Islam

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Islam

• Unit Three

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Introduction

• Islam means submitting to God and a person
  following this religion is called a Muslim, one
  who submits to God and finds peace in Him
• Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel gave a
  series of revelations from God to Muhammad, the
  last prophet sent to humanity by God.
• Islam is the second largest and fastest growing
  religion in the world, with 1.2 billion
  believers.
• Over 50 countries have a population that is
  mostly Muslim.
• Over 650,000 Muslims live in Canada.

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At the end of this unit you should know..

• The origins of Islamic beliefs.
• Role and contributions of Muhammad.
• The origins of the Quran or Koran.
• Islamic beliefs, practices, festivals and
  rituals.
• Understand the significance of fasting and prayer
  to Muslims.
• The symbols of Islam.
• Key events in the development of Islam.
• Religious groups within Islam.
• The status of women in Islam.

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Origins

• Muslims believe the central figure in the
  emergence of the religion of Islam was the
  prophet Muhammad.
• Muhammad received direct revelations from God
  through the Angel Gabriel. With these revelations
  burned into his heart Muhammad led Arabia in
  belief in the oneness of God.
• Muslims regard Muhammad with great reverence and
  say peace be upon him whenever they mention his
  name.
• He was born in 570CE in Makkah (now Mecca). At
  the time people were divided into tribes, his
  being Quraysh, the most respected one.
• In the year 610, Muhammad had his encounter with
  Gabriel in a cave on Mount Hira. Gabriel embraced
  him and commanded him to read a passage and
  Muhammad responded that he couldnt or wouldnt.
  Gabriel insisted, and after three requests
  Muhammad agreed. This is what he read

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• Read! In the name of thy lord
• and cherisher, who
• Created man out of a mere clot of
• congealed blood
• Proclaim! And thy lord is most
• Bountiful.
• He who taught (the use of) the pen
• Taught man that which he knew not
• Quran 961-5

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• For the next 23 years Muhammad received a series
  of revelations. These were assembled to form the
  sacred text of Islam called the Quran (Koran).
• Muhammad began to preach these revelations and at
  first , few listened. Some even saw him as a
  threat and plotted to kill him. He continued his
  mission for 9 years until his wife died, followed
  soon after by the death of his uncle, in 619.
  This became known as the year of sorrow.
• With his life in danger, Muhammad fled to the
  city of Yathrib, now Medina. This is known as the
  Hijrah, which means migration.

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• Muslims believe that before leaving Makkah,
  Muhammad went through two special experiences.
• 1. The Night Journey involved Muhammad,
  accompanied by Gabriel, on a winged horse called
  the Buraq (lightning), travelling from Makkah to
  Jerusalem.
• 2. Upon arriving they ascended through the seven
  heavens. The Ascension is known as the Miraj.
• First heaven, they met Adam, second they met John
  and Jesus, then five more heavens where they met
  Joseph, Enoch, Aaron, Moses and lastly Abraham.
• Finally, Muhammad approached the Throne of God,
  coming within two bow lengths of God Himself.

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• After the hijrah, Muhammad established a Muslim
  community in the city of Medina (the city of the
  prophet).
• The Quraysh of Makkah were alarmed by this and
  offered Muhammad wealth, beautiful women and the
  absolute leadership of the Quraysh. When this
  failed they saw that the only alternative was to
  kill Muhammad.
• Jihad has been translated to mean Holy war, but
  actually it means striving. Muslims are called
  to strive to follow Gods commands.
• Three battles proved to be significant in the
  unification of Arabia, under the religion of
  Islam.

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• Battle of Badr Muhammads army of 313 defeats
  Makkahs army of 1000.
• Battle of Uhud Makkans return with an army of
  3000 to score a victory. Despite their victory
  they return home without going the extra three
  kilometers to sack Madinah.
• Battle of the Trench Makkans return with an
  army of 10,000. Muhammad orders a trench be built
  around the city. The Makkans are unable to take
  the city and return home.
• These battles solidified the position of Islam in
  Madinah.

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The Conquest of Makkah

• In 630CE, in what is commonly referred to as the
  conquest of Makkah, Muhammad led a group of
  10,000 into Makkah, with little opposition.
• The citizens of Makkah were assembled before him
  and Muhammad forgave them for their persecution
  of Muslims and told them they were all free.
• A major transformation took place the people now
  began to accept Muhammads teachings and he left
  without leaving a single soldier behind.
• In 632, Muhammad, along with 140,000 Muslims,
  visited Makkah to perform his last pilgrimage. He
  stopped at Mount Arafat and delivered what is
  known as his farewell sermon. Some of the
  things he said in this sermon are as follows

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• Believe in one God.
• Equality for everyone, no matter what race or
  class.
• The sanctity of life, honor and property.
• Better treatment of women.
• The Quran serves as the basis of law and human
  life.
• In this sermon Muhammad offered forgiveness for
  anyone who had done wrong and summarized the core
  of Islamic teaching.
• In June of 632 Muhammad died at the age of 63.

