1. Beliefs about God A number of core beliefs are central to Islam. They are stressed in the Quran and in Islamic tradition.

Monotheism. The principal belief of Islam is that there is only one God. He created the universe and all things in it. Muslims believe this is the same God that Jews and Christians worship. Muslims usually refer to God as Allah, which is simply the word for “God” in Arabic.

Muslims also believe that Muhammad was a prophet, God’s messenger, but that he had no divine, or godlike, power himself. Muslims believe that important Jewish and Christian religious figures like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus were also prophets and that Muhammad is part of this tradition.

Unlike Muslims, Jews and Christians do not believe that Muhammad was a prophet. Unlike Christians, Muslims view Jesus as a human prophet. Most Christians believe Jesus was both God and man.

Submission to God’s Will. The word Islam means “submission” in Arabic. A Muslim is one who has submitted to God’s will. This means trying to please God by following his teachings.

The Soul and Afterlife. Like Christianity, Islam teaches that each person has a soul that keeps living after a person dies. Each person also has the freedom to choose between good and evil. The choices a person makes in life affect what happens to his or her soul after death.

     

2. Islamic Law Law. Muhammad taught that everyday life was no different from religious life. Living a proper life meant

following God’s laws as revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah. These laws are collected in the Islamic law code known as the Sharia. The Arabic word Sharia means “the way,” as in the right way to act.

The Quran and the Sunnah served as sources for the Sharia. But those sources could not cover every situation that might come up. Religious scholars used reason to judge new situation.

By the 900s, Muslim scholars had established the Sharia as a fixed set of laws. In this form it was used by Muslim societies for centuries. In the 1800s, however, governments in some Muslim lands began replacing parts of Sharia law with law codes based on European models. Other parts of the Sharia were reformed. Today, law codes in some Muslim nations are closely based on Sharia. Others are more secular, or non-religious.

Rules of Proper Conduct. The Sharia provides Muslims with specific rules of personal conduct. The most important rules concern the basic duties of every Muslim-- the Five Pillars of Islam. Other rules list things that Muslims should not do. For example, the Sharia forbids Muslims from gambling, stealing, eating pork, or drinking alcohol. The Sharia also includes rules for resolving family issues and for doing business ethically.

   

 

3. The Five Pillars of Islam Muslims have five key religious duties. These are known as the Five Pillars.

● Belief. The first pillar is stating a belief that “there is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This is a declaration of faith.

● Prayer. The second pillar is prayer. It is a religious duty for Muslims to pray five times a day. They may sometimes pray in a mosque.

● Charity. The third pillar of Islam is giving charity to the needy. Muslims must share their wealth with the less fortunate. Devout Muslims give 2.5 percent of their wealth each year, though many give more.

● Fasting. The fourth pillar is fasting during Ramadan, a month on the Islamic calendar. Fasting means not eating or drinking for a period of time. During Ramadan, Muslims fast between daybreak and sunset. Fasting tests Muslims’ commitment to God and reminds them of the hunger of the poor. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr, or Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. This is an important holiday.

● Pilgrimage. The fifth pillar is the hajj, or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place or shrine. The Quran instructs every Muslim to make the hajj at least once in their lifetime, if possible. By bringing Muslims from all parts of the world together, the hajj strengthens the global community of Muslims.

Muslims worshipping at the Kaaba in Mecca as part of the hajj.

4. Station Instructions Read the statements on the handout and determine if they describe Islam, Judaism, or Christianity. Some statements may describe multiple religions. If you are not sure about the answer, use the textbook as a resource to find out, don’t just guess!  

 

5. Prayer and Pilgrimage Islam plays a large role in the daily lives of Muslims. It helps shape society in Muslim-majority nations as well.

Worship. Prayer and worship are key elements of daily life for Muslims. At five specific times each day, Muslims stop what they are doing and pray. Before praying, Muslims remove their shoes and wash their hands and feet. This is called an ablution. They may bow several times. Then, facing in the direction of Mecca, they kneel and pray.

A Muslim house of worship is called a mosque. At a mosque, the community participates in group prayer and other religious activities. Mosques are usually found at the heart of Muslim-majority towns or cities. Their features may differ, but all mosques contain a prayer hall facing in the direction of Mecca. They usually include a special place for the imam, or religious leader, to stand to give sermons. A minaret is attached to most mosques. Minarets are towers from which a man called a muezzin sings the call to prayer. On Fridays, Muslims may gather at a mosque for group worship and to hear a sermon.

The Hajj. The hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca. During the hajj, pilgrims take part in many rituals. The most important is walking in a circle around the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a cube-like building in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Muslims believe that in ancient times, Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba as a place to worship God. During the hajj, Muslims also visit the place where Muhammad gave his last sermon. The hajj reminds Muslims of Abraham, Ishmael, and Muhammad. It connects Muslims to their religious history.

6. The Caliphs and the Question of Succession Muhammad was the first Muslim leader. After he died, rulers called caliphs led the Muslim community and

then the empire. In Arabic, caliph means “successor,” as in the successor of Muhammad. A government run by a caliph is called a caliphate.

But who was to be the first caliph? Who could follow a man who for Muslims was the messenger of God? This difficult issue split Muslims into two competing groups.

Most Muslims believed the community needed a leader with political skills. They supported Muhammad’s main adviser, Abu Bakr, who became the first caliph. Members of this group became known as Sunnis because they hold the Sunnah in high regard.

A minority of Muslims believed that only Muhammad’s relatives should become caliph. They supported Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. They were called Shias, which means supporters, because they supported Ali.

The split between Sunnis and Shias still exists today. Most Muslims-- at least 85%-- are Sunnis. Shias are the largest minority Islamic group. There are some differences in ritual and observance between the two groups. Despite this division, Muslims around the world share most of the same basic beliefs.

7. An Urban Economy & Medical Advances With a strong economic foundation, Muslim cities grew rapidly. Farms supplied food, wool, and other basic

goods. Traders brought more exotic goods, such as fine silks, from distant lands. Cities produced a wide range of trade goods. Muslim civilization gained fame for its fine textiles, or woven fabric. These valuable goods included cotton cloth from Egypt and beautiful wool carpets from Persia. Artisans also produced finely crafted steel swords in Damascus, and beautiful leather goods in Cordoba.

Medicine. Muslim physicians studied works by ancient Greek scholars. They improved on Greek medical practices. Muslims also made their own contributions to medical science.

The greatest Muslim doctor was Ibn Sina, known in Europe as Avicenna. A Persian physician, he wrote many books on medicine, philosophy, and other topics. His most famous work was a medical encyclopedia. This book covered every disease and treatment known as that time. It became the standard medical text in Europe for hundreds of years.

Hospitals were built throughout the Arab Muslim empire. Separate areas within these hospitals were set aside for people with different diseases. Hospitals also had pharmacies in which medicines could be prepared. Skilled Muslim doctors performed difficult operations, including cancer and brain surgeries.

8. Literature and Mathematics Folk Tales

Muslim folk tales came from a long tradition of storytelling. Some tales featured animals. Others described great heroes and their adventures. Many of these tales appeared in a book titled The Thousand and One Nights. This collection includes romantic stories as well as fables that teach lessons. It is popular around the world. These stories have also provided scholars with helpful information about life in early Muslim times, a period described in many of these stories. Mathematics

Arab mathematicians used a decimal system based on Indian numerals (sometimes called Hindu numerals). This system included the concept of zero. A book by the Muslim mathematician al-Khwarizmi introduced that number system to Europe. We call the symbols that we use for numbers today (0, 1, 2, 3, … 9) Arabic numerals because it came to Europe from the Arab world. Previously, Europeans used Roman numerals, but Arabic numerals were easier to work with.

Al-Khwarizmi also made groundbreaking advances in the field of algebra. Algebra is a kind of mathematics in which letters are used to stand in for unknown numbers, allowing people to solve complex problems. In fact, the word algebra comes from Arabic.

9. Design and Calligraphy Before Islam, Arabs worshipped images of their gods. Islam opposed the worship of images and discouraged

art that showed humans or animals. In time, some paintings of images was allowed, but it never became as important as the decorative arts in Islamic civilization.

Decorative designs appeared on everything from colorful tiles to finely woven carpets to the domes of mosques. One of the most popular designs, the arabesque consists of a pattern of curved shapes and lines resembling flowers or vines.

In Islamic civilization, calligraphy merged art and religion. Calligraphy is the art of decorative writing. Using this art form, artists recreated verses from the Quran. They wrote them in decorated books, carved them on walls, painted them on tiles, and wove them into textiles.

Mosques in Fes, Morocco decorated with mosaics and carved calligraphy.

Name:__________________________________________________

Islam: Beliefs and Achievements

1. Beliefs about God

● How do Muslims refer to God, and why? ● How is Islam different from Judaism and

Christianity? ● How is Islam similar to Christianity and Judaism? ● What do Muslims believe happens after death? ● Answer study guide question 5.

2. Islamic Law

● What is the Sharia, and what does it mean in Arabic?

● Do all laws in the Sharia come from the Quran and

Sunnah? Explain. ● How has the way the Sharia has been used by

Muslim societies changed throughout history? ● Answer study guide question 7.

3. The Five Pillars of Islam

● How often does fasting during Ramadan occur? ● What is Eid al-Fitr? ● How often should Muslims perform the hajj? ● How does giving to charity and participating in the

hajj affect the Muslim community? ● Answer study guide question 6.

5. Prayer and Pilgrimage

● What steps do Muslims follow during the daily prayers?

● Describe some of the common features found in

mosques: ● What role does the Kaaba play in the hajj? ● Where do Muslims perform their five daily prayers?

(hint: it’s not always at a mosque)

6. The Caliphs and the Question of Succession

● What is a caliph, and what does the word mean in Arabic?

● What is a caliphate? ● Why did the Muslims split into two groups? ● Who did the Sunnis think should be caliph? ● Who did the Shias think should be caliph? ● Which of the two groups has more followers today?

7. An Urban Economy and Medical Advances

● How did trade affect Islamic cities? ● What are textiles? ● What is Ibn Sina known for? ● List at least three ways that Islamic hospitals were

advanced in the ancient world:

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8. Literature and Mathematics

● What is contained in The Thousand and One Nights?

● How has this book helped us learn about life in

early Muslim times? ● What are Arabic numerals? ● Where did Arabic numerals come from? ● What important mathematical contributions came

from Muslim scholars?

9. Design and Calligraphy

● Why does Muslim art avoid images of people or animals?

● What is calligraphy, and how is it used in Islamic

art? ● Describe the decorations shown in the photos of

mosques in Fes, Morocco: ● What is an arabesque?