Islam is a monotheistic religion, and it is the second most popular religion in the world. It was founded in 610 A.D. by a man named Mohammed, who was the prophet of God. One day Mohammad had a vision where an angel came to him. At this time, people believed in multiple gods (polytheism), but the angel told him that there was only one God named Allah. She instructed him to worship Allah and to spread the word of God.
The holy book of Islam is the Quran. Muslims go to mosques to read from the Quran and pray; whenever they pray they face towards Mecca, the birthplace of Islam. One of the most important beliefs of Islam is that any Muslim who is financially able must make a pilgrimage to Mecca called the "Hajj to Mecca." In addition to traveling to Mecca at some point in their lives, they have to pray (usually five times daily: before sunrise, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon, and after sunset), give alms, and fast during Ramadan. During Ramadan, they are only allowed to eat after sunset and before sunrise. These things make up what is called the five pillars of Islam: testimony of faith, prayer, giving alms (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
There are different sects of Islam, and two of the largest ones are the Sunni and Shi'ite sects. Only a small percentage of Muslims are Shi'ite, but a large percentage (somewhere around 85%) of Muslims are Sunni. Although most Muslims are not radicals at all, many people mistakenly believe that all Muslims are "terrorists." This is one of the most common misconceptions about Islam, and it is very untrue! The vast majority of Muslims are moderate, and 93% of Muslims do not support extremist views at all. They are regular, peaceful people who are trying to honor God in their lives.
Hopefully this is interesting to anyone who was not previously aware of this information. I think that talking about this more in class is a really good idea!
No comments:
Post a Comment