Five Pillars

1.     The Shahadah is the profession of faith. It proclaims the practice of monotheism and it also validates Muhammad and the books he transmitted.

2.     During salat, Muslims are on the ground facing Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. They are lying in a fetal position to take up the least amount of space because they don’t compare to Allah and they want to be reborn. Mentally you have to remember to say the prayers correctly and at the right times of day.

3.     Zakat is giving to the poorer members of the community so that they can all be equal. The Muslim community believes in giving because of need purposes not because the religion says so.

4.     Sawn is fasting. It is hard to fast for long periods of time, physically and mentally because our body needs food and nutrients. By fighting against this temptation we are growing closer to Allah.

5.     Hajj is a trip to Mecca and it brings the religion full circle. You are going to the city that every Muslim prays in the direction of and you are also walking in the footsteps of Muhammad the Prophet. Every religion has a sacred area such as Jerusalem for Judiasm and Christianity.

6.     The world in many ways is against you. They might tempt you into turning away from Allah, by not practicing salat or sawm. Money can restrict you from going on the hajj or it can make you greedy so you don’t practice zakat.

99 or just 4 Names of God

The Merciful is a feminine name for God. God gives people chances to change or to make situations better. This name is applied to God when he lowered the number of prayers for Muhammad and the followers of Islam. For Abraham he also lowered the number of good people to be found before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. God was merciful enough to bargain with Abraham and Muhammad.

The Compassionate is another feminine name for God. In Christianity, God is seen as compassionate when he sent his son to die for us. God was also compassionate to Abraham when he sent an angel to tell him not to sacrifice his son. God cares for his people and does what is possible so that they will be happy and be in union with God.

The Creator is a masculine name for God. In the beginning it was God who created the world. God is so great that he was able to do it in six days. He designed every living thing on earth with such detail. He is also still creating as people see when new life is created.

The Revealer is another masculine name for God. God revealed to Abraham monotheism creating a new religion in the process. God also sent an angel to reveal the Quran to Muhammad. The last book of the Christian Bible is Revelations where God revealed to John what would occur when Jesus returned. God reveals things to us so that people can become better in the future.

God is great and is hard to describe in a few words. The names of The Merciful, The Compassionate, The Creator, and the Revealer show God during his interaction with the world and humanity. The Creator is God making the world. The Merciful and Compassionate show God interacting and helping humans. God the Revealer shows God opening people’s eyes to see the truth and help humans live better lives.

Islam Webquest

Task 1

What is the highest estimate for the total number of Muslims that live in the world?

1.     There is about 2.1 billion Muslims in the world today.

   List 10 coutries whose Mulsim population is over 86%.

2.     Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco, and Somalia are 10 countries who have a Muslim population of 86% or more.

   What country has the largest Muslim population?

3.     Morocco has the largest Muslim population.

  How many Muslims are in the U.S?

4.     2,595,000 Muslims are in the United States.

Task 2

Summarize the Key Beliefs

1.     Belief in God is that there is one true God. He has no partner or son. There is nobody comparable to him, and he should be worshipped.

2.     Belief in the Angels is that angels worship, obey and act by God’s command. They are honored creatures.

3.     Belief in God’s Revealed Books are the books God revealed to mankind as guidance for them.

4.     Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God means that Muslims believe in the people who came and preached about God before Muhammad.

5.     Belief in the Day of Judgment can also be called the Day of Resurrection. It is when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment.

6.     Belief in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination. It is the belief that humans have freewill and they can choose right from wrong. Along with this belief is the belief in four things. They are that God knows everything , he has recorded all that has and will happen, whatever God wills to happen will happen and whatever he doesn’t will to happen won’t happen. The final belief is that God is the Creator of Everything.

Sayings

1.     The greatest jihad is the one who fights against himself for Allah.

2.     The Qur’an gives us truth a shows us the right path.

3.     There is one God and all of life goes to him for help. He cannot be reproduced or nor does he reproduce. He is the one and only.

Task 3

What does the Quran provide?

1.     The Quran provides guidelines and detailed teachings for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system.

What language does the Quran exist? Why?

2.     The Quran exist in Arabic because it was revealed in Arabic.

During which month was the Quran sent down?

3.     The ninth month or the month of Ramadan

What did the angel Gabriel commmand Muhammad to do? What happened next?

4.     He commanded him to read and Muhammad was taught verses from the Quran.

Task 4

List/ Explain 5 Pillars of Faith

1.     Shahada is the testimony of faith.   Salat is prayer which a Muslim is suppose to do five times daily facing Mecca.  Zakat is charitable giving used to benefit the poor.  Siyam is ritual fasting especially during the month of Ramadan.  Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca during the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Why are they important?

