Foundations of Islam

Muhammad

1.(c. 570-632), Arab prophet and founder of Islam. In c. 610, in Mecca, he received the first of a series of revelations that, as the Koran, became the doctrinal and legislative basis of Islam. In the face of opposition to his preaching, he and his small group of supporters were forced to flee to Medina in 622 (the Hegira). Muhammad led his followers into a series of battles against the Meccans. In 630, Mecca capitulated and by his death Muhammad had united most of Arabia.

aya

In the context of Islam's principal scripture, the Quran, ayah is used to mean "verse", i.e. each statement or paragraph marked by a number.

Islam

Islam is one of the largest religions in the world, with over 1 billion followers. It is a monotheistic faith based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in 7th-century Saudi Arabia. The Arabic word Islam means "submission," reflecting the faith's central tenet of submitting to the will of God. Followers of Islam are called Muslims

Mecca/Medina

Medina, also transliterated as Madīnah, is a city in the Hejaz, and the capital of the Al Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. The city contains al-Masjid an-Nabawi, which is the burial place of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and is the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca. a city in western Saudi Arabia, an oasis town in the Red Sea region of Hejaz, east of Jiddah, considered by Muslims to be the holiest city of Islam; pop. 1,385,000 (est. 2007). The birthplace in ad 570 of the prophet Muhammad, it was the scene of his early teachings before his emigration to Medina in 622 (the Hegira). On Muhammad's return to Mecca in 630 it became the center of the new Muslim faith. Arabic name Makkah.

Qur'an

The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God. It is widely regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language. Quranic chapters are called suras and verses, ayahs.

Muslim

a follower of the religion of Islam.

5 pillars

are five basic acts in Islam, considered mandatory by believers and are the foundation of Muslim life. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel

Sura

is a chapter of the Quran. There are 114 chapters of the Quran, each divided into verses.

Ka'ba

is a cuboid building at the center of Islam's most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam.

'umma

is an Arabic word meaning "nation" or "community". It is distinguished from Sha'b (Arabic: شعب‎) which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history.

Kadijja

was the first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She is commonly regarded by Muslims as the "mother of the Believers i.e.Muslims", and was the first person to convert to Islam.