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Holy Places

• Mecca is the holiest city of the Muslim faith.
  Contained in its Mosque (Muslim holy place of
  worship) is the Kabah, which Muslims revere as
  the house of God.
• Every Muslims daily prayers are directed towards
  this cubical stone structure.

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• The second holiest city of Islam is Medina, where
  Muhammad took refuge and began his teachings.
• Called the city of the Prophet , it is the site
  of the first Mosque of Islam, known as the
  prophets Mosque.

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• The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the third
  holiest site in Islam.
• Muslims consider it the place where Muhammad
  ascended into heaven.
• It is also the place Muhammad visited on his
  night journey.
• With its obvious connection with Christianity and
  Judaism, Jerusalem is considered the holiest city
  in the world.

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Islamic Beliefs

• Muslim belief is summarized in their creed, which
  is called the Shahadah.
• This creed is the organizing principle around
  which all other beliefs are formed.
• There is no God but God and Muhammad is the
  Messenger of God.

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• Muslims believe Gods proper name is Allah.
• The belief in an omnipotent, omniscient and
  omnipresent God is central to the Muslim faith.
• Remember, the word Islam means submission to God!
  Islam is therefore not only a belief in one God
  but also a way of life.
• Muslims believe in equality between the body and
  soul, permitting a full enjoyment of all the good
  that God has created, while at the same time
  giving everyone duties towards God, such as daily
  prayer, fasting, charity, etc.
• They also believe in the universality of the
  call, without distinction of class, race or
  tongue. Only God is superior.

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The Day Of Judgment

• Muslims believe that everyone has a soul which
  after death moves on to an afterlife.
• Well-being in this world and well-being in the
  hereafter. A Muslim should not neglect one for
  the other.
• The body is reconfigured after death so that it
  may stand before God on the Day of Judgment. It
  is on this day that the soul is sent to Paradise
  or Hell.
• Paradise is described as beautiful and majestic.
  It is the reward for living a just life.
• Hell is described as a place of torment and
  anguish.
• You can avoid hell by sincerely submitting to God
  and obeying his commands.

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The Five Pillars of Islam

• The First Pillar Shahadah Declaration of
  Faith.
• Consists of two declarations, There is no God
  but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
• The Shahadah is Muslims announcement to the
  world that they sincerely believe in and follow
  the Quran.

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• The Second Pillar Salat Mandatory prayer five
  times a day.
• Prayer five times a day is mandatory before
  dawn, mid-day, late afternoon, after sunset and
  after dark.
• Muslims recite prayers and a series of movements
  as part of the salat.
• Prior to prayer a person must perform a ritual
  cleansing known as Wudu, which means making pure
  or radient.
• Sometimes the entire body has to be cleansed in a
  process known as ghusl, which is mandatory after
  sexual intercourse, menstruation, nocturnal
  emissions or childbirth.

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• The Third Pillar Zakat Mandatory alms giving.
• Paying the zakat alms is compliance to a divine
  injunction gladly performed by sincere Muslims
  for the sake of and in the name of God. It means
  to purify or increase
• Islamic law states that a person should give alms
  valued at 2.5 of their surplus wealth over the
  period of one year.

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• The Fourth Pillar of Islam Sawm Mandatory
  fasting.
• For the entire month of Ramadan Muslims are
  forbidden to eat, drink, smoke or have sexual
  relations from dawn until dusk.
• It is an act of worship where the Muslim
  community dedicates a month to considering the
  benevolence of God and abstaining from some of
  the pleasures of life in order to develop
  spiritual purity.
• Exceptions are made for those who are old, sick,
  or on a journey, as well as young children.

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• The Fifth Pillar of Islam Hajj Mandatory
  pilgrimage to Mecca.
• The Hajj is undertaken by any Muslim in the world
  who has the health and means to make the
  pilgrimage.
• The last day of the Hajj commemorates the day God
  asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismael at
  Mina. Pilgrims throw seven pebbles at three tall
  stone structures (called the jamraat) that
  represent satan.

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The Mosque

• Every Friday Muslims offer congregational prayers
  at the local Mosque. This is mandatory.
• Most Mosques have a dome and/or minaret (tower)
  from which the call to prayer is issued. They
  also have a steady supply of water to perform the
  wudu before prayer.
• Before entering, worshippers remove their shoes
  and pray on the floor which is covered with
  carpets. Women pray separately so both genders
  can avoid distractions.
• Prayers are led by an Iman, who speaks from an
  elevated platform called a minbar.
• Each mosque has a small arch on one wall that
  points to the Kabah. Called a mihrab, it
  provides a focal point for prayer.

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Festivals

• The Ramadan Fast during the month of Ramadan.
• Eid al-Fitr festival of the breaking of the
  fast, first day of the tenth month of the Islamic
  year.
• Eid-al-Adha tenth day of the twelfth month, it
  is the great festival of sacrifice.
• Milad ul-Nabi Muhammads birthday.
• Miraj celebrates the night journey, on the
  27th day of the seventh month.
• Islamic New Year first day of the first month.

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Early Life

• Muslims believe children are born free of sin.
  The child is pure with a natural inclination for
  goodness and virtue.
• After a child is born a ceremony called the Adhan
  is performed. The baby is washed, then the father
  whispers the call to prayer in the childs right
  ear and the Iqamah, the command to rise and
  worship, in the childs left ear.
• Seven days after the birth, a name-giving
  ceremony called the Aqiqah is performed. First
  the father reads from the Quran, then the
  childs name is announced. During the ceremony
  the childs hair is cut and its weight in silver
  is donated to the poor. Males are later
  circumcised in a hospital. (Khitan)
• Abdullah, which means servant of God or
  Abdur-Rahman, which means servant of the merciful
  one, are the names Muhammad said would be most
  pleasing to God. Muslims may choose one of these
  names, one from the list of 99 beautiful names
  that describe God or a family name.

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Marriage

• The hope of a Muslim union in marriage is a
  strong family, whose members seek to know and
  live the will of God.
• One controversial aspect of Islamic tradition is
  Polygamy, married to more than one person at the
  same time. Within the Islamic tradition,
  polygamous marriages can provide women with the
  opportunity to marry in societies where there are
  more women than men. It also provides an
  opportunity for widows to remarry.
• Muslims believe it is a sign of great tolerance
  and understanding for a woman to agree to share
  her husband with another woman. A man must first
  obtain the permission from his first wife before
  taking on a second.
• A Muslim man can marry up to four women.
• The vast majority of Muslim marriages are
  monogamous.

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Death

• Muslims hope that when they die they reach
  Paradise.
• Burial should preferably take place on the day
  the person died. The body is taken to the grave
  site, where mourners throw handfuls of earth into
  the grave while reciting chapters from the
  Quran. Three days of mourning is observed.
• Muslims believe the deceased is visited by two
  angels who question the person about his or her
  life, faith and good or evil deeds while on earth.

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Sacred Writings

• The holiest book in Islam is the Quran, which
  means recitation. It is usually chanted or read
  aloud. Muslims believe it contains, as revealed
  by Muhammad over 23 years, the word of God!
• Criticism of the Quran is not permitted at
  anytime.
• Muslims believe the angel Gabriel conveyed the
  Quran to Muhammad and therefore, to all
  humanity. Even translating it into another
  language is not considered the true word.
• The messages of the Quran were at first
  transmitted orally, but eventually a manuscript
  was prepared. All copies have to exactly like the
  original.

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• The Quran is made up of chapters called Surahs,
  which are named based on significant incidents or
  words from the text.
• Each Surah is made up of ayats or verses. It
  literally means signs and everyone, except for
  the ninth chapter, begin with In the name of
  Allah, the most compassionate, the most
  merciful.
• The Hadith or Sunnah is the second most important
  source of Islamic law. (Shariah)
• There are three kindssayings directly
  associated with Muhammad, an action or practice
  of Muhammad and his silent approval of someone
  elses actions.

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Islamic Sects

• Sunni approx. 855 of the worlds Muslims.
  Derived from the word sunna, which means
  well-trodden path. Believe and follow the
  traditions of the prophet.
• Shiah known as the party of Ali they believe
  that before his death, Muhammad chose his
  son-in-law, Ali, as his successor. Because Abu
  Bakr was chosen instead of Ali, a political
  division was created that later became doctrinal.
  They believe that after Muhammads death a series
  of infallible leaders called Imans were to take
  charge of Islam. Shiahs dominate religion and
  politics in Iran and have a minority in Irag,
  Pakistan, East Africa and India.

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Women and Islam

• According to the Quran, men and women are
  equal!!!
• Women wear a hijab, similar to the robes of a
  nun. They wear it as an expression of their
  modesty. Muslims in the west wear it as a way to
  maintain their distinct Muslim identity.
• A woman who wears the hijab will not attract
  unwanted attention to her body and therefore
  attention would given to her personality, ideas
  and intellect.

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Muslims In Canada

• 650,000 in Canada.
• Canadian Society of Muslims, founded by Dr. M.
  Qadeer Baig, led a campaign to remove
  discriminatory material about Islam from Ontario
  school books.