Islam Unit

the silliest thing you could ever say to a Moslem

"So how often do you pray to Mohammed?"

Shahadah, salat, zakat, Ramadan, and hajj

5 pillars of faith

God

Allah

this day of the week, though not a "sabbath", is the traditional time for Moslem group prayer

Friday

sayings of the prophet

Hadith

can simply mean "prayer leader", but to the Shia may mean the divinely inspired heir to the Prophet

Imam

nation whose politics and culture are shaped by Shia Moslems

Iran/Iraq

submission to God

Islam

a large, cloaked rectangular structure in Mecca which Moslems believe contains the stone symbolizing humanity's first relationship with its God

Ka'aba

Shahadah

La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur Rasul Allah

place of Mohammeds birth

Mecca

these beings serve God directly but have no free will and in that sense are lesser than humans

angels

the pilgrimage to Mecca

hajj

Qur'an

holy book of Islam, literally means "recitation" or "repeat"

spiritual beings capable of good or evil

jinn

"a place of prostration or kneeling" (before God)

mosque or masjid

performed five times daily and always oriented toward Mecca

salat

the majority of all Moslems, accept the succession of Mohammed's heirs as it took place

sunni

Mohammed

the Seal of the Prophets

the poor-due required by the Qur'an

zakat

the early Moslem community or ummah fled here from persecution

Yathrib

the holy month of fasting

Ramadan

Arabic term for messenger/prophet

Rasul

the minority movement within Islam, feels that Ali and later Husayn were the true heirs to leadership of the ummah, and that these heirs were divinely inspired

Shi'ites or Shia