Islam
Blue mosque of Amman, Jordan
History
Islam originated among the Arabic-speaking peoples of the Middle East who were followers of the prophet Muhammed. Born in 570AD in Mecca, in the country now called Saudi Arabia, at the age of 40, Muhammed had visions in which the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) taught him to recite the teachings of the one true god, Allah. The words were recorded as the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book.
In 616 Muhammed proclaimed himself the prophet of Allah and began to preach to a fast-growing following. In 622 he was forced to leave Mecca and took his followers on to Medina. The date of the Hijra (flight) to Medina marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
In the following years, Muhammed attracted so many supporters that he returned to conquer Mecca. Islam rapidly spread throughout Arabia, and Muhammed remained its spiritual leader until his death in 632.
When he died, though, a power struggle ensued over who should succeed him. The largest group were the Sunnis, who remain the majority of Muslims today. Numerous other sects grew up, including the Shi'ites, who believed that the leadership should remain within Muhammed's family line. The Shi'ites are the majority group in Iran. The other major Muslim group are the Sufis, who have a more mystical interpretation of Islam.
Sunnis (followers of the prophet's way) make up nearly 90% of the world Muslim population. Most of the remaining 10% are Shi'ite. The tensions between these groups were never resolved and remain a source of conflict today.
Today, Islam is the second biggest religion in the UK and the fastest growing religion in the world.
Beliefs
Muslims believe in one god, Allah, with Muhammed as his prophet to whom he dictated the Qur'an.
For Muslims, faith and action are interwoven – religion is a way of life, and the obligations that Muslims believe are placed on them rest on the Five Pillars of Islam. The Shahadah, the declaration of faith in Allah, is the central pillar. Salah is prayer, and Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day. Zakah is the obligation to give to the poor. Sawm is fasting during the month of Ramadan. And the Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which Islam asks every believer to make once in a lifetime.
