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Islam
Honors World History
NE SS Standard 12.2.6
Origin of Islam
• It all started with Muhammad, whom the
Muslims believe was the last messenger of their
god, Allah.
• Mount Hira was the supposed site where he
received his first messages.
• The Koran(or the Qur'an), their holy book, was
supposedly revealed to Muhammad by Allah.
• He emigrated from Mecca with his followers to
Medina, this emigration was called the Hajira.
• In Medina, over time, he gained support and
military and political power.
Origin of Islam(Continued)
• Muhammad engaged in several battles for the city of Mecca.
• Muhammad slowly took over Mecca by cutting off trade
routes.
• This was done by converting surrounding tribes and unifying the
Tribes of Arabia.
• No images or artwork of Muhammad were made to prevent
having something equivalent to a saint or an idol.
• Shortly after his death there was a conflict over who should hold
leadership.
• The two denominations which came out were the Shi’ites and the
Sunnis.
• Shi’ites believed that a leader named Ali was the only rightful
leader they had.
• Sunnis believed that all of their leaders before their split were the
rightful rulers, following the tradition of Muhammad.
Beliefs
• They believe that Allah is the only God, and he is the same God of the
Christians and Jews.
• Believe that god might have sent messengers or prophets such as
Muhammad.
• They regard Jesus as a prophet, not as their god.
• As well they state that their purpose of existence is to praise Allah
• They believe that Allah is omnipotent, and there is such a thing as
predestination.
Practices
• The Five Pillars of Islam:
1. Testimony: Basically having faith and believing in Allah
2. Prayer: Prayers must be recited five times every day, whether it be at a
mosque(Their place of worship) or anywhere else as long as they pray
towards Mecca.
3. Fasting: Refraining from food or drink, not obligatory, but missed fasts
must be made up quickly.
4. Alms-Giving: For the wealthy, donating a fixed portion of their income
to the poor.
5. Pilgrimage: Each Muslim, if able, must make a hajj(pilgrimage to the
city of Mecca) and circle the Kaaba(Their most sacred site) seven times
and if possible, touch the stone in the center
Practices(Continued)
• Ramadan: A month of fasting meant to feel as the poor do,
also abstaining from smoking and other immoral activities.
No food or drink between sun-up and sun-down.
Current Statistics
• Islam is the second largest religion in the world.
• There are approximately 1.3 Billion adherents(followers) of
this religion around the world
• They make up approximately 21% of the world’s population
at a growth rate of 6.4%
• In the US they make up about 3 percent of our population,
about 9 million people.
Current Happenings
• Right now Countries with large Muslim populations in the Middle
East Have wars, civil rights movements, and demilitarization in effect.
• Israel is a particularly conflicted area which is fought amongst
Palestinians, Jews, and Muslims.
• Dislike of “Christian” nations such as the United States by
Arabic(which people think of when they think of Islam even though most of
the population that is Muslim is not Arabic.)of America derive from
extremists that burn the Koran, leading them to believe that their
government supports it, or something of the like.
• Similar dislikes from these “Christian” nations are as well derived from
extremists and/or stereotypes as well.
Additional Information
• The Dome of the rock is
a famous prayer space
for the Muslims located
in an area called the
“Noble Sanctuary” Which houses a black rock sacred to Muslims
• A jihad is a holy war, in which if a soldier dies he goes to paradise. In the
traditional sense that is.
• There are also other types of Jihads made for testing their faith or their
heart.
• The most common identifying symbol is a crescent moon with a star between
it’s points, but it is not necessarily their symbol.
Credits
Information:
www.wikipedia.com
www.answers.com
www.soundvision.com
Islam.about.com
Images:
www.Bing.com/images/