INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGION AND BELIEF

SYSTEMS: LESSON 5

ISLAM
 Islam, is a major world religion (2nd Largest in the world)
promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian
Peninsula in the 7th century CE. The Arabic term Islam,
literally means ―surrender,‖ illuminates the fundamental
religious idea of Islam—that the believer (called a Muslim,
from the active particle of Islam) accepts surrender to the will
of Allah (in Arabic, Allāh: God).
 Allah is viewed as the sole God—creator, sustainer, and
restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to which human beings
must submit, is made known through the sacred scriptures,
the Qurʾān (often spelled Koran/Quran in English), which
Allah revealed to his messenger, Muhammad. Islam is
usually symbolized today by a crescent moon and a star
though Muslims hold no sacred meanings behind it.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF ISLAM

LEGACY OF MOHAMMED
 Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad. (Mohammed).
The meaning of the word ―Islam means "surrender" to the
will of God. The fundamental belief of Islam is mentioned in
the article of faith which says, "There is no God, but Allah
and Muhammad is his messenger.
 The followers of Islam are called Muslims. As one of the
Abrahamic religions, they also recognized the Judeo-
Christian figures like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
 Jesus who they believe were significant prophets before
Muhammad.
 Muhammad was born in 570 C.E. in Mecca, and his early life
was unremarkable. He married his employer, Khadija, a
wealthy widow who was 15 years older than him.
Approximately, around 610 C.E., Muhammad‘s religious
calling began when he was instructed to recite by the Angel
Gabriel. Later on, the collection of Muhammad‘s divine
recitations developed into what the Muslims believe as their
sacred book, the Qur‘an
 The appearance of Angel Gabriel signals his mission to
become a prophet but just like other prophet he was adamant
in accepting his role. After much reflection and self-doubt, he
eventually accepted his role as God‘s prophet and began to
preach the word of the one God, or Allah in Arabic. His first
convert was his wife
 Unfortunately, the revelations are monotheistic in form and
substance hence a contradiction to the faith-belief of the tribe
(the Quraysh), which Muhammad was a part of. As a result,
the early Muslims faced significant persecution. 
 Eventually, due to the pressure of persecution Muhammad
and his followers fled to Mecca towards the city of Yathrib,
which is known as Medina today. This event is known as the
Hijra, or emigration. This event marks the beginning of the
Muslim calendar which is still being used until today.
 Known to many, the Ka‘ba or Kaaba, is the place where the
Muslims travel at least once in their lifetime to follow one of
the Five pillars of Islam. Before Muhammad, Kaaba was a
major site of pilgrimage for the polytheistic religious traditions
of the Arabian Peninsula and contained numerous idols of
pagan gods
 Since Muhammad founded a monotheistic religion, he does
away all the images, idols and pagan gods and transformed
Ka‘ba of what it is today, the most important center of
 pilgrimage in Islam. The Ka‘ba is believed to have been built
by Abraham (or Ibrahim as he is known in Arabic) and his
son, Ishmael. Ismael was the half-brother of Isaac, whose
mother was Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Isaac was the
ancestor of the Christians while Ismael, the son of Abraham
from his maid Hagar, was believed to be the ancestor of the
Muslims.
 In Medina, his preaching was soon accepted, and the
community of Islam grew in numbers. In its early period of
development, Islam instilled an important ethics; 
 “ A religion that unites both the spiritual and temporal aspects
of life and seeking to regulate not only the individual‘s
relationship to God but human relationships in a social setting
as well”. Thus, there is not only an Islamic religious institution
but also an Islamic law, state, and other institutions governing
society

