THE

TEACHINGS OF

ISLAM

Essential Question:What are the major

teachings of Islam?

ISLAM’S ORIGIN

Islam is a religion that was founded in the early 600s

in Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)

ISLAM’S ORIGINAn Arabian named Muhammad was

inspired to become a prophet after a

vision of the angel Gabriel told him he was sent to Earth by God to do so

The new religion he invented would be called Islam and his followers called

Muslims

BELIEFS OF ISLAMMuslims

(as well as Jews and

Christians) all trace

their origins back to

Abraham, who was

the “father of the

Hebrews”

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

According to Muslim belief, the words of the angel Gabriel to Muhammad are what makes up the

Qur’an, which is Islam’s holy book

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

Muslims believe that the Jews’ Torah and the Christians’ Bible are also God’s word, but they believe that the

Qu’ran is God’s FINAL revelation to the world, showing the way God wants people to behave and worship

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

Because the Muslims respect parts of the

Bible and Torah, they consider Christians

and Jews “People of the Book”

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

Islam is monotheistic,

worshipping only one God (the same God of Judaism and Christianity)

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

BELIEFS OF ISLAM

The rules and guidelines Muslims go by in regards to their religious practices are

called the Five Pillars of Islam

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH

The First Pillar is called shahadah, or “profession of faith”, in which Muslims declare their belief in one God and in Muhammad’s role as the final prophet

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH

“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God”

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH

Shahadah means Muslims not only believe in God (or

“Allah”), but pledge their submission to God to gain the

reward of Heaven in the afterlife

Muslims share the same Judeo-Christian belief that God

rewards good people with Heaven and punishes evil

people with Hell

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAT

The Second Pillar is Salat, which means “daily ritual prayer”;

prayer must be done five times per day (dawn, noon, midday,

sunset, and at night)

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAT

Before praying, Muslims must perform

ritual washings of their hands, arms,

face, and feet

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALATMuslim places of

worship are called mosques; however,

Muslims may worship anywhere

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SALAT

Wherever they are in the world, Muslims face in the direction of Mecca when they pray

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: ZAKATThe Third Pillar is “zakat”,

which means “alms-giving”; this is giving money to the poor

Muslims believe sharing wealth makes it pure and

helps control greed

Zakat is similar to the charitable donations

made by Jews and Christians to support

their communities

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: ZAKATAccording to Islam, Muslims must donate one-fortieth (or 2.5%) of their income with their poorer neighbors

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM The Fourth Pillar is Siyam, or fasting

(going without food)

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM Muslims fast during the month

of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar

Ramadan honors the month Gabriel revealed God’s message

to Muhammad

Muslims go without food or drink from sunrise to sunset,

then attend special prayer sessions at mosques

Fasting teaches them self-control and reminds them of what it

would be like to be poor

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: SIYAM

Ramadan ends with a

celebration feast day called

Eid al-Fitr

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ

The Fifth Pillar is “hajj”, which is a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca; every 12 months in the Islamic calendar, millions of Muslims gather at Mecca

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ Part of the five days of rituals is circling the Ka’aba seven times while conducting prayers and dressed in simple white clothing

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ

The purpose of the hajj is to promote fellowship and equality as Muslims from

many countries around the world meet in Mecca

They honor Abraham (who they believe built

the Ka’aba) and Muhammad and partake

in four days of feasts

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM: HAJJ

All adult Muslims who are able to are expected to make the hajj once in their lifetime

JIHAD

“Jihad” means “to struggle”

Early Muslims considered battles

to defend their territory and expand their

empire to be a form of jihad

JIHAD

Muhammad declared that fighting with

enemies was “lesser jihad”, while the battle to control oneself was

the “greater jihad”

JIHAD

Unfortunately, many extremist Muslims

today see jihad as a battle against any non-

Muslims (“non-believers”) and use violence to achieve

their goals

SHARI’A LAW

Islamic law is shari’a, or “path to be followed”

The Qu’ran gives Muslims their duties to

God, while caliphs served as judges in

disputes

Shari’a law grew as the Muslims’ empire expanded, providing a guide for Muslim life

SHARI’A LAW

Shari’a law encourages some behaviors, while forbidding others, such as eating pork, drinking

alcohol, or gambling

Shari’a also commands women to “not show

their beauty”, so many Muslim women cover

themselves to one degree or another

Islam’s “Crescent Moon and Star” symbol; there are several theories about what it means

One is that the points of the Moon cover the ends of the Earth and the five points of the

Star represent the Five Pillars of Islam

Closure Activity: Review Quiz

Closure Activity: Review Quiz

Closure Activity: Review Quiz