!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HE!GREAT!RELIGIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ISLAM!
!!!!!!Islam!is!an!Arabic!word!meaning!"pledge,!made"!.i!followers!are!called!Muslims!"are!those!who!
undertake!to!surrender!to!the!will!of!Allah."!The!holy!cities!of!Islam!are!Mecca,!Medina,!Jerusalem.!!
!!!!!!The!dominant!religion!in!the!Arabian!Peninsula!was!polytheism.!Muhammad!was!born!in!570!AD!
true,!retires!at!age!40!in!a!cave!on!Mount!Hirah,!where!he!has!a!vision!of!the!archangel!Gabriel.!From!
the!vision!begins!the!great!"revelation!of!God"!which!is!codified!in!the!Koran.!In!622!A.D.!Muhammad!
left!Mecca!and!moved!to!Medina;!begins!the!"hijra"!or!migration.!Start!the!fight!against!polytheism!
and!the!tribes!down!the!rules!of!holy!war.!!
Shortly!after!the!death!of!Muhammad,!his!revelations!are!written!in!the!E"#$%.(which!means!
recitation)!.The!second!text!is!the!Hadith!(tradition)!which!describes!the!life!and!works!of!Muhammad.!
It!contains!the!"Sunna"!(example)!of!the!Prophet.!Quran!and!Sunnah!were!gathered!in!Schari'a!(law)!a!
guide!to!life!and!good!behavior.!!
!!!!!!The!Islamic!concept!of!God,!to!God!belong!the!most!beautiful!attributes;!it!lists!99!such!as:!Great,!
Clement,!the!Merciful!...!The!Quran!supports!the!existence!of!angels,!with!their!God!appointed!
messengers!also!"prophets"!beginning!with!Adam,!Abraham,!Jesus!to!Muhammad,!the!Seal!of!the!
prophets.!!
!!!!!!@*1.8(F1.7(00$#2."8./20$3!The!7#"8122("%."8.8$()*,!"There!is!no!god!but!God!and!Muhammad!is!his!
prophet."!The!#()6$0.7#$G1#!five!times!of!prayer!daily!prostrate!towards!Mecca.!@*1.,*$#()G,!:$3$'$%H!
the!fasting!during!the!big!day.!It!makes!a!break!in!the!evening.!The!7(09#(3$91.)".>1,,$!that!every!
believer!must!make!at!least!once!in!their!lifetime.!!
!!!!!!Sunnis!and!Shiites!are!the!two!groups!arose!after!Muhammad's!death.!!
The!Sunnis!are!based!on!the!consensus!of!the!community!who!plays!the!Sunnah!of!the!Prophet!(they!
are!the!most!numerous).!!
The!Shiites!are!based!on!the!teaching!of!teachers!or!Imams.!!
!!!!!!The!woman.!Muhammad!allows!4!wives!as!a!gesture!in!defense!of!women.!The!Qur'an!allows!
divorce,!polygamy!is!now!quite!rare.!The!veil,!typical!clothing!of!the!Muslim!woman!is!not!prescribed!
by!the!Koran.!
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The!Qur'an!speaks!very!respectfully!of!Jesus.!However,!the!Jesus!of!the!Koran!is!just!a!great!prophet,!
not!the!J1262!of!the!Gospels.!Perhaps!Muhammad!did!not!know!the!true!Christianity.!!
Even!>$#G.is!honored!in!the!Qur'an!and!Islamic!tradition.!It!is!not!known!as!the!Mother!of!God,!for!
Jesus,!his!son,!is!not!and!can!not!be!God:!!
Islam!recognizes!Abraham!as!the!father!of!faith,!and!also!speaks!of!the!prophets.!!
The!Koranic!eschatology.!Heaven!is!described!in!terms!of!materials:!silk!gowns,!jewelry,!ornaments,!
abundant!food,!live!exquisite,!the!company!of!virgins.!Hell!comes!to!physical!suffering.!!
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&(2)"#G."8./20$3(,.1K7$%2("%:!in!711!occupy!Spain;!rule!for!seven!centuries.!In!1453!the!fall!of!
Constantinople!marked!the!end!of!the!Byzantine!Empire.!In!1529!the!Turks!were!stopped!at!the!walls!
of!Vienna.!In!1571!the!naval!defeat!of!Lepanto,!marks!the!end!of!the!supremacy!in!the!Mediterranean.!
The!Ottoman!Empire,!disappears!at!the!end!of!the!First!World!War.!
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