Objectives


 Identify the core teaching
of Islam.
 Examine the Islamic belief
that there is only one God
and Muhammad is His
final and greatest
messenger.
 Recognize Muslims’ social
issues like discrimination.
 OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION


I. Introduction
II. History of Islam
III. Basic Beliefs
IV. Imagery
V. Sacred Spaces &
Places
 Introduction

 Established around seventh
century C.E., Islam is the
youngest among the world’s
major religions.
 With more than 1.5 billion
believers comprising almost
one-fourth of the entire world
population, Islam is the
second largest group and one
of the fastest growing religions
in the world.
 Introduction

 Majority of Muslims, the
followers of Islam, live in Asia
and Africa. Indonesia is the
world’s most populous
Muslim majority country with
almost 87% of the population
practicing the Islam religion. In
Africa, sizeable Muslim
communities are found in
Egypt and Nigeria
 Introduction

 Indonesia is the world’s most
populous Muslim majority
country with almost 87% of the
population practicing the
Islam religion. In Africa,
sizeable Muslim communities
are found in Egypt and Nigeria


Did you know that there are numerous
celebrities in Hollywood that are
practicing the Islamic faith?


 a. Why do you think Muslim women have to wear the
hijab?
 b. Do other religions (for example: Christianity) have the
same practice for women?

 History of Islam

 Islam began with the Arabian
Desert people around early
seventh century C.E. These
people had developed their
own set of beliefs prior to the
formal establishment of Islam
and had been influenced by
other religions for a long
period of time, including
Byzantine Christianity,
Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
 History of Islam

 Around the year 570 C.E.,
Muhammad ibn Abdullah
was born in the oasis town
of Mecca just off the
western coast of the
Arabian Peninsula
(Karabell 2007).

 History of Islam

 With no formal schooling,
Muhammad worked as a
caravan worker travelling
across the Arabian Peninsula
as a camel driver.
 From his travels in the
Arabian Peninsula to the
different Byzantine cities, he
may have met and conversed
with Christians, Jews, and
Zoroastrians alike.
 History of Islam

 Muhammad soon learned the various
ways and means of their belief system
that may have led him to question the
faith of his own people, especially
with regard their animistic practices
and reverence given to numerous gods
and idols (Hopfe 1983).
 He used to retreat to Mount Hira near
Mecca in search of truth about God.
Muhammad later married an older
wealthy widow named Khadija, fifteen
years his senior
 History of Islam

 Around the year 610 C.E.,
Muhammad began hearing the
voice of God in a cave on the
summit of Mount Hira, just
outside Mecca in the Arabian
Hijaz. God was speaking to
Muhammad in the Arabic
language (Armstrong 2000;
Karabell 2007)

 History of Islam

 Muhammad first disclosed
these revelations only to his
wife since revealing these
messages to his tribe could
disturb the social order that
was primarily anchored on
clan and kinship.
 He was preaching a new order
built upon God’s will and
human submission to this
belief.
 History of Islam

 Muhammad preached that there can
only be one God. Beginning 613 C.E.,
Muhammad began to impart these
sacred messages to his closest relatives
and friends. However, the polytheistic
people of Mecca gave him a tepid
response.
 As the revelations became known to
members of his clan, the Qurasyh tribe
began to consider Muhammad and his
radical view of submission to one god as
one major threat to the long established
tradition and absoluteness of tribal
authority.
 History of Islam

 630 C.E. Muhammad returns to
Mecca with a large number of his
followers. He enters the city
peacefully, and eventually all its
citizens accept Islam. The prophet
clears the idols and images out of
the Kaaba and rededicates it to
the worship of God alone.
 History of Islam

633 C.E. Muhammad
dies after a prolonged
illness. The Muslim
community elects his
father-in-law and
close associate, Abu
Bakr, as caliph, or
successor.
 History of Islam

The Muslims
consider
Muhammad as a
messenger and the
last prophet sent by
God to humankind
who was visited by
the angel Gabriel.
 History of Islam

