Islam

1. Basic Beliefs:

Human beings belong to only one god 1

Main Statement followed by Muslims " There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger" 2

No one can get the Creator and his creations mixed up 2

At the end of life, there is judgement to see your faithfulness to God to determine if you will go to heaven 3

2. Important People and Why:

Muhammad- a prophet who received God's relevation through the Qur'an and established Islam 1

Allah- God 1

3. Duties, Dress, Title of Clergy Members:

Everyone must put God in front of them self, money, happiness etc. by importance 2

Imam- the prayer leader at service 3

4. Sacred Texts:

Qur'an- book of relevations the prophet collected and put together. This book also includes how God

addresses human beings. 2

Hadith- Story or infomation about the Prophet (Muhammad) 2

5. Sacred Sites:

Arabia- Where Islam took its final form after the relevation of the Prophet 2

6. Sacred Rites, Practices, and Procedures :

5 Pillars of Practice;

1st pillar, Profession of faith- professing the divinity of God 3

2nd pillar, Obligation Prayer- Enjoined to pray formally at least 5 times a day 3
3rd pillar, Alms-giving- to care for the poor, in modern times, this is administered by government 3

4th pillar, Fasting- on the 9th month of the Islamic calendar (Ramadan) Muslims would refrain for eating,

drinking, or having sexual activities on the month. 4

5th pillar, Pilgrimage- on the last month of the Islam calender, Muslims would travel to Mecca. This is

known as Pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims would do this at least once in his/her lifetime. 34

7. Place of Worship:

Noon prayer Fridays would be held at a Mosque. A mosque is just an area surrounded by 4 walls. 3

8. Taboos or Prohibitions on behavior, Food, etc.:

It is a sin the be confused between the Creator and his creations. 2

God always come first. 1

To the Muslims, Christians violated their beliefs by not putting God always first. 4

9. Holidays and/or Holy Days:

Ramadan- Fasting 4

Dhil-Hijja- Pilgrimage to Mecca 4

10. Sects or different groups within the religion:

Sunnis- Political and religious things are lead by different people 4

Shi'ites- Political and religious things are lead by the same person 4

11. Historic or Currents Conflicts:

18 th to 19th century, Europeans took over a lot of the Islamic world till WWII 1

700 C.E.- the beginning of Islamic Mysticism, known as Sufism 5

622 C.E.- the beginning of the Muslim Era, when Muhammad and his followers went to the town of Yathrib

MLA Citation
1 "Islam"(Pg. 176), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

2"Islam"(Pg. 176), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

3"Islam"(Pg. 176), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

4"Islam"(Pg. 176), The Encyclopedia of World Religions. USA: Book Builders, 1998

5 "Early Islamic History" http://eawc.evansville.edu. 23 Sept 2007

<http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/ispage.htm>.