An Overview of Islam
An Overview of Islam
Introduction
The name of the religion, Islam, means ‘submission to the will of God’. Those who follow Islam are known as Muslims. Muslims worship as monotheists and pray to Allah, ‘Allah’ being the Arabic word for God.
Islam is currently the second largest religion in the world, consisting of over 1 billion followers. The 2001 census recorded 1,591,000 Muslims in the United Kingdom, approximately 2.7% of the population.
The Night of Power
Lailat al Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah. Prophet Muhammad is sat in a cave when he receives a visit from Angel Gabriel asking for him to “recite the words of Allah”. He did so, forming the birth of the Qur’an.
Muslims regard this as the most important event in their history, and the event is described as being “better than a thousand months”. The Night of Power takes place during Ramadan. 27 Ramadan is a traditional date for this day, as the Prophet Muhammad did not mention when the Night of Power would be, although it was suggested it was in the last 10 days of the month.
This is a time that Muslims spend in either study or prayer. Some even spend the whole night in prayer or reciting the Qur’an.
Early Life of the Prophet Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad (whose name means ‘highly praised’) was born in Mecca in 570 AD. His father passed away before his birth, and his mother died when he was six. The young orphan was then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd. At the age of about 9-12, he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria.
As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia. He soon established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants. Throughout his career, Muhammad came into contact with people of many nationalities and faiths, including Jews, Christians and pagans.
At age 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Meccan widow 15 years older than
Introduction
The name of the religion, Islam, means ‘submission to the will of God’. Those who follow Islam are known as Muslims. Muslims worship as monotheists and pray to Allah, ‘Allah’ being the Arabic word for God.
Islam is currently the second largest religion in the world, consisting of over 1 billion followers. The 2001 census recorded 1,591,000 Muslims in the United Kingdom, approximately 2.7% of the population.
The Night of Power
Lailat al Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah. Prophet Muhammad is sat in a cave when he receives a visit from Angel Gabriel asking for him to “recite the words of Allah”. He did so, forming the birth of the Qur’an.
Muslims regard this as the most important event in their history, and the event is described as being “better than a thousand months”. The Night of Power takes place during Ramadan. 27 Ramadan is a traditional date for this day, as the Prophet Muhammad did not mention when the Night of Power would be, although it was suggested it was in the last 10 days of the month.
This is a time that Muslims spend in either study or prayer. Some even spend the whole night in prayer or reciting the Qur’an.
Early Life of the Prophet Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad (whose name means ‘highly praised’) was born in Mecca in 570 AD. His father passed away before his birth, and his mother died when he was six. The young orphan was then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd. At the age of about 9-12, he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria.
As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia. He soon established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants. Throughout his career, Muhammad came into contact with people of many nationalities and faiths, including Jews, Christians and pagans.
At age 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Meccan widow 15 years older than