Introduction to world
religion and belief system
QUARTER 4-LESSON 4
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 (https://books.google.com.ph/).
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 ( https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam/Prayer).
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.
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.
• 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.
• 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
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!
