Information Sheet

Islam

Origin:

Islam means "submission to the will of God". This word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means "peace".

1. What is the point of origin?

* Islam originated in Medina in the Arab peninsula around 621 B.C when Mohammed the prophet open the revelations made to him by angel Gabriel to the town of Mecca and he was expulsed by the emperor, and later Medina took him and his new religion to unite the town with his ideals.

2. How did the religion spread?

* The spread of religion was soon after the death of the prophet Muhammad, in 632 AD through peaceful conversion of non believers and military conquest of territories if the Islamic opponents. Later on during the reign f the Four Rightly Guided caliphs the expansion of the empire and of the religion was quick in order to hold the empire together during the expansion wars.

3. Who founded the religion? Where?

* Islam was founded by Mohammed a merchant of the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula.

Beliefs

1. Is the religion monotheistic/polytheistic?

* Islam is a monotheistic religion it believes in Allah as is only and true God.

2. What is the name of the Holy Book?

* The Quran is Islam's Holy Book which is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. The Quran contains a complete code of life for the individual and society. Not one word of its 114 chapters has been changed over the centuries.

3. How is the religious leadership organized?

* The first person in charge of the religion is the Caliph which is the successor of the prophet, the Ayatollah in the Shia Islam is the person given the highest title and expert in Islamic studies, some of this Ayatollah are called Grand Ayatollah because they've written there studies in a book called Resalah, in the case of the Suni Muslim community the Grand Mufti is the highest religious official, Imam being the ruler of a country in the Shia beliefs, and in the Sunni beliefs the term is used for the founding scholars, Mulla or Mawlana are those in the clergy who studied the Qur'an experts on religious matters, Muezzin is any person who offers the prayer, Mujtahid an interpreter of the Islamic scriptures.

4. What are the basic beliefs of the religion?

* The basic beliefs of the Islam religion are based on the five pillars, faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Makkah.

5. What