 The term “Islam” originated
from an Arabic word meaning
“submit.”
 In other words, Islam means to
“surrender or submit oneself for
obedience to God” or to “enter
into a condition of peace and
security with God through
allegiance and surrender to
him” (Armstrong 2000; Bowker
1997).
 History of Islam

On the other hand, the
word “Muslim” is the
Arabic word for a
person who submits.
A Muslim, therefore, is
a “person who
surrenders or submits
himself to obey God”
(Brown 1975).
 History of Islam

 In Arabic, the word “Allah” is a
compound of “Al” (the definite
article, the) and “ilah”(God or
Deity).
 Joined together, the words
signify “God” (Renard 1993).
Henceforth, he is called Allah
or “the one who is God.”
 Sacred Books

Quran (or Koran)
It literally means “recitation”
or “reading.” The Quran is
the revelation from God of
his speech (kalam) and is the
foundation of the Islam
religion (Bowker 1997). It is
the supreme authority in all
matters of faith, theology,
and law (Parrinder 1971).
 Sacred Books

 The Hadith is the
collection of the deeds and
sayings of Muhammad
and his followers
(“traditional reports or
sayings”) and is the
second source of shari’a
law (Horrie &
Chippindale 2003).
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

1. Shahadah (declaration of
faith)
2. Salat (ritual prayer)
3. Zakah (alms tax)
4. Sawm (fasting)
5. Hajj (pilgrimage
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

1. Shahadah (declaration of
faith)—to bear witness or
testify that there is no god
except one God (Allah) and
Muhammad is His prophet
or messenger.
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

2. Salat (ritual prayer)—the
five daily prayers are
performed at dawn, noon,
mid-afternoon, sunset and
night. The prayers are
offered in Arabic language
and facing the direction of
Mecca.
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

3. Zakah (alms tax) –Giving
2.5% of one's wealth to the
poor and needy.
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

4. Sawm (fasting)—Muslims
fast during the daylight
hours in the ninth month of
the Islamic lunar calendar
called Ramadan. The
purpose is to remind people
of the goodness of what they
have and to show equality
with the poor. Ramadan is a
time for study and self-
discipline.
 BELIEFS/DOCTRINES

5. Hajj (pilgrimage): Muslims
believe in making a pilgrimage
to Mecca to the Ka'bah at least
once in their lifetime. The
kA'bah is believed to have been
built by Ibrahim (Abraham) and
one of his sons. Muhammad
restored it to worship Allah. For
this reason it is a very sacred
place to Muslims
 WORSHIP AND
OBSERVANCES

 Ramadan is the ninth month
of the Islamic calendar
wherein Muslims are
expected to observe sawm.
Muslims may not eat, drink,
or have sex during daylight
hours.
 WORSHIP AND
OBSERVANCES

 ‘Id al-Adha or the Feast of
Sacrifice is the most important
festival in the Muslim calendar
marking the end of the
pilgrimage season. On the tenth
day of the hajj, Muslims are
required to slaughter a live
animal (a sheep or goat) to
commemorate Abraham’s
willingness to sacrifice his son
Ishmael and his obedience to
God.
 WORSHIP AND
OBSERVANCES

Friday is the special
day of worship for the
Muslims as
commanded by
Muhammad.
 SUBDIVISIONS

 Sunni Muslims (The
Sunnis) Majority of Muslims,
around 87% to 90% of the
entirety of Islam believers,
belong to the Sunni
denomination.
 Shi’a (The Shi’ites) The
Shi’ite Muslims are the
largest faction within the
Islam religion that separated
from the rest of the
community (Brown 1975).
 SUBDIVISIONS

 Sufi Muslims whose concern
mainly dwell for a mystical
union with God are collectively
called Sufis. Their name originate
from the word sufi that means
“woolen” since they wore coarse
wool garments or robes to
symbolize poverty and
denunciation of worldly
pleasures (Hopfe 1983).
 Reflection

How do you think global
terrorism affected Islam
as a religion in the eyes of
the world?
What negative effects did
it have on innocent
Muslims in their everyday
lives?