Islam

The following text defines several words that are important to know when learning about Islam.

Islam \is-LAHM\ noun a religion that was started in the Middle East by Muhammad

Muslim \MUHZ-lim\ noun a person who follows the religion of Islam

Arab \AIR-uhb\ adjective describes people whose ancestors are from areas where people speak a language called Arabic and who have a shared culture

Diversity in Islam

Although Muhammad and his first followers were Arab, Islam is now a global religion. Today, most Muslims aren't Arab.

There are large Muslim populations in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Today, more than 3.3 million Muslims live in the United States. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, with more than 209 million Muslims.

Muslims believe there is only one god. They call this god Allah, which means "God" in Arabic. The following passage describes a Muslim belief about how Allah revealed, or communicated, messages to his followers.

We believe in Allah and [the message that] was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham . . . and the teachings which Allah gave to Moses and Jesus and to other prophets.

Abraham: considered by many to be the father of Judaism

Jesus: the most important figure in Christian history

prophets: people who deliver messages believed to come from God

Al Imran 3:84 in Zafar Ishaq Ansari, translator, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Volume 1. Copyright 1988 by The Islamic Foundation.

Was Jesus a prophet?

According to Islamic tradition, Allah has sent 124,000 prophets! That number includes the prophets in Jewish and Christian holy texts, such as Moses and Isaiah. It also includes Jesus.

Most Christians believe that Jesus is God, but Muslims generally disagree. Most Muslims believe Jesus was a messenger sent by God, not God himself.

So, Muslims and Christians agree that Jesus was an important person but disagree about why.

Muhammad was the founder of Islam. He was born in 570 CE in Mecca, a city in present-day Saudi Arabia. The following story describes miracles that many Muslims believe happened to Muhammad. Miracles are unusual events believed to be caused by God.

Open-heart surgery

One story about Muhammad's childhood says that his heart was taken out of his body! According to the story, Muhammad was playing outside with his friend when two men in white came up to him. They opened up his chest, took out his heart, and removed a black spot from it. Then they washed his heart and put it back inside him.

Muhammad's friend thought that the men had killed Muhammad, so he ran to tell an adult. When the adult arrived, she found that Muhammad was fine. Most Muslims believe the men were angels who cleansed Muhammad's heart so he would be pure to receive Allah's message.

As an adult, Muhammad would sometimes go alone into the mountains near his home to think and worship God. Muslims believe that during one of those retreats, an angel named Gabriel appeared to him. Gabriel said Muhammad was a prophet who would speak for God and spread God's message on earth.

Ramadan: remembering Gabriel's visit

During the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, Muslims remember Gabriel's visit to Muhammad. During this time, Muslims fast for about 30 days. That means they do not eat or drink anything while the sun is out. For that entire month, they only eat before the sun rises or after it sets.

At the end of the month, Muslims celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast with a holiday called Eid al-Fitr (eed uhl-FIH-ter), which means "festival of breaking the fast."

The Quran (kuh-RAHN) is a book of holy writings used by Muslims. Muslims believe the words of the Quran came directly from God through Muhammad. Muhammad taught other people the words exactly as he received them, in Arabic.

Most Muslims today do not speak Arabic as their primary language. But the Quran is usually read and recited in Arabic.

The first words given to Muhammad

According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad began receiving the Quran while he was in the Cave of Hira.

The first verses that Muhammad received are written above the entrance to the cave, shown in this photo. Translated into English, this text says the following:

Recite in the name of your Lord who created -

Created man from a clinging substance.

Al Alaq 96:1-2 in Saheeh International, The Quran: English Meaning. Copyright 1997 by Abul-Qasim Publishing House.

These verses called on Muhammad to share Allah's message.

In addition to the Quran, many Muslims also read texts called hadiths (hah-DEETHS). Hadiths describe some of what Muhammad said and did during his life. The following passage comes from a hadith describing Muhammad's instructions to a follower who wanted to convince people to become Muslims.