2.     They are used to strengthen a Muslims faith in and service to Allah.

Why is cheating on the Pillars impossible?

3.     Cheating is impossible because it is the official religious laws of Islam.

Compare 5 Pillar to other religions

4.     The 5 Pillars are similar to all the rules that Jews uphold in their religion. They show their faith an connection to God.

Task 5

What is Ramadan?

1.     Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

What restrains are placed during Ramadan?

2.     Muslims who are able must abstain from evil thoughts and deeds, food and drink, and sexual intercourse during daylight hours.

What can destroy good acquired during Ramadan?

3.     Telling a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath, greed or covetousness can destroy the good acquired during Ramadan.

Why is the 27th day important?

4.     It is the celebration of  the Night of Power. This event is believe to have been when Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran.

What happens when Ramadan ends?

5.     The feast of the Fast Breaking is celebrated. Gifts are exchanged and friends and family gather to pray.

Three reasons Ramadan is important?

6.     The three reasons that Ramadan is important is because the Quran was revealed during this month, the gates of Heaven are open, and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained up in Hell.

Why is it easier to do good during Ramadan?

7.     The month has been blessed by Allah.

Task 6

List 5 interesting facts

1.     The Quran considers Jews and Christians people of the Book and fellow recipients of God’s instructions via the angels and prophets.

2.     The Sunna is the practice and example of the Prophet, and is the second authority for Muslims.

3.     Family is the foundation of Islamic society.

4.      The two main subgroups of Muslims are Sunni and Shi’a.

5.     Islam is a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness.

Blog Post 22- Ancient Western Religions

Chapter Review Questions

1.     Zoroastrianism rose and flourished in ancient Iran or Persia near the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.

2.     After Persia was conquered by the Greeks Zoroastrianism spread. Islam also pushed Zoroastrianism to India.

3.     Around the age of thirty, Good Thought carried Zarathustra in the form of a disembodied soul to Ahura Mazda. After this event he realized and started preaching about monotheism.

4.     The sacred text is the Avesta and the Gathas are the oldest part of them. It was written by Zarathustra.

5.     Ahura Mazda is the one true God or Wise Lord. It is eternal and universal goodness.

6.     Ethical dualism is the belief in the forces of good and evil.

7.     The Lie is the evil force that his hostile spirit child took on.

8.     Humans must chose between the truth and the Lie or good verses evil.

9.     After death, humans undergo judgment the good enter paradise and the evil are cast to the abyss. It is the individual’s responsibility is they are to pass or fail judgment.

10.  The ethical demands include caring for livestock and fields, live a simple life and tell the truth and do what is right.

11. Parsis are the Zoroastrians that are still around and live in India.

12. The Bible of the ancient Greeks are the poems the Iliad and the Odyssey.

13.  The Greek gods had human characteristics.

14.  Aeschylus shows the gods as having great power but also enforcing moral principles. This can be shown in the play Agamemnon.

15.  An oracle was a sanctuary favored by a particular god who communicated with those who visited the site. The most famous was the one at Delphi.

16. The three basic aspects are individuals had to choose to become initiated and went through an initiation ritual. Initiates experienced a personal encounter with the deity, and initiates gained spiritual renewal through participation and hope for a better afterlife.

17.  The Eleusinian mysteries honored Demeter and Persephone.

18. Dionysus is the god or fertility vegetation and the vine. He is often depicted with vines and grapes.

19.  The goal is that the soul might eventually escape the body realize its divine nature.

20. Plato believed that we know things in this life because of what we experienced in previous lives.

21. Plato believed that the truth exist independently from the body.

22. Both were called Savior and the intimacy of the worshipers with them is similar.

23.  Numina is supernatural powers and they populated Roman homes, towns, and countrysides. They inhabited fields, streams, trees, doorways, altars, and shrines.

24.  Jupiter was the most powerful Roman god.

25.  Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn are gods and planets.

26. The official worship practices helped maintain the welfare of the state because the gods were at peace.

27.  Mithraism and the mystery religion that celebrated Isis were the two rivals to Christianity.

28. Osiris was married to Isis. Osiris was hacked into pieces by his brother and Isis searched for the body parts and mummified them. He came back to life and became god of the underworld.

29. Augustus encouraged the worship of the emperor’s genius or guardian spirit, which guarded the welfare of the entire state of Rome.

30.  Christian didn’t want to go against their belief in one God, and the Romans thought that if they didn’t accept emperor worship they didn’t support the state.