Islam 5 Pillars of Islam Faith Imam There

Islam

5 Pillars of Islam � Faith (Imam) – “There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God” � Prayer (Salah) – Pray 5 times a day toward Mecca � Giving of Alms (Zakah) – Giving for charity at least 1/40 of one’s earnings � Fasting (Sawm) – During month of Ramadan from sun up til sun down � Pilgrimage (Hajj) – Physically and financially able to make the journey to Mecca

Holy Places of Islam � Mecca – Most sacred place because of the presence of the Ka’ba � Medina – “City of the Prophet” is Islam’s 2 nd holiest city because it was where Muhammad fled to after being threatened in Mecca � Jerusalem – The Dome of the Rock is a mosque built on the mountain where Abraham supposedly sacrificed Isaac

Ramadan � Obligated to participate � Fast from sun up to sun down � Nursing or pregnant mothers, elderly, children, and the sick are not obligated to fast � Re-evaluation of Islamic convictions � Avoiding un-Islamic things such as alcohol, lying, anger, bad language, etc.

Prophet Muhammad � Born 570 AD in Mecca as an only child � Father died before his birth and mother left soon after � Influenced by many different religions � Became a wealthy merchant and married a wealthy woman named Khadija bint Khawalayd � No male sons survived

Visited by the Angel � Separated himself to meditate about God in the mountains � The angel Gabriel (same one who appeared to Mary) appeared to him and taught him how to read and recite so he could be God’s messenger � Muhammad told his countrymen to turn from polytheism and accept God as the one and only

Aftermath of the Revelation � Muhammad was persecuted against � Muhammad escaped Mecca and came to meet followers of his in Medina (Yathrib) � Muhammad led armies against Mecca and after three attempts, was able to defeat and conquer Mecca � Muhammad died conquering nearly all of Arabia for Islam

The Holy Qur’an � Muhammad wrote this over the course of 2025 years as reveled in both Mecca and Medina � Qur’an states the Torah and New Testament are inspired of God, but not the last testimony � Mentions Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Adam, Eve, and many other figures important to both Judaism and Christianity

Sunni vs. Shiite � Sunnis – Believe Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s first follower) was the predecessor to Muhammad in order to lead Islam (Also that the true leader of Islam must be of Muhammad’s tribe) � Shiites – Believe Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law) was the predecessor to Muhammad (Also that the true leader of Islam must be in Muhammad’s lineage)

Sunni vs. Shiite � 90% of Muslims are Sunni � Almost 10% are Shiite (1% or so for Sufi, which is kind of like monasticism) � Iran, Iraq, and Yemen have a strong Shiite tradition � Most Arab countries are Sunni Muslim

Comparing Christianity, Islam, and Judaism � Adherents ◦ Islam Muslims ◦ Christianity Christians ◦ Judaism Jews � Sacred Texts ◦ Islam Qur’an ◦ Christianity Holy Bible (Old Testament and N. T. ) ◦ Judaism Torah

Comparing Christianity, Islam, and Judaism � House of Worship ◦ Islam Mosque ◦ Christianity Chapel, cathedral, church building ◦ Judaism Temple or Synagogue � Identity of Jesus ◦ Islam Great prophet (not Son of God) ◦ Christianity Son of God and promised Messiah ◦ Judaism False prophet