The Prophet [Muhammad] said: "Invite them to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah; if they accept this, tell them that Allah [requires] five prayers in every day and night; if they accept this, tell them that Allah [requires] from their wealth a charity which is taken from the wealthy and given to the poor among them."

bear witness: say publicly

charity: gift

Sahih al-Bukhari 24:1 in Maulana Muhammad Ali, A Manual of Hadith. Copyright 2014 by Routledge.

Islamic holy texts describe a story known as Muhammad's Night Journey. According to this story, Muhammad traveled overnight from Mecca to Jerusalem and back again.

How did Muhammad get to Jerusalem?

According to the story, Muhammad flew to Jerusalem on a horse with wings. There he met and prayed with three other prophets: Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

Next, Muhammad traveled to hell, where he saw people being punished. He then went to heaven, where he met with other prophets and received instructions from Allah before returning to Mecca.

One of the most important people in Islamic history is Muhammad's first wife, Khadija (ka-DEE-juh).

"The Mother of Believers"

Khadija is often called the "Mother of Believers." She was Muhammad's first wife and a successful businesswoman. Her employees traveled throughout the Arabian peninsula, buying and selling goods.

Khadija was one of Muhammad's greatest supporters. According to one famous story, Muhammad was frightened after the angel Gabriel appeared to him, but Khadija comforted him. She assured him that Gabriel was an angel, not a demon, and that God had chosen Muhammad for great things.

When Muhammad began spreading his message, many people were angry. Read the following passage. Then answer the question below.

At the beginning of the 7th century, most people living in Mecca were polytheists, or people who worshipped many gods. When Muhammad began teaching that there was only one god, many Meccans resisted.

At first, the Meccan leaders just made fun of Muhammad and his message. But they grew angry when Muhammad started telling people to stop worshipping Meccan gods. The leaders began plotting ways to stop Muhammad. Some even planned to have him killed! Luckily for Muhammad, his uncle Abu Talib was a powerful man. Abu Talib loyally defended and protected Muhammad, despite never converting to Islam himself.

A Muslim boycott

After a few well-known men in Mecca converted to Islam, Meccan leaders began a boycott of the Muslim community. In other words, Muslims in Mecca were mostly unable to buy and sell goods or get married. The boycott lasted for two or three years. During that time, the Muslim community suffered a great deal.

In Medina, Muhammad became an important political leader. In order to govern both Muslims and non-Muslims, Muhammad developed the Constitution of Medina. Below summarizes some of the agreements in the Constitution of Medina.

These agreements would have protected Muslims:

• • • Polytheists will support Muhammad and the Muslims in Medina. This agreement mentioned non-Muslims, but it was meant to protect Muslims. It required polytheists in Medina to support the Muslim community there.

    • The Muslims who move to Medina can keep their tribal organization and leadership. Many of the Muslims who followed Muhammad had their own tribal cultures and leaders who represented them. This agreement made sure that they could keep those important parts of their culture, while still working with Muhammad's government.

This agreement would have protected non-Muslims:

• • • Jews who join the Muslims and depend on them for protection will receive aid and equal rights and will not be wronged. Jews were not Muslims, but the Constitution of Medina protected them, too. It said that Jews who agreed to the constitution would be protected and supported.

This agreement would have protected both groups:

• • The Constitution of Medina is an agreement between the Muslims in Medina and the non-Muslims who join them. Together, they form one united community against all others. The constitution began by saying that the Muslims and non-Muslims in Medina would form a single community. The community would work together and protect each other from outsiders. As a result, both groups would be safer.

History as a puzzle

Historians have to evaluate different accounts and sources to understand the past. For example, most information on the Battle of Badr comes from stories Muslims told as part of their religious history. But not all of the accounts tell the exact same story.

When historians have different accounts of the same events, they can use some of the following techniques:

• compare the stories

• take into account what else they know about the time period

• consider why different people chose to include some details in the story and leave out other parts

In 630 CE, Muhammad and his followers led a large army to Mecca. They planned to take the city by force, but most Meccans surrendered without a fight.

