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Did you know?
At least 42 nations are almost
completely Islamic.
Makkah (Mecca)
Madinah(Medina)
Arabia before Muhammad (born
570 AD)
Makkah (Mecca)
Madinah(Medina)
Arabia was occupied by warring clans of nomads.
Most worshiped idols, especially in Mecca at the Ka’aba, the large stone shrine to a “goddess from heaven,” though a few still believed in one God.
There were Jews and Christians in Arabia,
too, but Christians didn’t translate the Bible into Arabic until after 700 AD.
There was a political and religious void that Islam was about to fill.
Muhammad Born in
Mecca in 570 AD, orphaned at age 6, taken in by grandfather and uncle, both in the caravan business.
Muhammad met Jews and Christians on his travels, learned stories from the Old and New Testaments.
Married Khadijah, a wealthy widow, in 595 AD, and was freed from the life of a traveling merchant.
In 610 AD, Muhammad claims that the
archangel Gabriel appeared to him and told him to “recite” (qur’an in Arabic) everything he said. These were the first alleged revelations from Allah.
Makkah (Mecca)
Madinah(Medina)
His messages attacked idolatry. By 622 he had gathered enough followers that they were forced to leave Mecca for Medina. Muslims refer to this event as the Hijra; it is the year “0” on the Muslim calendar; A.H. = “year of Hijra.”
By 630 the believing community was large enough to return to Mecca in triumph and establish Islam as the official religion.
Muhammad died suddenly in 632 before appointing a successor. Arguments over the rightful heir to his leadership caused the divisions within Islam that persist to this day.
Sunnis believe the true Caliph should be chosen by those close to Muhammad; did not have to be a relative of Muhammad. Most Muslims (85%) are Sunni.
Shi’as (word means “division”) believe Muhammad appointed Ali, his son-in-law, before he died,
even included the choice in the Qur’an, but others secretly burned those copies. They maintain that
the true Caliph must be a direct descendant of Muhammad.
The disagreement led to internal battles and assassinations of leaders, but Islam spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and into Europe, stopped in France at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD.
What made Islam so appealing?
Christians were perceived by non-Christians as prejudiced; Muslims were not.
Islam was a simple religion.
Arabs were traders; it became profitable for non-Muslims to convert for business purposes.
Muslim armies were adept at desert fighting.
Qur’an
Called the “book of heaven,”
supposedly dictated to Muhammad by angel Gabriel.
Divided into 114 chapters called suras, arranged from longest to shortest; a little shorter than the NT.
The Qur’an refers to the Torah, Psalms, and “Gospel” (only the sayings of Jesus) as “Scripture.” but retells some biblical stories inaccurately.
The Qur’an mentions Jesus many times, but declares that Jesus is only a prophet and that he was not crucified.
“People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, ‘Three.’ Refrain; better is it for you. God is only One God.”
Qur’an, chapter 4:168
It was composed throughout Muhammad’s life, sometimes at convenient moments for him personally.
Muslims consider the Hadith, the words and deeds of Muhammad, to be authoritative also.
What are the main concepts in the
Qur’an? Submission. The word “Islam” means
“submission”; a “Muslim” is
“one who submits.”
The greatness of God. Allah-hu-akbar means God is great!
The oneness of God. Muslims confess
throughout the day, “There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is His
prophet.” (The confession is called the Shahada.)
What are the main
practices?
They are called the “five pillars of
Islam”.
1. Say the Shahada throughout the day.
2. Pray five times daily, facing Mecca.
Each prayer begins with a recitation of the opening chapter from the Qur’an.
“In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate, the Master of
the Day of Doom.
Thee only we serve; to Thee alone we pray for succour.
Guide us in the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against
whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are astray.”
Prayers must wash in the prescribed way before they pray.
Prayers are formal and memorized and prayed
in various postures, from bowing to kneeling. The word mosque means “place of prostration.”
Muslim communities gather for collective prayer mostly on Fridays.
3. Alms: Muslims are required to give 2.5% of their income to the poor.
4. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) Every able bodied Muslim must make this pilgrimage once.
Activities during hajj re-enact important events in life of Muhammad
Focal point of the pilgrimage is the Ka’aba, recast as an Islamic, not a pagan shrine. (Muslims believe the Ka’aba houses the stone Allah gave Ibrahim when he almost sacrificed Ishmael.)
Fasting in the daylight hours during Ramadan, the month the Qur’an “came down.”
