How Islam began in under ten minutes? Not a problem. The turbulent tale is told against the clock, with all the names, dates and events on a timeline. You can watch How Islam Began in Ten Minutes!
Here we look at Religion and Culture, Founders and Holy Books.
The founder of the religion known as Islam is called Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet is held in particular reverence in this religion, for he was the Messenger of the Divine, the god, “Allah”. Watch the story of Islam below, and learn about this religion and its founder.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you think Muhammad must have felt when Jibra’il first appeared to him in the cave?
- Why do you think the ruling families of Makkah were so against Muhammad and the Muslims?
- What events in Muhammad’s life do you think led him to care for the poor and downtrodden?
- What is it about the Qur’an that makes it so special to Muslims?
- Why do you think that Mosques are never decorated with pictures of people or animals?
Activities:
- Draw your own timeline to show the main events of Muhammad’s life – but remember: don’t attempt to draw Allah, Muhammad or any of his friends.
- Calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing) is especially important in Islam. Find the Arabic alphabet online and have a go. Don’t forget: Arabic is written right to left.
- Find out how Muslims show respect to the Qur’an.
- Have a look at a Qur’an and find the first words to be revealed to Muhammad in Surah (chapter) 96 which is called Al-Alaq (The Bloodclot).
- There are lots of stories about Muhammad’s life – find out some more about the Night Journey, or the various battles; or find some new stories that aren’t mentioned in the film.
Keywords for this topic:
Islam, Muslim, Allah, Muhammad, Prophet, Qur’an, Makkah, Arabia, Ka’bah, idol, Abu Talib, Khadijah, Abu Bakr, Jibra’il, Gabriel, Night of Power, Night Journey, Hijrah, Madinah, Badr, Uhud, Trench, Hudaibiya
Download: How Islam Began
