Preliminary Islam Summary Points
Summary Points
PRELIMINARY ISLAM
ORIGINS OF ISLAM
The social conditions and religious practices that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia * Islam began during the seventh century CE in the Arabian peninsular * People of the region were mostly shepherds and merchants * Makkah and Madinah were the two main cities associated with the development of Islam * Most of the local religious beliefs were polytheistic * Judaism and Christianity were well established minority religions of the region * Makkah was regarded as a sacred city due to the presence of the Ka'bah * The Ka'bah was a site of great religious significance and attracted many pilgrims * There was a considerable industry in existence in Makkah based on the sale of idols and other elements of the worship at the Ka'bah * Among the people of the region were groups of devout Arabs known as "hanifs * Hanifs believed in a supreme god over and above all the other gods.
The principal events in Muhammad's life * Muhammad was born in 570CE * There are many legends concerning the birth of the prophet which point to his extraordinary life * Despite these, Muslims are careful to not elevate Muhammad's status beyond that of a human being * Muhammad's mother Aminah died when he was a young child. * Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib who was a wealthy merchant. * In the course of working for his uncle, Muhammad met his future wife the wealthy widow Khadija * The marriage of Muhammad and Khadija saw the birth of six children * After spending considerable time in prayer and spiritual searching Muhammad experienced the night of power "Laylat-ul-Qadr * It was here he received the command to proclaim the message of Allah * The revelation to Muhammad was brought by the Angel Jibril * After the initial revelation there was a period of waiting before the proclamation the message began * After two years Jibril appeared
PRELIMINARY ISLAM
ORIGINS OF ISLAM
The social conditions and religious practices that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia * Islam began during the seventh century CE in the Arabian peninsular * People of the region were mostly shepherds and merchants * Makkah and Madinah were the two main cities associated with the development of Islam * Most of the local religious beliefs were polytheistic * Judaism and Christianity were well established minority religions of the region * Makkah was regarded as a sacred city due to the presence of the Ka'bah * The Ka'bah was a site of great religious significance and attracted many pilgrims * There was a considerable industry in existence in Makkah based on the sale of idols and other elements of the worship at the Ka'bah * Among the people of the region were groups of devout Arabs known as "hanifs * Hanifs believed in a supreme god over and above all the other gods.
The principal events in Muhammad's life * Muhammad was born in 570CE * There are many legends concerning the birth of the prophet which point to his extraordinary life * Despite these, Muslims are careful to not elevate Muhammad's status beyond that of a human being * Muhammad's mother Aminah died when he was a young child. * Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib who was a wealthy merchant. * In the course of working for his uncle, Muhammad met his future wife the wealthy widow Khadija * The marriage of Muhammad and Khadija saw the birth of six children * After spending considerable time in prayer and spiritual searching Muhammad experienced the night of power "Laylat-ul-Qadr * It was here he received the command to proclaim the message of Allah * The revelation to Muhammad was brought by the Angel Jibril * After the initial revelation there was a period of waiting before the proclamation the message began * After two years Jibril appeared