Mohammed Faith of Islam Beginnings And Importance to the World Least Predictable of Rome’s heirs.
Beginnings of Islam
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Transcript of Beginnings of Islam
Beginnings of Islam• Muhammad: prophet for Islamic/Muslim
faith; believed to given messages by god• Arabian Peninsula: landmass to
northeast of Africa; mostly desert• Bedouins and other nomads made this
home• Travelled deserts in caravans trading
goods
Beginnings of Islam• Oasis: place in desert with natural source
of water; often became trading posts and later cities (plural: oases)
• Muslim: “a person who submits”; a person who follows Muhammad’s teachings
• Mecca: city founded on an oasis; became trading post; holiest site in Islam
• 570, Muhammad was born in Mecca• Muhammad worked in a caravan and
travelled the region
Beginnings of Islam
• Kaaba: Ancient shrine in Mecca where people worshiped
• At 40 years old he said an angel spoke to him in a cave
• Angel told him to obey one true God• He preached that all people were brothers
and sisters in God’s community
Beginnings of Islam• Muezzin: man who
calls faithful to prayer
• Allah: Arabic word for God
• Mosque: Muslim house of worship
• Minaret: tower/spire from which Muezzin calls faithful to prayer
• Pilgrimage: religious journey
• Muhammad’s message came to be known as Islam and spread through the region
• Basic teachings based on 5 ideas (5 Pillars):
1.Declaring faith 2.Prayer3.Almsgiving (helping
poor)4.Fasting5.Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Beginnings of Islam
• Quran: Islamic holy book; written in Arabic• Quran follows many traditions from Judaism and Christianity but adds to it
• Hajj: 5th Pillar, a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, in Mecca is required only for those who can travel
Beginnings of Islam
• Muhammad is considered to be the latest in a long line of religious prophets
• Women and men were treated as spiritually equal in the eyes of Islam
Beginnings of Islam• Schism in Islamic world:
Muslims split into two groups: Shiites and Sunnis
• Sunnis represent 85% of Muslims and believe any religious man can lead them
• Shiites make up 15% of group and believe leaders must be direct descendants of Muhammad
Beginnings of Islam• Islam represents part of a
monotheistic “family” of religions:• Judaism• Christianity• Islam