The Kaaba is a large, cube-shaped building in Mecca. For many centuries before Islam began, tribes from the surrounding areas worshipped there. Images of hundreds of different gods were displayed inside the Kaaba. According to many accounts, there was even an image of Jesus, the most important figure in Christianity, inside. People from faraway tribes would make a religious journey called a pilgrimage to visit the Kaaba.

Muhammad and his followers believed that the Kaaba was the most holy place in the world. When Muhammad and his followers gained control of the Kaaba, they dedicated it to Allah. Muhammad removed all images of the gods that had been there, and he did not include any statues or images of Allah. Today, Muslims from all over the world still make a pilgrimage to worship at the Kaaba.

Pilgrimage today

The Kaaba is still an important place for religious pilgrims. Many people go to the Kaaba every day to pray, and once a year it becomes the focus of special rituals.

Once a year, over 1 million Muslims from around the world travel to Mecca to perform a pilgrimage called the hajj. One ritual pilgrims perform during the hajj is walking around the Kaaba seven times. They usually do this walk twice, once at the beginning of the hajj and once near the end.

Muhammad died a few years after he took control of Mecca.

Aisha at the Battle of the Camel

Aisha was Muhammad's third wife. After Muhammad's death, she played a particularly noteworthy role. Many people believe that in 656, she led a camel into battle against an Islamic leader she disagreed with. Her attack failed, but she was permitted to spend the rest of her life teaching Islam.

Aisha's legacy

Today, Aisha is remembered for her knowledge of Islam and her insights about Muhammad's life and message. She also passed along thousands of hadiths. Much of what we know about Muhammad came from Aisha!

After Muhammad's death, there was disagreement about who should lead his followers. This argument led to a split within the early Muslim community, resulting in two groups known today as Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims.

fter Muhammad's death, Muslim leaders continued to spread Islam by building an Islamic Empire. An empire is a group of territories that is ruled by a single leader. Because rulers within the Islamic Empire followed Muhammad's example, they took on many duties.

• • • make laws that were based on the ruler's understanding of the Quran

    • lead armies that would capture land and spread Islam to new regions

    • appoint influential Muslims to government positions

    • lead the community during public meetings and group prayer

    • collect taxes to pay officials, help the poor, and build places for religious worship

Separation of church and state?

Muslims were not the only people who combined religion and government. The Holy Roman Empire, for example, was a Christian empire. And the Persian Empire combined government and a religion called Zoroastrianism.

Today, many countries around the world have laws that separate religion and government. But this is a new idea. In fact, there weren't any countries that did this until the 18th century!

By the 8th century, the Islamic Empire reached from Europe to Asia. This growth led to a period called the Islamic Golden Age, when science and culture flourished. One major contribution to this golden age was the creation of the House of Wisdom by Muslim leaders. Look at the list of some of the work done at the House of Wisdom.

• • 1. Scholars collected, translated, and added to works from Egyptian, Persian, Indian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman cultures.

    2. People created art, wrote poetry, and developed new philosophies that are still admired today.

    3. Scientists learned and improved on Greek astronomy to develop more accurate ways to tell time, even at night.

    4. Scholars studied Indian mathematics and began using their math system, which is still used today.

    5. People learned ancient medical practices from around the world and used them to develop new approaches to medicine.

Who studied at the House of Wisdom?

The House of Wisdom was started and supported by Muslim leaders, but some non-Muslims were allowed to work there too. Jews and Christians were allowed to access the library, but other groups usually weren't.

What happened to the House of Wisdom?

The House of Wisdom was in the city of Baghdad. In 1258, soldiers from the Mongol Empire destroyed much of the city, including the House of Wisdom. They threw all the books and manuscripts into the Tigris River. According to one account, there were so many books in the river that they formed a bridge that people could walk across!

Although the House of Wisdom was destroyed, much of the work done there is still appreciated today.