Transcript Islam Background Presentation - Stjohns

The Muslim World
Pgs 231 - 249
World Religions Comparison
Pg 264
The Rise of Islam
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Mecca, a city located along trade routes in
Arabia was host to believers in Allah
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In 570 A.D. Muhammad was born.
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A trader and business man from a powerful
Meccan family
Muhammad is believed to have been
approached by the Angel Gabriel
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Those who followed the one God were referred to
as hanifs.
Believed he was the last prophet of Allah
Those who followed Muhammad were called
Muslims.
 In Arabic the word Islam means “submission
to the will of Allah”
Abraham’s Genealogy
HAGAR
ABRAHAM
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes
SARAH
Isaac
Jacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Esau
The Prophetic Tradition
Adam
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad
The rise of Islam cont…
Mulsim - “One who has submitted”
Muhammad was met with resistance by
many, some of his followers were even
beaten or stoned
 Muhammad and his followers left Mecca.
This migration was called the Hijrah(hih-jeeruh).
 Finally settling in Medina, many followers
were attracted to Islam.
 Muhammad eventually became a political and
military leader in Medina for Muslims, Jews,
and Arabs
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Return to Mecca
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Hostilities between Mecca and Medina grew
over the years.
In 630 A.D. Muhammad and 10,000 of his
followers marched to Mecca.
Facing sure defeat, the Meccan leaders
surrendered.
Muhammad entered the city and destroyed
the statues of the Arab gods
Muhammad converted the Meccans to Islam
The Muslim religious community is called
umma
Muhammad died at the age of 62, two years
after his return to Mecca
Images of Islam
Islamic Beliefs
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The Qur’an is the holy book of the Muslims
The five pillars are duties required by
anyone who wishes to be a Muslim
Faith - Testify to the belief on the one god
Allah
Prayer - Five times a day, Muslims must face
towards Mecca, in a Mosque or where they
are at the time
Alms - Give money to the poor
Fasting - The holy month of Ramadan, they
can eat and drink nothing between sunset
and sundown
Pilgrimage - all Muslims must perform the
hajj or a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Hajj
The Qur’an
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Muslims believe it contains the
word of God.
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114 suras (chapters).
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In the name of Allah,
the compassionate,
the merciful.
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Written
in Arabic.
Links to Judaism and
Christianity
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Allah is the same God worshipped by the
Jews and Christians
Muslims view Jesus as a prophet, not the
Son of God
All believe in a day of judgment
Muslims trace their ancestry to Abraham
Muslim leaders extend tolerance to
Christians and Jews because of their similar
beliefs
Muslims, Jews, and Christians believe
Jerusalem is a Holy city
The Dome of the Rock Mosque in
Jerusalem
Mount Moriah Rock
where Muhammad ascended into heaven.
The Spread of Islam
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Muhammad’s successors or deputies, called
caliphs, continued teaching the message of Islam
At times the caliphs used military force to assert
control over the Muslim community
The caliphs were able to expand the Muslim Empire
from the Atlantic ocean to the Indus Valley
The early caliphs took advantage of the weakness
of the Persian and Byzantine empires
The Qur’an prohibits force conversion
– Islamic leaders allowed Christians and Jews to
practice their beliefs but they could not spread
their beliefs.
Islam in Crisis
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Civil war erupted after the death of a popular
leader
With the death, the process of electing
caliphs ended
The new leadership moved the capital to
Damascus(Syria) to make expansion easier
In addition to the move the new leaders
moved away from the simple life of the
caliphs and surrounded themselves with
luxury
A fundamental split occurred
The Sunni - Shi’a Split
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Sunni
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Meaning “followers
of Muhammad’s
example”
Followed the new
leadership
A majority of the
people accepted the
new rulers, to
maintain peace
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Shi’a
Meaning “party” of
Ali(Muhammad’s
cousin and son-in-law)
Resisted the new
leaderships rule.
Believed the caliph
needed to be a relative
of the prophet
Muhammad
Another group, the
Sufi, pursued a life of
poverty in response to
the luxury of the Sunni
leadership.
Sunni/Shia Split
Muslims Spread to Three
Continents
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Under the leadership of various leaders the
Muslims spread as far North as France and
south into southern Africa.
 A large Muslim settlement was established
by the Berbers in Spain.
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Lead by Jabal Tariq
He was so revered they named the Rock of
Gibraltar after him.
Corodoba, in Spain became a center for the
spread of Islam in Europe
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70 libraries, 700 mosques, 27 free schools
Population of 500,000
All religions were welcome in Corodoba
The Muslim Empire
Muslim Society
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Throughout the Muslim Empire urban
centers flourished.
Baghdad, a Muslim capital, flourished
There are four social classes
The upper class - Muslims by birth
Second class - converts to Islam(paid a
higher taxes)
Third class - “The Protected People” - Jews
and Christians, also Zoroastrians
The Lowest Class - Slaves, all non-muslim,
many were household workers or soldiers.
Muslim Society cont…
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The Role of Women
The Qur’an states that men will manage a
women’s affair
– An obedient women is a righteous women
– Muslim women had more rights than European
women.
– Responsibilities varied based on the income of
the husbands.
– Women raised the children
– In early Muslim society women participated in
religious activities and were encouraged to get
an education
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Advances in Arts and Sciences
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Many advances in medicine, mathematics,
and astronomy are credited to the Muslim
world
Understanding of smallpox and measles
Proper location for hospitals
Muslims scholars charted stars, comets, and
planets
Many artists began the art of calligraphy, due
to the banning of drawing images
Countries with the Largest Muslim
Population
1. Indonesia
183,000,000
6. Iran
62,000,000
2. Pakistan
134,000,000
7. Egypt
59,000,000
3. India
121,000,000
8. Nigeria
53,000,000
4. Bangladesh
114,000,000
9. Algeria
31,000,000
10. Morocco
29,000,000
5. Turkey
66,000,000
* Arabs make up only 20% of the total
Muslim population of the world.
World Religions
Buddhism Christianity Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Confucianism
Followers
Worldwide
338
Million
1.9 Billion 764
Million
1 Billion 13.4
Million
Name of
Deity
No deity
God
God/
Allah
God/
Confucious
Yahweh
Founder
The
Buddha
Jesus
Christ
Brahma,
Vishnu,
Shiva
No one
founder
Muhammad
Abraham Confucious
Holy Book
No one
book
Bible
No one
book
Qur’an
Hebrew
Bible
The
Analects
Leadership
Buddhist
monks
and nuns
Clergy/
Priests
and
Ministers
Guru,
Holy Man,
Brahmin
Priest
No
Clergy
Rabbi
No Clergy
Not
Available