THE
TEACHINGS
OF
ISLAM
Essential Question:
What are the major
teachings of Islam?
ISLAM’S ORIGIN
Islam is a religion
that was founded
in the early 600s
in Arabia
(present-day
Saudi Arabia)
ISLAM’S ORIGIN
An Arabian named
Muhammad was
inspired to become
a prophet after a
vision of the angel
Gabriel told him he
was sent to Earth
by God to do so
The new religion
he invented would
be called Islam and
his followers called
Muslims
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
Muslims
(as well as
Jews and
Christians)
all trace
their
origins
back to
Abraham,
who was
the “father
of the
Hebrews”
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
According to Muslim belief, the words of the angel
Gabriel to Muhammad are what makes up the
Qur’an, which is Islam’s holy book
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
Muslims believe that the Jews’ Torah and the Christians’
Bible are also God’s word, but they believe that the
Qur’an is God’s FINAL revelation to the world, showing
the way God wants people to behave and worship
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
Because the Muslims
respect parts of the
Bible and Torah, they
consider Christians
and Jews “People of
the Book”
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
Islam is
monotheistic,
worshipping only
one God (the
same God of
Judaism and
Christianity)
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
BELIEFS OF ISLAM
The rules and guidelines
Muslims go by in regards to
their religious practices are
called the Five Pillars of Islam
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH
The First Pillar is called shahadah, or “profession of
faith”, in which Muslims declare their belief in one
God and in Muhammad’s role as the final prophet
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH
“There is no god but God, and
Muhammad is the messenger of God”
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH
Shahadah means Muslims not
only believe in God (or
“Allah”), but pledge their
submission to God to gain the
reward of Heaven in the
afterlife
Muslims share the same
Judeo-Christian belief that God
rewards good people with
Heaven and punishes evil
people with Hell
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAH
The Second Pillar is Salah, which
means “daily ritual prayer”;
prayer must be done five times
per day (dawn, noon, midday,
sunset, and at night)
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAH
Before praying,
Muslims must perform
ritual washings of
their hands, arms,
face, and feet
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAH
Muslim places of
worship are called
mosques; however,
Muslims may worship
anywhere
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAH
Wherever they are in the world, Muslims face in the
direction of Mecca when they pray
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: ZAKAT
The Third Pillar is “zakat”,
which means “almsgiving”; this is giving
money to the poor
Muslims believe sharing
wealth makes it pure and
helps control greed
Zakat is similar to the
charitable donations
made by Jews and
Christians to support
their communities
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: ZAKAT
According to Islam, Muslims must donate one-fortieth
(or 2.5%) of their income with their poorer neighbors
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM
The Fourth Pillar is
Siyam, or fasting
(going without food)
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM
Muslims fast during the month
of Ramadan, the ninth month of
the Muslim calendar
Ramadan honors the month
Gabriel revealed God’s message
to Muhammad
Muslims go without food or
drink from sunrise to sunset,
then attend special prayer
sessions at mosques
Fasting teaches them self-control
and reminds them of what it
would be like to be poor
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM
Ramadan ends
with a
celebration
feast day called
Eid al-Fitr
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ
The Fifth Pillar is “hajj”, which is a pilgrimage to the
city of Mecca; every 12 months in the Islamic
calendar, millions of Muslims gather at Mecca
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ
Part of the five days of rituals is circling the Ka’aba seven times
while conducting prayers and dressed in simple white clothing
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ
The purpose of the hajj is
to promote fellowship and
equality as Muslims from
many countries around
the world meet in Mecca
They honor Abraham
(who they believe built
the Ka’aba) and
Muhammad and partake
in four days of feasts
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ
All adult Muslims who are able to are expected to
make the hajj once in their lifetime
JIHAD
“Jihad” means
“to struggle”
Early Muslims
considered battles
to defend their
territory and
expand their
empire to be a
form of jihad
JIHAD
Muhammad declared
that fighting with
enemies was “lesser
jihad”, while the battle
to control oneself was
the “greater jihad”
JIHAD
Unfortunately, many
extremist Muslims
today see jihad as a
battle against any nonMuslims (“nonbelievers”) and use
violence to achieve
their goals
SHARI’A LAW
Islamic law is shari’a, or
“path to be followed”
The Qu’ran gives
Muslims their duties to
God, while caliphs
served as judges in
disputes
Shari’a law grew as the Muslims’ empire expanded,
providing a guide for Muslim life
SHARI’A LAW
Shari’a law encourages
some behaviors, while
forbidding others, such
as eating pork, drinking
alcohol, or gambling
Shari’a also commands
women to “not show
their beauty”, so many
Muslim women cover
themselves to one
degree or another
Islam’s “Crescent Moon and Star” symbol;
there are several theories about what it means
One is that the points
of the Moon cover the
ends of the Earth and
the five points of the
Star represent the Five
Pillars of Islam
Closure Activity: Review Quiz
Closure Activity: Review Quiz
Closure Activity: Review Quiz

Originally created by
Christopher Jaskowiak