Islam History, Beliefs, and Practices

Islam
History, Beliefs, and

Practices
English translation of Surah Al-Fatiha
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful:
All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Universe
The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Judgement.
You alone do we worship, and You alone we turn to
for help
Guide us to the straight path;
The path of those on whom You have bestowed
your grace, not (the way) of those who have earned
Your anger, nor of those who went astray.

• What is the poem
about?
• What does it tell us
about Islam?
Identity: The Arabic word
Islam (derived from a Semitic root
meaning “peace”) expresses entry
into peace and security with God
(Allah) through submission or
surrender of one’s whole life to his
will.
• Founder: Muhammad ibn
(son of) Abd Allah. A Muslim
would claim that Muhammad did
not begin the religion but only
transmitted its eternal message as
it was revealed to him.
• Statistics: Over 1.2 billion of the
world’s population would identify
themselves as Muslim.1 The
Muslim population in the U.S. is
disputed, ranging from 5 to 8
million.
HISTORY
• Muhammad was born in Mecca on
the Arabian Peninsula about the year
570 AD
• Pagan religions, in which many
gods were worshipped (especially
sun, moon, and star gods), dominated
the spiritual life of the region.
• Muhammad came into contact with
Christian and Jewish teachings that
would later find their way into the
Qur’ān
• At the age of 40, Muhammad
claimed that the angel Gabriel visited
him and issued the call to be Allah’s
prophet
• “There is no God but
Allah, and
Muhammad is the
prophet of Allah.”
TEXT
• Qur’ān. The final recording of the
revelations given to Muhammad by Gabriel
and believed to be the eternal, infallible, and
unalterable word of God which Allah
• under the direction of Caliph Uthman, the
Qur’ān was collected into its final form. Said
to be written in perfect Arabic, it contains
114 sūrahs (chapters), generally arranged
according to length from the longest to the
shortest.
• Hadīth. “A story or tradition; the
sayings and doings of Muhammad
that constitute a second source of
faith in Islam
• Hadīth became the source of
additional instruction for life in
the ummah,
• Hadīth is looked to for guidance.
• Shar’īah. While not a text as
such, the Shar’iah (the Law of
Islam) combines the Qur’ān and
the Hadīth along with other
accumulated laws and codes of
ethics as the perfect revelation of
God’s will for humankind
Beliefs and Practices
The essential practices of Islam are
known as The Five Pillars of
Islam, which are the religious
duties or works of righteousness
that constitute the fundamental
requirements of Islam for all
Muslims.
1. Shahādah. As noted above, this is
the basic confession of faith recited
many times daily by the devout
Muslim: “There is no God but Allah,
and Muhammad is the prophet of
Allah.”
• Allah is the one Creator, Provider,
Ruler, Forgiver, and Judge who alone
is worthy of worship as the sole object
of a person’s loyalty and devotion
2. Salāt. Ritual prayer performed five
times a day at daybreak, noon, mid-
afternoon, sunset, and before retiring is
the second pillar
• Every Friday Muslims are required
to perform salāt in a communal
setting. This salāt is led by an imam
(teacher) who delivers a message
that applies Islamic teachings to daily
life. The purpose of salāt is self-
attunement to the call of God.
3. Zakāt. Almsgiving is the third
pillar. The word means
“sweetening.”
• the law that requires every
Muslim to share 2 ½% of his
total wealth with the Islamic state
for distribution to the needy and
for the cause of Islam
4. Sawm. Fasting is the fourth pillar. The
month of Ramadan, in which
Muhammad received his first revelation and
call to be the Prophet of Allah, is devoted to
daily fasting.
• “Ramadan is the (month) in which was
sent down the Qur’ān, as a guide to
mankind,… So every one of you who is
present (at his home) during that month
should spend it in fasting,…”
5. Hājj. The pilgrimage to Mecca—the
fifth pillar.
• : a visit to the great mosque, kissing
the Black Stone (said to be of
meteoric origin), circling the Kabah
(building in the center of the great
mosque in Mecca) seven times, and
progression through various stations
for prayer and meditation.
• Allah- Allah, who is described in
every sūrah of the Qur’ān except
one as the Compassionate and the
Merciful. He is the Creator and
Sustainer of all life. He is
transcendent and his sovereignty
and power set him apart from
man.
• Angels- Angels are viewed as
servants or messengers of God. In the
hierarchy of angels Gabriel is
prominent since he revealed the
Qur’ān to Muhammad.
• Iblīs (Satan) is the angel who was
put out of Paradise because,
according to Sūrah 7:11-18, he refused
Allah’s command to the angels to
prostrate themselves before Adam.
• Prophets- The prophets are
merely human messengers
through whom God speaks to
mankind. All the prophets are
considered to be divinely inspired,
but only six are considered to be
most eminent and given titles of
honor in Islamic literature:
• Adam, the chosen of Allah;
• Noah, the preacher of Allah;
• Abraham, the friend of Allah;
• Moses, the speaker of Allah;
• Jesus, the word of Allah;
• Muhammad, the apostle of
Allah.
• Holy Books. Muslims accept the
tawrāt (Torah) as originally revealed
by God to Moses, the zabūr (Psalms)
as originally revealed to David, and
the injīl (Gospel) as originally
revealed to Jesus.
• The Qur’ān alone is the final and
complete authentic word of God for
the present and the future until the
Day of Judgment.
• Day of Judgment- The concept of a
final Day of Judgment or Day of
Reckoning is a central teaching of the
Qur’ān.
• he is also the Judge of all mankind
• Judgment will be based on the
balance of evil deeds weighed against
good deeds and works of merit such
as the faithful performance of the five
pillars of Islam.15
The Sects of Islam
• Sunni. The largest group of Muslims
is the “orthodox” Sunnis who make
up 80-85% of all Muslims.
• Sunni Muslims are dominant is such
countries as Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan, and Indonesia
• Shī‘a. Shī‘a make up about
15% of all Muslims.
• Shī‘a are the dominant
Muslim group in Iran, Iraq,
and parts of Africa.
ACTIVITY
• Research how do
Muslims pray?
Demonstrate it to the
class. (15 minutes)
ASSIGNMENT
• Invite a Muslim to attend a panel
discussion next class, or if not
possible, just interview a Muslim,
with questions pertaining to their
religion, Islam. (50 pts)

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