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

 Many aspects of religious practice in Islam emerged and
were codified after its expansion. The Five Pillars are
comparable to the Ten Commandments of Judaism and the
Christians. Islam which literally means "submission", is
based on the tenet that are known as the Five Pillars, to
which all members of the Islamic community, should adhere.
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH— THE SHAHADA
 The Profession of Faith, the shahada, is the most basic
expression of Islamic beliefs. It means, There is no God but
Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. The faith-statement is a
departure from the faith-belief of the polytheistic tribe (the
Quraysh) whom Muhammad belonged before he founded his
own religion.
DAILY PRAYERS—SALAT/SALAH
 It is the duty of the Muslims to pray five times a day. They
don‘t need to pray inside the mosque rather, the salat/salah,
can be done anywhere; however, they are meant to pray
towards Mecca. On Friday, many Muslims attend a mosque
near midday to pray and to listen to a sermon, khutba.
ALMS-GIVING—ZAKAT
 The giving of alms is the third pillar. This is the heart of every
religion. Its existence is always for the benefits of the less
fortunate brethren not only in their fold but even outside of
their faith. Muslims believe that wealth is public in nature and
therefore is to be shared specially to those who are in the
marginalized sector of the society.
FASTING DURING RAMADAN—SAUM
 Ramadan is celebrated anywhere in the world by Muslims. In
the Philippines it is marked as one of the major holidays of
the year. During the ninth month in the Islamic calendar,
Muslims are expected to fast from 6:00am to 6:00pm
although it varies from country to country. They are expected
to refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours
except for the elderly, the sick and pregnant women.
PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA—HAJJ
 All Muslims who are able are required to make the
pilgrimage to Mecca and the surrounding holy sites at least
once in their lives. Pilgrimage focuses on visiting the Kaaba
and walking around it seven times. Pilgrimage occurs in the
12th month of the Islamic Calendar.

SACRED PLACES AND DAYS

  The most sacred place for Muslims is the Kaʿbah (Kaaba)
sanctuary at Mecca, the object of the annual pilgrimage. It is
much more than a mosque; it is believed to be the place
where the heavenly bliss and power touches the earth
directly. As mentioned earlier, the Ka‘bah was built by
Abraham and his son Ismael.
THE MOSQUE
 The general religious life of Muslims is centered on the
mosque. Back in the days the mosque was the center of all
community life, and it remains so in many parts of the
Islamic world to this day. Imams (one who administers the
prayer service) are in-charge of supervising small mosques,
like their Christian counterparts, the Priests. 
 Most mosques are private and are run by the local
community, although increasingly some of the larger ones
have been managed by the government specially in Western
Asia
HOLY DAYS
 The Muslim calendar (based on the lunar year) dates from
the emigration (hijrah) of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina
in 622. The two festive days in the year are the Eids (ʿīds),
Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of the month of
Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha (the feast of sacrifice), which
marks the end of the hajj. Because of the crowds, Eid
prayers are offered either in very large mosques or on
specially consecrated grounds.
THINGS TO REMEMBER 
 Islam – is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion. Islam
literally means “surrender” and often associated with peace
  Muslims- is the term used to address the people believing
and practicing Islam as their religion
  Allah – The name of the God of Islam
  Mohammad – the last and the only prophet of Islam whom
Allah entrusted his teachings to, for the people.
  Qur’an – is the sacred scriptures of Islam where all the
teachings of Allah is written
  Mosque – the place of worship for the Muslims
 Crescent moon and Star– the most common symbol used
for Islam though it is mostly believe that it has no religious or
sacred basis to it.
 Ramadan- The 9th month of the Islamic calendar that
observed by the Muslim community as the month of Fasting,
Prayer and Reflection
  Eid al-Fit’r – Islamic feast day that celebrates the end of
Ramadan
  Eid al-Adha- (Feast of Sacrifice) Celebrates the end of Hajj
 Imam – a person/priest that carried out religious ceremonies
and teachings of Islam
 Mecca – a holy place/city of pilgrimage for Muslims.
 Kaaba- a place of sanctuary/structure in Mecca that is the
center of the Muslims pilgrimage in their holy land. Believed
to be built by Abraham known as Ibrahim in the Islamic
tradition.
 The Five Pillars – The religious practices of Islam as to
which all of its members must submit.

