Islam Religion

1. Islam Religion By Adam Hahn

2. Origins • Islam was created in the 7th century C.E in present day Saudi Arabia and was founded off the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. His teachings were based off of surrender for the god Allah who was the creator and sustainer of the world. After leaving Mecca Muhammad believed he heard the word of Allah and started teaching people the ways of Allah and created the Quran.

3. Doctrines and Teachings • Basic beliefs follow the 5 pillars of Islam: 1. which is complete faith in the religion that Allah is the only god and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. 2. is prayer and that every individual should have a direct relationship with god, and the people are to face Mecca and pray 5 times a day. 3. almsgiving is the third pillar and includes giving to the less fortunate. 4. fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is considered the fourth pillar of faith. 5. in every Islam believers life they must travel to Mecca at least once. • Judgment Day is where the god Allah destroys the world and resurrects those who deserve it and they go to heaven while the rest are plagued to suffer in their graves for the rest of their lives. Each person will be judged by Allah according to their deeds throughout life and they are either appointed to Paradise or Hell.

4. Dissemination • Spread by origin birth • Spread by conquest • Spread by trade • Spread by migration • A split in faith included two groups, the Sunni and the Shia, the Shia believed the successor of Muhammad should be a family member or direct descendant, however, the Sunni believed that the successor should be someone who is elite in the community and is best able to lead the community and carry on with the teachings of Muhammad.

5. Turning Points • When Muhammad died there was great conflict on who his successor should be. • This conflict mainly occurred between the Sunni and Shia Muslims and at times got very violent. • The Sunni eventually beat out the Shia for power due to the massive numbers of the Sunni who make up about 75-90% of Muslims while the Shia only have 10-20% of Muslims today.

6. Absorbtion • All people are still equal in the eyes of Allah even though men had superior rights over women • Islam seemed to flow smoothly within the eyes of the believers. • Many people fell under the Spell of Islamic teachings they believed it was made of solid beliefs and composure and everything about it fit harmoniously together. • The spreading of Islam was very peaceful, the people were open to its descriptions and what it involved it caused no problems, also the Quran helped spread the knowledge and teachings of Islam

7. Modern Connections • There are about 1.2 billion Muslims in the world who follow the Islamic religion which is about one quarter of the world's populations and it is also the fastest growing religion. • The most populous places that honor the Islam religion are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India plus in India there is a total of about 175 million Muslims. • A story that recently occurred in Iraq includes that of a boy that was caught attempting to sexually assault a younger girl because she was a Shia Muslim and he was a Sunni Muslim.

8. Bibliography • http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam.html • http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/Islam/five_pillars_of_Islam.aspx • http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs/afterlife.htm • http://17-122.qataracademy.wikispaces.net/Islamic+Empires+Webpage • http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7332087 • http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads/russell/islam.htm • http://saif_w.tripod.com/explore/stereo/how_islam_spread.htm • http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/faithtoday.html • http://www.godweb.org/mohammedpaintings.htm