Roots of Islam 10.1

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Roots of Islam(10.1)
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Roots of Islam
The religion of Islam, whose followers are called
Muslims, originated in the Arabian Peninsula.
This region of Southwest Asia is mostly desert,
but was home to many Arab tribes.
Medina
Mecca
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Roots of Islam
Nomadic herders (Bedouins) roamed the desert to
reach seasonal pasturelands for their camels,
goats and sheep.
Competition for water and grazing land often led
to warfare.
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Muhammad the Prophet
Muhammad was born in 570 B.C in the city of
Mecca.

• Mecca was bustling market town at the crossroads
  of several caravan routes
• This made it a thriving pilgrimage center.
• Many Arabs came to pray at the Kabba, an ancient
  temple that housed statues of gods and goddesses.

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Muhammad the Prophet

• Islam was founded in 610 A.D by the prophet
  Muhammad.
• Muhammad was troubled by the moral ills of Meccan
  society, especially greed
• The angel Gabriel called him to be the messenger
  of God

The word Islam means submission to god
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Muhammad the Prophet

• Muhammad urged Arabs to give up their worship of
  pagan gods and submit to the one true god.
• In Arabic the word for God is Allah.
• Few people in Mecca listened to Muhammads
  teachings.

Why would his teaching be rejected? How are these
motives similar to the rejection of Jesus
teaching in Jerusalem?
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Muhammad the Prophet
His rejection of traditional Arab gods angered
many of the merchants.

• They feared that neglect of the idols would
  disrupt the pilgrimage trade.
• In 622, under the threat of death, Muhammad and
  his followers left Mecca for Yathrib, later
  renamed Medina, or city of the Prophet.

His journey to Yathrib is called the Hijra
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The Teachings of Islam

• Like Judaism and Christianity , Islam is
  monotheistic.
• In Islam there is only one God, Allah.
• The Quran, Islams sacred text, contains the
  sacred words of God as revealed to Muhammad.

Traditionally, Muslims consider Jews and
Christians people of the book because they
worship the same God they are superior to
polytheistic idol worshiping religions
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Duties
All observant Muslims perform 5 basic duties
known as the Five Pillars of Islam.

• Declaration of Faith
• Daily Prayer
• Alms for the poor
• Fast during Ramadan
• Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca

Muslims can pray anywhere, they often gather in a
Mosque, or house of worship.
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Duties

• Another duty is Jihad, struggle in Gods service.
• Usually, this is a personal duty like overcoming
  personal immorality.
• In modern time it is interpreted as a holy war to
  defend Islam or the Muslim community

How is Jihad similar to the Christian Crusades,
or Jewish Zealots who persecuted early Christians?
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Sharia

• The Sharia is the Islamic system of law that
  includes an interpretation of the Quran.
• Similar to Jewish law, it regulates moral
  conduct, family life, business practices,
  government and other aspects of community life.