Arabia was sparsely populated 1,500 years ago. Small bands of ______________ moved their herds between oases in the desert.

• ____________ limited in Arabia

• Commerce lively– _______________ converged

at Arabian Peninsula

– ___________ as well as merchandise exchanged

– Trade-dependent _________ rose near coasts

• _______, near Red Sea, most important of coastal towns

The Setting• The _________, cube-shaped

structure, at heart of Mecca

• 500s, already ancient, considered ___________

• Possible meteorite, “_______ from heaven”

• ________ of local gods inside

• Site drew religious _________

• One god considered supreme: ____________

Religious Function

How it Began: The Arabian Peninsula

• Had always been _____________, but faiths of others probably also influenced Muhammad’s thinking

• Took frequent spiritual __________

• __________ appeared to him during retreat, commanded him to speak messages from Allah

• Muhammad disturbed by visitation, unsure of meaning

• After more visits from angel, Muhammad concluded God _____

• ____________________________

Muhammad’s Faith• Muhammad ibn Abd Allah born

______

• Parents died, Muhammad raised by uncle, powerful clan leader

• Grew up to have successful career in Mecca as ____________

• Married to older woman at age 25, fathered ________ children, all but one of whom died young

• Met followers of Judaism, Christianity while ______________

• ____________________________

Early Life

Muhammad the Messenger

Messages

Among many messages from angel, Muhammad reported Allah __________

__________________________________________________________.

• Other messages, instructions on how to live to please Allah, live in paradise

Safety

• Many disliked Muhammad’s criticism of ______________________________

• Only protection of ______________ kept him safe

• After uncle’s death Muhammad knew he and followers not safe in Mecca

Public Preaching

• Muhammad originally told only wife, few friends about experiences

• Began to preach in public after about ______ years, attracted many followers

• Some powerful _________________ did not accept teachings

The Revelations to Muhammad

Hegira

• ______, Muhammad moved to Yathrib, came to be called ___________, “the Prophet’s City”; journey from Mecca to Medina came to be known as hegira

• Later Muslims marked year of ___________ as first year of Islamic calendar

Mecca

• People of ____________ who wanted Muhammad stopped did not give up

• Fought several battles with Muhammad, followers, ultimately lost ground

• 630, Muhammad ______________________ Mecca, influence unmatched

Building Faith

• Muhammad spent a ______________ building community of fellow believers

• Called faith Islam, meaning “______________________________________”

• Followers known as ____________

Sharing the Revelations

• As Muhammad gained __________________, revelations continued

• Muhammad could not read, write; __________________ revelations

• Followers _____________________ words, some wrote them down

• Writings Muslims believe as direct revelations from God collected in ________________, sacred test of Islam

• Muslims read from Qur’an to hear Allah’s _____________________

• Seek _______________________ in rhythm, beauty of words

• ______________________ known only in original Arabic language

Qur’an

• Five ________________________

_________________ central to Islam

• Profession of ___________

• Performance of _____ daily prayers

• Giving of alms to ______________

• _______ during month of Ramadan

• Make _______________ to Mecca

Five Pillars of Islam

Basic Ideas of Islam

Sunna and Sharia

• Record of Muhammad’s ______________, teachings known as Sunna, “______________,” provides guidance in personal relationships, business

• Muslim __________ system known as Sharia, reflects various rules by which Muslims should live, outlines reasoning, _____________ for legal cases; opinions, writings over several ________________

Guidelines for Behavior

• Qur’an provides _________________________________________

• Muslims may not eat _______, drink _______________, must wash before ___________________

• Qur’an prohibits _________________________________________

• Requires _______, to defend Muslim community

The Basics of Faith

• Belief in One God: _______________• Belief in _______________________• All the __________________ Books as

revealed by _________ to various prophets• __________, Jinns(Demons), Life after

Death and the Day of _________________, Heaven and Hell

Allah – the One God

• Allah is the Arabic name for God used by Muslims of the world as well as Arab Christians.

• Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (The Quran, Chapter 112)

Who is God, “Allah?”

