Sacred Spaces:
Muslims gather for worship in buildings called Mosques. The Prophet Muhammad built the first mosque in the courtyard of his house in Medina in 622 to provide a place for Muslims to gather for prayer and for community. Outer rooms surround a courtyard or large open area used for prayer. A niche set into the wall, called a mihrab, indicates the direction of Mecca, and thus the direction in which to pray. Many Muslims visit the mosque for all five of the daily prayers. The mosque is host to public activities as well as prayer.
Sacred People:
Muhammad:
Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE.
Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. He was a deeply spiritual man, and often spent time in meditation on Mount Hira. The traditional story of the Qur'an tells how one night in 610 he was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel Jibreel who ordered him to recite.
Allah:
The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that There is only One God, the Creator, known in the Islam tradition and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty. The fundamental element of faith in Islam is to declare that "there is no deity worthy of worship except the One True Almighty God"
Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE.
Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. He was a deeply spiritual man, and often spent time in meditation on Mount Hira. The traditional story of the Qur'an tells how one night in 610 he was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel Jibreel who ordered him to recite.
Allah:
The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that There is only One God, the Creator, known in the Islam tradition and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty. The fundamental element of faith in Islam is to declare that "there is no deity worthy of worship except the One True Almighty God"
Bibliography:
Patheos 2013, Islam People, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space.html
BBC Islam 2013, Muhammad, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/muhammad_1.shtml
Islam 2012, Allah, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://islam.about.com/od/godallah/a/god.htm
Patheos 2013, Islam People, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space.html
BBC Islam 2013, Muhammad, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/muhammad_1.shtml
Islam 2012, Allah, Accessed 16 March 2013,
http://islam.about.com/od/godallah/a/god.htm