ISLAM SECTARIANISM (BRIEF HISTORY)

 Despite the efforts of Prophet Muhammad to unify all
differences within the Muslim community, but it arose
immediately after his death. There are two major warring
factions that ignited divisions for centuries. First are the
 Sunni—the traditionalist faction whose followers now
constitute the majority of Islam followers. There was no
successor designated by prophet Muhammad hence the
Muslims at Medina decided to elect a chief.
 Two of Muhammad‘s fathers-in-law, who were highly
respected early converts as well as trusted lieutenants,
prevailed upon the Medinans to elect a leader who would be
accepted by the Quraysh, Muhammad‘s tribe, and the choice
fell upon Abū Bakr, father of the Prophet‘s favored wife,
ʿĀʾishah. All of this occurred before the Prophet‘s burial.
 The other faction is the Shiʿah (Shiite or Shia). This group
claimed that the Prophet had designated as his successor his
son-in-law ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, husband of his daughter
Fāṭimah and father of his only surviving grandsons, Ḥasan
and Ḥusayn.
 The other faction is the Shiʿah (Shiite or Shia). This group
claimed that the Prophet had designated as his successor his
son-in-law ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, husband of his daughter
Fāṭimah and father of his only surviving grandsons, Ḥasan
and Ḥusayn.
 His preference was a general knowledge to the Muslim
community.
 Today, about 85 percent of the approximately 1.6 billion
Muslims around the world are Sunni, while 15 percent are
Shia, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign
Relations. While Shia represent the majority of the population
in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan, and a plurality in
Lebanon, Sunnis are the majority in more than 40 other
countries, from Morocco to Indonesia

THE SUNNI –SHIA DIVIDE INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

  For centuries, the rift between the two major warring factions
had deepened. There were three major events that
contributed to worsening relationships:
 1) The rise of the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century. 
 2) In the early 20th century, the victorious allies divided the
territory held by the former Ottoman Empire after World War
I, cutting through centuries-old religious and ethnic
communities in the process. 
 3) Finally, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution in Iran produced a
radical Shia Islam warry of traditional Sunni Muslim in Saudi
Arabia and elsewhere even until today
 The regional divide produced fundamentalists on both sides
with intensified conflicts in the early 21st century, especially
during the period of two Persian Gulf Wars. Chaos was all
over the region when U.S.-backed ouster of Saddam
Hussein‘s Sunni regime in Iraq was successfully carried out. 
 It was followed in the succeeding years by the mass uprisings
in the Arab world that began with the Arab Spring in 2011.
Civil war in Syria, fighting in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and
elsewhere, and terrorist violence initiated by either side.
 A common thread in most of these conflicts is the ongoing
battle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran for
influence in the oil-rich Middle East and surrounding regions. 
 Despite the long-running nature of the Sunni-Shia divide, the
fact that the two sects coexisted in relative peace for many
centuries suggest their struggles may have less to do with
religion than with wealth and power.

THE MUSLIM WORLD TODAY

 At present, Islam is believed to be the world‘s fastest
growing religion. Muslims are loyal to the divine word of the
 Quran, and do their best to live according to the sharī‘ah and
ritual practices.
 During the twentieth century, Islam had played an important
role in the development of nation states in the Islamic world.
In the last few decades certain groups have begun
interpreting Islam as a transnational ideology in ways that
undermine the nation state
 Muslims of every sect, nationality, and school of
jurisprudence are represented in regions throughout the
world, together creating the faith. Here in the Philippines,
Muslims blend easily with other faith dominations and very
visible in almost every towns and provinces mostly engage in
businesses
 This pluralization is a welcome development specially that
efforts for interreligious dialogues and unity. These are
initiated mostly by religious representatives across different
religions and denominations with continuing initiative within
and outside their faith.
 Despite the political, social, cultural, economic and other
challenges faced by Muslims today the “Muslim world”
continues to expand; Islam is the world‘s fastest growing
religion as mentioned earlier. The adage, “Islam is one,
Muslims are many” is clear.