Islam

• Islam


  One of the world's great religions, founded in the seventh century by Mohammad
• Islam


  The word "Islam" means "submission"
• Muslim/Moslem


  Followers of Islam, meaning "those who submit" (to the will of God)
• Islam began in Arabia


  7th century
• Islam


  • A severe but simple religion
  • Muslim consider it as extension of Christianity and Judaism
• Beginnings of Islam


  1. Mohammad's preaching in his native land Mecca

  2. Faith did not fully develop until he moved to Medina in 622 A.D.

  3. His migration to Medina called Hegira, begins the Muslim calendar
• Mohammad's early successors


  • Especially Omar the second Caliph expanded Islam through conquest
  • Muslim warriors believed that if they died for Islam they would automatically go to heaven
• Abū Bakr


  Muhammad's closest companion and adviser, who succeeded to the Prophet's political and administrative functions, thereby initiating the office of the caliph
• Allah


  The Muslim name for God, who stands alone, has absolute will and controls all man's actions
• Apostles/Prophets


  • Adam
  • Noah
  • The house of Abraham
  • Moses
  • Jesus
  • Mohammad
• Muslims accept the miracles of the virgin birth of Jesus but deny his divinity and crucifixion
• Koran


  The basic source of Islamic law and ritual, believed to be dictated by God through the angel Gabriel
• Hadith


  Traditions consisting of sayings and practices of Mohammad, supplementing the Koran
• Angels


  God's messengers, his link to mortals
• Last Judgement


  Muslims believe in judgement day when righteousness will be rewarded and wickedness will be punished
• Five Pillars of Islam


  • Profession of faith (Shahada)
  • Prayer (Salat)
  • Almsgiving (Zakat)
  • Fasting (Sawm)
  • Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
• Shahada


  The most essential obligation, the repetition of the creed "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God"
• Prayer (salat)


  Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark
• Salah (salat)


  The Arabic term for the ritual prayer that is obligatory for Muslims to perform five times a day
• Times of daily prayer


  • Fajr (pre-dawn)
  • Dhuhr (just after sun reaches zenith)
  • Asr (between noon and sunset)
  • Maghrib (just after sunset)
  • Isha (during the night/at night-time)
• Alms (zakat)


  One of the five pillars of Islam, mandatory for Muslims to pay 2.5% of their wealth over a certain amount (Nisab) once a year
• Fasting (sawm)


  The Arabic term used to describe the act of fasting, required for Muslims during the month of Ramadan
• Pilgrimage (hajj)


  An annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims, mandatory for all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable
• Mecca


  • The holiest city in Islam, home to the Kaaba in Al-Masjid Al-Ḥaram (The Sacred Mosque)
  • Only Muslims are allowed to enter this place
  • The area of Mecca, including Mount Arafah, Mina and Muzdalifah, is important for the Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage')
• Medina


  • The second-holiest site in Islam, home to Al-Masjid an-Nabawi and the grave of Muhammad
• Jerusalem


  • The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa) is the third holiest site in Islam
  • The mosque has the capacity to accommodate in the region of 400,000 worshippers
  • According to Islamic tradition, the Temple Mount served as the first qiblah (direction of prayer) for Muhammad and his Ummah
• Masjid al-Haram


  The most sacred mosque in Islam, located in Mecca
• Masjid al-Aqsa


  The mosque in Jerusalem where Muhammad led the prayer among the prophets
• Foundation Stone


  The place from which Muhammad was taken to the heavens in a single night in the year 620
• Hebron


  The city where the prophet Ibrahim or Abraham settled, containing the Sanctuary of Abraham and the Ibrahimi Mosque
• Ibrahimi Mosque


  The mosque built on top of the tomb to honor the prophet Ibrahim, considered the fourth holiest in Islam
• Muslims believe that Muhammad visited Hebron on his nocturnal journey from Mecca to Jerusalem to stop by the tomb and pay his respects
• In the Ibrahimi Mosque, there is a left footprint believed to be from Muhammad
• Kaaba


  The most sacred holy place of Islam and a Qibla of the Muslims, containing al-Bayt ul-Ma'mur, Maqam Ibrahim, Hateem, and the Al-Hajar-ul-Aswad
• The Kaaba was first built by the first prophet Adam, then rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and has been rebuilt several times
• Masjid an-Nabawi


  The mosque in Medina containing the grave of Muhammad, as well as the graves of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali
• Mawlid


  A holiday which commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on the 12th day of the 3rd month (Rabi al-Awwal)
• Muharram


  The first month in the Hijri calendar, considered the second-holiest month in Islam, after Ramadan
• Ashura


  The tenth day of Muharram, a holy day for Muslims, but not a full fast
• Ramadan


  The ninth month in the Islamic calendar, a holy month marked by sightings of the crescent moon, during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset