INTRODUCTION TO WORLD

RELIGIONS AND BELIEF

SYSTEMS

CONTENT 3: ISLAM
 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
ELEMENTS OF ISLAM

• Founder: Prophet Muhammad (570-632 AD)

• Sacred Texts: Qur'an, Hadith
• Doctrines: Five Pillars of Islam
• God: Allah
• Practitioners: Sunni, Shi’ite, Sufi
• Issues: Gender Inequality, Militant Islam, Migration
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
Qur’an and Hadith

Qur’an
• The Muslim scripture is the Holy Qur'an. It is
'the word of God'. Muslim beliefs and practices
are rooted in the Qur'an.
• Muslims regard the Qur'an as the unaltered
word of God.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

Five Pillars of Islam

Shahadah
Declaration of faith
"I bear witness that there is no god, but God; I
bear witness that Muhammad is the prophet of
God." By reciting this, one enters Islamic faith.

Salah
Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca
Muslims are required to pray five times a day,
washing themselves before prayer and facing in
the direction of Mecca while praying.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD

Zakat
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

Give a fixed proportion to charity

Muslims are required to give away a percentage of
their earnings to those less fortunate, regardless of
their religion.

Fast during the month of Ramadan

Saum Muslims fast for one lunar month each year, a period
called Ramadan. During this time, Muslims reflect
on their behavior and strive to purify their thoughts.

Make a pilgrimage to Mecca

If it is financially possible, Muslims are
required to travel to Mecca once in their Hajj
lifetime
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

ALLAH

Who is the pivot of the Muslim faith?

Islam’s holy scripture, the Qur'an, constantly
preaches Allah’s reality, his inaccessible mystery, his
various names, and his actions on behalf of his creatures.
Three themes preponderate:
(1) Allah is the Creator, Judge, and Rewarder;
(2) He is unique and inherently one; and
(3) He is omnipotent and merciful.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
Sunni, Shia and Sufi
Sunni
SUNNI -the majority.
The split rose from an early dispute over who should be the leader of
Islam after the death of Muhammad. The Sunnis argued that the
successor should be appointed by election and consensus, as tradition
dictated.

Shia SHIA -the minority

(Sunni comes from the Arabic word Sunna , meaning “tradition.”) The
Shia believed that Muhammad's successors should come from his
family, starting with Ali, his son-in-law. These, the partisans of Ali,
were named from the word Shia , meaning “partisan” in Arabic.

SUFI – is the one who enlightens his heart and soul by

following spiritualism and religious practices.
Sufi
Sufi believes in divine love and focuses on meeting God
directly by adopting the state of Fana which means to purify
your heart and soul of worldly desires and expectations.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

• Islam in 1500 C.E.

• Islam Today
In 1500, located in Today, located in Middle
Middle East, Africa, and East, Africa, and Asia
Southern Europe
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:

All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Universe
Owner of the Day of Judgment.
You alone do we worship, and
You alone we turn for help
Guide us to the straight path;
The path of those on whom You have bestowed your grace, no
(the way) of
Those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PROPHET

MUHAMMAD

Muhammad was born in 570 CE in the

City of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula.
He was only about five to six years old
when he lost his mother. Orphan
Muhammad then lost his grandfather
‘Abd al-Muttalib at the age of eight. Now
one of ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s sons, Abu
Talib, became the guardian of his orphan
nephew.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

When Prophet Muhammad was 20 years old, he

was hired by a woman called Khadija to take her
merchandise to Syria.
Khadija, a widow fifteen years Prophet
Muhammad’s senior, later proposed marriage to him,
which he agreed to.
They lived together for almost a quarter of a
century, until the death of Khadija about 8-9 years after
the revelation of the Qur’an.
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

CORE TEACHING OF ISLAM

ISLAMIC BELIEFS
Belief in one God
Belief in Angels
Belief in Prophets of God
Belief in Revealed Books of
God
Belief in Day of Judgment
Belief in Destiny and Divine
Decree
5 PILLARS of Islam
1. Declaration of Faith
2. Daily Prayer
3. Zakah
4. Fast of Ramadan
5. Hajj pilgrimage to
Mecca
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD
RELIGIONS AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS

Activity:

Address the issue

about the
“Discrimination to
the Muslim people”