What is Islam?

Islam is a religion of belief in one God, like Judaism and Christianity. These religions teach that God sent prophets to teach people how to live a good life. Holy books contain the prophets' teachings. The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam, like the Bible for Christians and the Torah for Jews. The Qur'an teaches that the first prophet was Adam, and that Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others were prophets. It teaches that Mohammed was the last prophet.

  1. What is the sacred text (holy book) for Islam?
  1. The Bible
  2. The Qur’an
  3. The Torah

The Life of Mohammed

Mohammed was born about the year 570. He lived in Mecca (sometimes spelled Makkah), a desert town on the Arabian Peninsula. In the center of Mecca was a stone building known as the Ka'bah. Muslims believe that Abraham built it long ago as a place to worship God. By Mohammed's time, people had filled the Ka'bah with idols, or statues that they worshiped.

  1. What was the building that Mohammed built to worship God called?
  1. Mecca
  2. Ka’bah
  3. Makkah

Mohammed's parents died when he was young, so his relatives took care of him. When he grew up, Mohammed was known as a wise and honest man. He thought the people of Mecca should treat poor people and neighbors more kindly. He did not like the idols they worshiped at the Ka'bah. Mohammed used to go into a mountain cave to think about life, where he prayed for long days and nights to God.

  1. Mohammed believed that people should
  1. be wise and hones.
  2. worship idols
  3. treat poor people and neighbors more kindly.
  4. pray in a mountain cave.

One day, when Mohammed was about 40 years old, he came running down from the mountain. He was excited and shivering, so his wife, Khadijah, wrapped him in a blanket. Mohammed told her he had seen the angel Gabriel in the cave and that the angel had said that Mohammed was a prophet. Mohammed had heard powerful words like none he had ever heard before.

The words Mohammed heard became the first verses of the Qur'an. During the next 23 years, he told of many visits by Gabriel. With each visit, there were more words, until the Qur'an was complete. Mohammed taught the Qur'an and the religion of Islam to his followers, called Muslims. When Mohammed died, he left the Qur'an as it still is today.

  1. The followers of Mohammed’s teachings are known as
  1. Muslims
  2. Qur’an
  3. Gabriel

Hearing from Gabriel in the cave changed Mohammed's life. His wife, family, and some friends believed in him, but many others did not. The leaders of his tribe tried to stop Mohammed from teaching Islam. As the number of Mohammed's followers grew, the Meccans made life hard for the Muslims. They even tried to kill Mohammed.

  1. What is a true statement about Mohammed?
  1. His family and friends believed him.
  2. Tribe leaders tried to stop him.
  3. Meccans made life hard for him, and even tried to kill him.
  4. All of the above.

Mohammed and his followers escaped to a nearby town called Medina (sometimes spelled Madinah). The Muslims' journey to Medina in the year 622 is called the Hijrah. It is a very important time in Muslim history. The people of Medina welcomed Mohammed and made him their leader. In Medina, Muslims were free to practice Islam and build a community. Many more Arabs began to join the Muslims.

  1. Mohammed and his follower escaped to Medina where they were free to practice Islam. This journey was known as

______

Angry that the Muslims had escaped, the people of Medina fought with the Muslims. After some years, they agreed to stop fighting. By then, the Muslims had grown in number and strength, and Mecca became a Muslim city. Mohammed took all the statues of other gods out of the Ka'bah. Since then, people have worshiped one God (monotheism) at the Ka'bah.

  1. Worshipping one God is known as

______

By the time Mohammed died in 632, many Muslims had learned the Qur'an by heart. They also wrote it down. Muslims remembered what Mohammed said and did during his life and tried to live by his example. They called his way of life the Sunnah. Even today, the Qur'an and Sunnah are a guide for all Muslims.

  1. Mohammed’s way of life is called
  1. The Qur’an
  2. Muslim
  3. Sunnah

Susan Douglass has a Masters degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University.