RAC: Lesson - Islam: Beliefs, Growth, and Change

A map showing the city of Mecca in modern day Saudi Arabia.Islam: Beliefs, Growth, and Change

Islam: The Basic Belief System and Relationship to Judaism and Christianity

Islam is a monotheistic religion that shares its roots and history with Judaism and Christianity. All three recognize the works of Abraham and Moses as prophets of God. And while Islam does not recognize Jesus as the son of God—as Christians do—it does identify him as an important teacher and prophet within their faith. Islam is based on the teachings and revelations received from God by Muhammad which can be found in the Qur'an. Part of the Islamic faith is to fulfill the Five Pillars of Islam, which are considered the most important teachings of Muhammad. Those who practice the Islamic religion are called Muslims and they currently make up around 1 in every 4 people on our planet.

The Five Pillars of Faith in Islam

Select each of the five pillars of faith below to read more about what they mean.

Declaration of Faith

Muslims are expected to proclaim, "There is no God but God and Muhammad is His Prophet."

Obligatory Prayer

Muslims are expected to pray five times a day while facing in the direction of Mecca. Recall that Mecca is Muhammad's birthplace and the site of his revelations.

Compulsory Giving

Muslims are expected to pay alms (a donation of food or money to the poor) to help those in need.

Fasting in the Month of Ramadan

The Islamic calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and has 12 months with 354-355 days in a year (compared to the Gregorian calendar that is based on the sun and has 365 days per year, plus a leap day every fourth year).

One of the months in the Islamic calendar is Ramadan and during this time, Muslims are expected to fast (not eat or drink) from sun up to sun down for the entire month.

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Muslims are expected, if their personal resources allow it, to travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Growth and Spread of Islam

With regards to religion, this was not the first time that a relatively new religion became a dominant religion in an area within a short span of time—Christianity had already done the same thing throughout the Roman and Byzantine Empires. However, Christianity and Islam took two different paths toward becoming globalizing religions. If you will remember, Christianity developed within an existing empire and was then adopted by the Emperor. Islam arose in an area that was not controlled by an empire; nor was it adopted by an emperor as the state religion. Instead, empires arose out of Islam.

Split in Islam After Muhammad

Muhammad supposedly died without leaving instructions as to who should succeed him as the leader. Whoever became the religious leader of Islam would also become the chief judge, head of state, and military commander as well. The Dar al-Islam (literally House of Islam, but it means the Islamic Empire) was a theocracy.

Muhammad's father-in-law, Abu Bakr, was the 1st caliph (successor) of the caliphate (political territory). However, the 3rd and 4th caliphs were assassinated. This led to another leadership crisis. Some followed the 4th caliph’s son, Husayn, while others followed the 3rd caliph’s relative, Muawiya. Those who followed Husayn eventually became the Shi’a denomination while those that followed Muawiya became the Sunni denomination. Ultimately Muawiya took leadership, and the Umayyad Dynasty led the expansion of Islam for the next century. So, in order, the leadership of Islam and Dar al-Islam was:

  • Muhammad
  • Abu Bakr (Muhammad's father-in-law from his 3rd wife)
  • Umar (Muhammad's father-in-law from his 6th wife)
  • Uthman (Muhammad's son-in-law from his 1st daughter) - assassinated
  • Ali (Muhammad's son-in-law from his 2nd daughter) - assassinated
  • Islam Divides: 
    • Husayn (Muhammad's grandson) - followers became the Shi'a denomination
    • Muawiya (Muhammad's brother-in-law from his 10th wife) - followers became the Sunni denomination

A Visual Guide to the Spread of Islam

The following map shows how Islam spread under the early Caliphs. The map key includes information about which Caliph was in charge of each numbered expansion.

A map showing the spread of Islam

Map Key:

  1. Expansion under Muhammad
  2. Expansion under 1st Caliph, Abu Bakr
  3. Expansion under 2nd Caliph, Umar
  4. Expansion under 3rd Caliph, Uthman

Practice Activity

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