One God, the one _________________ by Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Noah, Josef, Jesus …etc

__________________ God, i.e. does not need to rest, does not make mistakes, all knowing, in full control, and has all the attributes of beauty and greatness. FLAWLESS.

Did not _________ nor was he ______________; infinite and eternal

Not being able to see him ≠ does not exist, signs of _____________________________ are every where

Chain of the Prophets

AdamIdrisNoah

LotHudAbraham

JacobJoseph

MosesDavidSolomon

IsraJohnJesus

Mohamed

All Prophets came with same All Prophets came with same ________________ and taught the ________________ and taught the same guidancesame guidance

Muslims believe in all the Prophets without making any _____________ among them. They are all equally loved and _____________.

Prophets are sent as ___________ to human kind to lead them from ______________to light.

Prophet Muhammad

• Descendant of _______________, the first son of Abraham.

• Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the year _________ C.E. • Received first revelation at the age 40 through angel

__________________. • Died in the year 632 C.E, after preaching Islam for ______

years.

Belief in the Holy Books (Scripture) ___________________ sacred books revealed to the Prophets from the Lord brought down by the archangel, Jibraa’il (Gabriel).

•They were:

1) The _______________(Biblical name) / ______________ (Qur’anic name) revealed to Prophet David

2) The ______________ (Biblical name) / __________________ (Qur’anic name) revealed to Prophet Moses

3) The _______________(Biblical name) / ________________ (Qur’anic name) revealed to Prophet Jesus.

4) The ______________(Biblical name) / __________________ (Qur’anic name) revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

Quran: The Holy Book• ______________________ as

given by the Prophet in Arabic• _______ years of revelations

(610 - 632 C.E.)• _____ Chapters; One chapter,

______________ revelations• Historic ___________ matters• Verses explain ____________• ___________________ needed

in the light of Arabic, history, and Sunnah (tradition)

Angels of God and Demons (Jinn)

The Almighty Powerful King should have __________ to carry on his orders and commands: angels

Created from _____________ Do not have a ________________ to obey or

disobey; have only good will to obey.

___________ was not an angel, he was from the _________ (demons) created from _____.

Demons do not have a free will to obey or disobey; have only __________ will to disobey.

Five Pillars of Worship and Obedience

• _________ (There is no God but Allah)• _________ (Salah)• ___________ (Zakat)• ___________ ( Ramadan)• ____________ (Hajj)• Optional 6th: Any act done according to

Quran and Sunnah to_________________

Prayers (Salah)• ______ Daily Prayers from Dawn to

Late Evening regulate a Muslim’s day• Prayers involve _________, standing,

bowing, prostrating, sitting ________• Face ___________, prayers in Arabic as taught by the Prophet.• Additional Prayers optional

Charity (Zakat)• 024.056 So establish regular Prayer and give

regular Charity; and obey the Apostle; that ye may receive mercy. (The Quran)

• Required ________charity on yearly savings to assist the poor, widows, orphans, those in heavy debt, slaves, etc., and to further the spread of Islam.

• A Muslim must be a ______________ person, in actions as well as in tithing.

Fasting• 002.183 O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed

to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint. (The Quran)

• Ramadan is _____month in Islamic Lunar calendar

• Daily dawn to sunset fast for 29/30 days (no food or drink)

• Spiritual exercise to train the spiritual muscle of _____________________

Hajj (Pilgrimage)

• Pilgrimage to Mecca __________________ ______________for able Muslims.

• About 2-3 million Muslims perform ______ each year from all over the world.

• Eidul-Adha: the biggest Muslim Holiday

Purpose of Life

All creation worships God without a ____________. They can not choose not to worship him with the exception of human and Jinn.

God created us and gave us ___________________ to worship him with our choice. Worship, obey, sacrifice, fight evil, even though we have the choice to do otherwise.

We were inspired with both ________________ and evil __________________, so we must have a free will to choose.

Meaning of IslamMeaning of Islam

• Islam is “________________ to the Will of Allah” (Deity).

• Islam is derived from the word ___________ (peace), so its literal meaning is PEACE.

• The people who practice Islam are called

__________________ There is an estimate of 1.200 billion Muslims in the world!