Islam

Brief Overview

Islam arises in Arabia in the early 600’s AD

“There is no God but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God”

Basic Vocabulary

• Islam- means submission or surrender – obedience – peace

•Allah - Arabic for God– the one true and ultimate

supreme being

•Abraham- patriarch of Islam– father of monotheism

• Hagar - handmaid (Egyptian servant) of Abraham’s wife, Sara – mother of Ishmael

• Ishmael- first born son of Abraham and Hagar - associated with the Arabs - Ishmael means “God hears” - many Muslims believe that God

asked Abraham to offer Ishmael as a sacrifice rather than Isaac.

• Muhammad - prophet of Islam-– Arabian merchant

• Mecca –birthplace of Muhammad (Saudi Arabia) – site of the kaaba and the hajj

• Medina - burial place of Muhammad

• Jerusalem - site of the Dome of the Rock - mosque built on the Jewish temple mount

• Hajj- annual pilgrimage to Mecca

• It is one of the five pillars of Islam

• Kaaba- holiest site in Islam – located in Mecca

•associated with Abraham and the establishment of monotheism in the region of Arabia

• Shi’a- smaller more radical group - - associated with Iran

• Sunni- largest group within Islam - – @80 %of Muslims are Sunni – More moderate in their beliefs and practices

• Jihad-”holy war” - literally means struggle - – It can refer to one’s personal struggle

with God – Or the struggle for the spread of Islam

• Qur’an– believed to be the direct revelation of God

to the Muhammad- angelic visit by Gabriel – must be in Arabic to be fully authoritative

Qur’an means recitation - the prophet recited God’s message

and it was later written down by his followers

•Mullah (Imam) - Islamic leader and or teacher

•Mosque - Islamic place of worship

•Minaret - prayer tower

Pilgrims on hajj dressed in ihram

The great mosque and kaaba in Mecca

Saudi Arabia – royal family is the keeper of the kaaba and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina

The kaaba

The Five Pillars of Islam• There is no God but God and

Muhammad is the prophet of God• Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca

– the kaaba• Hajj- make the annual pilgrimage

to Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime-– the hajj- week long event

• Give to poor – 2.5% of one’s wealth

• Fast from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan

Some Facts About Islam

• Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in world (120 million)

• Approximately 25% of the world’s population is Muslim

• @11 million Muslims live in the United States

• Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today

• The state of Israel is the major “flash point” between the Muslim (Arab) world and the West

• @80 % of Muslims are NOT Arabic – (do not speak Arabic- different culture) – Arab regions and countries –

•Middle East, North Africa, Iraq

– Non-Arab regions – •Parts of Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central

Asia, Indonesia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc.

Islam spread rapidly through trade and military conquest