Islam Life of Muhammad The founder of Islam

Islam

Life of Muhammad �The founder of Islam was a man named Muhammad �Muhammad was born in a town called Mecca in A. D. 570 �Muhammad worked for a tribe called the Bedouins. He worked as a shepherd who led caravans of people and animals across the desert.

Life of Muhammad �Muhammad was a successful merchant as he brought caravans across the desert �Muhammad did not like the greediness of people in his city of Mecca �One day, in his escape from the city to meditate, Muhammad was spoken to by the angel Gabriel who asked him to be a messenger for God �He dedicated his life to worshipping and spreading the word of God, known as Allah

Spread of Islam �Muhammad began teaching the word of God around Mecca and asked people to give up their polytheism, or many Gods to worship Allah �Muhammad was threatened by merchants in Mecca that he would be killed if he continued to spread this message �Muhammad and his followers left Mecca for the city of Yathrib �The journey out of Mecca to Yathrib is known as the hijra �The city of Yathrib is now known as Medina which means the “city of the Prophet”

Return to Mecca �Muhammad gained many followers in Medina and eventually went to war with Mecca �Muhammad returned to Mecca in 630 AD �Muhammad rededicated the Kaaba or temple in Mecca to worship Allah �Muhammad died in 632 AD while trying to unite the Arab peninsula under Islam

Islam & the Qu’ran �Islam is another monotheistic religion like Judasim and Christianity �Islam also believes in prophets like Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but believes Muhammad to be the last and greatest prophet �The most sacred text of Islam is the Qu’ran which contains the words said to Muhammad by God �Beliefs outlined in the Qu’ran are honesty, generosity and justice �The Qu’ran also states that God is all powerful and compassionate �The Qu’ran is written in the original texts so almost all Muslims learn Arabic

5 Pillars of Islam � 1) Declare your faith in Allah and Islam � 2) Pray five times daily while facing the city of Mecca. Many Muslims pray in their place of worship known as the mosque � 3) Give charity to the poor

5 Pillars of Islam � 4) Fast from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan ◦ Ramadan is when Muhammad first heard the word from God ◦ In 2013, Ramadan took place in July/August � 5) Make a hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. People must go to Mecca, if possible financially, at least one time in their life

Jihad �Jihad is a word for struggle in God’s service. �Many Muslims treat this as a personal duty to overcome immorality in their own life �Other, more extreme Muslims, take this to mean a Holy War to defend Islam