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Islam, one of the three major monotheistic
faiths, was founded in Arabia by Muhammad between
610 and 632. There are an estimated 5.5 million
Muslims in North America and 1 billion Muslims
worldwide.
Muhammad was born in A.D. 570 at Mecca and
belonged to the Quraysh tribe, which was active in
the caravan trade. At the age of 25 he joined the
trade from Mecca to Syria in the employment of a
rich widow, Khadija, whom he later married.
Critical of the lax moral standards and
polytheistic practices of the inhabitants of
Mecca, he began to lead a contemplative life in
the desert. In a dramatic religious vision, the
angel Gabriel announced to Muhammad that he was to
be a prophet. Encouraged by Khadija, he devoted
himself to the reform of religion and society.
Polytheism was to be abandoned. But leaders of the
Quraysh generally rejected his teaching, and
Muhammad gained only a small following and
suffered persecution. He eventually fled Mecca.
The Hegira (Hijra, meaning “emigration”) of
Muhammad from Mecca, where he was not honored, to
Medina, where he was well received, occurred in
622 and marks the beginning of the Muslim era.
After a number of military conflicts with Mecca,
in 630 he marched on Mecca and conquered it.
Muhammad died at Medina in 632. His grave there
has since been a place of pilgrimage.
Muhammad's followers, called Muslims, revered him
as the prophet of Allah (God), the only God.
Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last in the
line of prophets that included Abraham and Jesus.
Islam spread quickly, stretching from Spain in the
west to India in the east within a century after
the prophet's death. Sources of the Islamic faith
are the Qur'an (Koran), regarded as the uncreated,
eternal Word of God, and tradition (hadith)
regarding sayings and deeds of the prophet.
Islam means “surrender to the will of Allah,” the
all-powerful, who determines humanity's fate. Good
deeds will be rewarded at the Last Judgment in
paradise, and evil deeds will be punished in hell.
The Five Pillars, or primary duties, of Islam are
profession of faith; prayer, to be performed five
times a day; almsgiving to the poor and the mosque
(house of worship); fasting during daylight hours
in the month of Ramadan; and pilgrimage to Mecca
(the hajj) at least once in a Muslim's lifetime,
if it is physically and financially possible. The
pilgrimage includes homage to the ancient shrine
of the Ka'aba, the most sacred site in Islam.
Muslims gather for corporate worship on Fridays.
Prayers and a sermon take place at the mosque,
which is also a center for teaching of the Qur'an.
The community leader, the imam, is considered a
teacher and prayer leader.
Islam succeeded in uniting an Arab world of
separate tribes and castes, but disagreements
concerning the succession of the prophet caused a
division in Islam between two groups, Sunnis and
Shi'ites. The Shi'ites rejected the first three
successors to Muhammad as usurpers, claiming the
fourth, Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, as the rightful
leader.The Sunnis (from the word tradition), the
largest division of Islam (today more than 80%),
believe in the legitimacy of the first three
successors. Among these, other sects arose (such
as the conservative Wahhabi of Saudi Arabia), as
well as different schools of theology. Another
development within Islam, beginning in the eighth
and ninth centuries, was Sufism, a form of
mysticism. This movement was influential for many
centuries and was instrumental in the spread of
Islam in Asia and Africa.
Islam has expanded greatly under Muhammad's
successors. It is the principal religion of the
Middle East, Asia, and the northern half of
Africa.
Countries with the Largest Muslim Populations
1. Indonesia
2. Pakistan
3. India
4. Bangladesh
5. Turkey
6. Iran
7. Egypt
8. Nigeria
9. Algeria
10. Morocco |
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