant
have?
Islamic Law
• The Qur’an and the Sunnah
are important guides for how
Muslims live.
• These guides form the basis
of Islamic law, or Shariah.
• The Shariah judges the
rightness of a persons
actions. All of these actions
fall on a scale ranging from
required to forbidden.
What colors are the dots?