THE ISLAM RELIGION

Presented by: QUANTUM ENIGMA

ISLAM
Literally means submission to god Considered as the major world religion. Founded by Mohammed in the 7th Century

AD
A monotheistic faith that incorporates elements of Judaic and Christian belief.
A monotheistic religion by the Quran, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God and by the Prophet of Islam Muhammads teachings and normative example.

MUSLIM
Adherent of Islam; followers of the Islam faith. The active participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Believe that god is one and incomparable and that the purpose of life is to worship God. Regard their religion as the completed and universal version of a primordial, monotheistic faith revealed at many times and places before, including, notably, to the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

TEACHINGS
The Koran (Quran), the holy book of Islam, sets forth the fundamental tenets of Islam as revealed by God to Mohammed. These include the five basic duties of Muslims (The Five Pillars of Islam) and also rules for their social and moral behavior Islamic tradition holds that previous messages and revelations have been changed and distorted over time.

TWO DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS OF ISLAM

A. SUNNI
Sunni Muslims are the largest group in Islam, hence the title Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Janaah (people of the principle and majority). The Quran and the Sunnah as recorded in hadith are the primary foundations of Sunni doctrine. They believe that the first four caliphs were the rightful successors to Muhammed.

B. SHI A
The Shi a believe in the political and religious leadership of Imams from the progeny of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who according to them are in a state of ismah, menaing infallibility. They believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib, as the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammed, was his rightful successor, and they call him the first Imam (leader), rejecting the legitimacy of the previous Muslim caliphs.

PROPHETS OF ISLAM
Muslims identify the prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by god to be his messengers. According to the Quran, the descendants of Abraham and Imram were chosen by god to bring the will of god to the peoples of nations. Muslims believe that the prophets are human and not divine, though some are able to perform miracles to prove their claim. Islamic theology says that all of Gods messengers preached the message of Islam submission to the Will of God. The Quran mentions the names of numerous figures considered prophets in Islam, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus among others.

MOHAMMED A merchant of Mecca. Inspired by a vision of the archangel Gabriel and began to preach the worship of the one true god (Allah), and to denounce idolatry. Spent his life preaching his religion and Mecca was converted to Islam. In the century after his death (632 AD) Muslim armies forged an Arab empire extending from Spain to India.

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

1. SHAHADAH the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific statement: ashada al-la ilaha or I testify that there is none worthy of worship except god and I testify that Muhammed is the Messenger of God. The testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. - Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.

2. SALAH or the ritual prayer, which must be performed five times a day. Salah is intended to focus the mind on god, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. - It is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Quran.

3. SAWM fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must not eat or drink (among other things) from dawn to dusk during this month, and must be mindful of other sins. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. - It is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden.

4. ZAKAT or alms-giving, which is giving fixed portion of accumulated wealth by those who can afford it to help the poor or needy, and also to assist the spread of Islam. - It is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen as a trust from Gods bounty. - The Quran and the hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving (sadaqah).

5. HAJJ the pilgrimage during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. - Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the black stone (if possible), walking or running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina.

THE ISLAM LAW

The Sharia (literally mean the path leading to the watering place) is the Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholarship, which most Muslim groups adhere to. In Islam, Sharia is the expression of the divine will, and constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief, The Islamic law covers all aspects of life, from matters of state to issues of daily living. The Quran defines hudhud as the punishments for five specific crimes: unlawful intercourse, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, consumption of alcohol, theft and highway robbery.

ULEMA term referring to an Islamic scholar who have elaborated systems of law on the basis of the rules presented in the Quran and Sunnah and their interpretations. FIGH or JURISPRUDENCE - the knowledge of the practical rules of the religion. usul al-figh (principles of jurisprudence/legal theory) the method Islamic jurists use to derive rulings.

WORSHIP
MOSQUES Muslims place of worship which are often highly decorated in abstract patterns because representational art is forbidden as idolatrous. IMAM - a lay leader who leads the worship. MUEZZIN - the one who calls the faithful to prayer from a rooftop or minaret. Before entering the mosque, Muslims must ritually cleanse themselves. Special services are held at midday on Friday. Devout Muslims must pray five times daily, facing in the direction of Mecca.

GOD ALLAH
TAWHID Islams fundamental theological concept - the belief that there is only one god. In traditional Islamic theology, God is beyond all comprehension; Muslims are not expected to visualize Allah but to worship and adore him as the Protector. The Quran has described God by certain attributes or names, the most common being al-rahman, meaning the compassionate, and al-rahim, meaning the merciful.

Description of God in Quran

Surah al ikhlaas chapter 112

. . . God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.

REVELATIONS
The Islamic holy books are the records which most Muslims believe were dictated by god to various prophets, with the Quran as the last book. Muslims believe that parts of the previously revealed scriptures, the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospels), had become distorted either in interpretation, in text, or both. Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal Word of God; it is the central religious text of Islam revealed in Arabic.

ANGELS -

fundamental to the faith of Islam

- arabic word id malak meaning messenger. According to the Quran, angels don not posses free will, and worship Allah in total obedience. Angels duties include communicating revelations from Allah, glorifying Allah, recording every persons actions, and taking a persons soul at the time of death. They are also thought to intercede on mans behalf. The Quran describes angels as messengers with wings two, or three, or four (pairs).

RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT

QIYAMA Belief in the Day of Resurrection, yawm alQiyamah (alson known as yawm ad-din, Day of Judgment and as-saa, the Last Hour) is crucial for Muslims. They believe that the time of Qiyamah is preordained by God but unkown to man. The trials and tribulations preceding and during the Qiyamah are descried in the Quran and the hadith, and also in the commentaries of Islamic scholars. The Quran emphasizes bodily resurrection, a break from the preIslamic Arabian understanding of death. Resurrection will be followed by the judgment by god.