Catholicism and Islam Relationship

The Second Vatican Council marked a major shift, with the Catholic Church expressing respect
for Islam. Muslims are recognized for worshipping one God, valuing prayer, fasting, charity, and
honoring Jesus as a prophet and Mary as his mother.

Similarities with Christianity

Islam and Christianity share key beliefs, including monotheism, divine revelation, moral living,
and belief in judgment after death. Both emphasize prayer, charity, and fasting as important
religious practices.

The Qur’an

The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, believed to be the direct word of Allah revealed to Prophet
Muhammad. It is written in Arabic, made up of 114 suras (chapters), and serves as a guide for
worship, behavior, and understanding life.

Core Beliefs

A central belief is Tawhid, meaning the absolute oneness of God. Muslims believe in prophets
such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. There is also belief in a final judgment
where individuals are rewarded or punished. Jihad refers mainly to the internal struggle to follow
God’s will.

The Five Pillars

The Five Pillars form the foundation of Muslim life: the declaration of faith, daily prayer,
charity, fasting during Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Important Religious Sites

Key sites include the Kaaba in Mecca, which is the direction of prayer and focus of pilgrimage,
as well as Medina and Jerusalem, which also hold religious significance.

Life-Cycle Rituals

At birth, prayers are said and a naming ceremony is held. Marriage is a formal contract with
defined roles, and while divorce is allowed, it is discouraged. After death, burial happens quickly
with the body facing Mecca
Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship and community gathering. It typically includes features such as a
minaret, a prayer hall, and a mihrab indicating the direction of Mecca.

Shariah Law

Shariah is the moral and religious law in Islam, based on the Qur’an, the Sunna (Muhammad’s
actions), and Hadith (records of his teachings). It guides behavior, categorizing actions from
required to forbidden.

History of Islam

Islam began in Mecca around 570 CE with Prophet Muhammad. A key event was the Hijra
(migration to Medina in 622 CE), which marks the start of the Islamic calendar. After
Muhammad’s death, Islam spread rapidly.

Sunni and Shi’a Split

The division between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims began over disagreements about leadership after
Muhammad’s death. Sunnis believe leaders should be chosen, while Shi’a believe leadership
should stay within Muhammad’s family.

Role of Jesus

In Islam, Jesus is considered a prophet, born of the Virgin Mary, but not the Son of God.
Muslims believe he was not crucified and will return on the Day of Judgment.

Muslim Contributions

Muslims preserved important Greek knowledge, advanced mathematics with the development of
algebra, and established early universities, contributing greatly to global learning.

Islam Today

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with about 1.5 billion followers. It is culturally
diverse and continues to grow, including in Canada.
Key Differences from Catholicism

Islam teaches that the Qur’an is the word of God, while Catholicism teaches that Jesus is the
Word of God in human form. Islam believes strictly in one God, while Catholicism believes in
the Trinity.

IN CLASS NOTES

Fastest growing religion in the world

Most live in urban areas, such as greater Toronto area and 61% live in Ontario

Canadian Muslims come from India, Pakistan, Arab, and middle east countries

Why being Muslim in Canada is challenging:

- Alcohol
- Prayer time interrupted/not allowed
- Dress/modesty
- Interpretation of the Qur’an
- Prejudice- stigma after 9/11 about terrorism/role in Canadian society
- Food rules
- No gambling

Muslims feel like the media has portrayed them and Islam in a negative light since the World
Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001

Constantly racially profiled

Muhammad

570 CE

- Born in Mecca
- Father passed away when he was young
- Family took him in
- Didn't get childhood, had to start working right away

610 CE

- Marries a widow named Kadisha

- Hes around 40 years old
 - She hired him run the empire that her late husband left
- Goes to a cave to pray and gets revelations from Angel Gabriel
- Gets said revelations up until his death
- Wants people to learn that there is one God

622 CE

- The people of Medina offered Muhammad a place to settle and be protected from
persecution
- Hijra means flight; when Muhammed and most of his followers left Mecca to go to
Medina in the middle of the night
- The people left back were getting harassed

630 CE

- After years of fighting, Muhammed lead the people of Medina to war with those of
Mecca, Medina won.
- Walks into the Kabba and cleansed all the deities that were left there because they are
polytheistic

632 CE

- Went back to Mecca to start pilgrimages

- He made sure they knew by memory and heart what to do during pilgrimages
- Year he passed away
- When he passed away, they were scrambling to figure out who the next religious leader
should be
- Division between Muslims for 15 years after his death
- Suni believe that if you are a righteous person and know your Qur’an, you could lead
- Shiad believed that you needed to have some kind of blood relation to Muhammed to be
the next ruler
Kaaba is the most sacred site

VIDEO: HOW ISLAM BEGAN

Only way to be safe in Makka was to have back up, it wasn't safe

Around this time the khabba had multiple deities that didn't help anyone

Brought up by his grandfather, then uncle when he passed away, since his dad passed away
before he was born and his mom when he was six

He was a Shepard and then a businessman

When he left Makka to go pray when everyone was sacrificing to the deities, angel Gabriel gave
Muhammad the ability to read and share the word, this was called the night of power

All of these teachings or words that Muhammed recited became the Qur'an

He went back to his hometown and preached to everyone telling them that there was only one
God, no one was happy and people thought that he was crazy

The wealthy people did not appreciate this because they were losing money off of the khabba; all
the tourists coming to worship these deities or to get smaller versions of these deities in
commemoration would disappear and those who make their money off of them would go into
poverty

Those who believed in Muhammeds words were either tortured or killed while trying to escape
or live their life in the way they feel is right
Muhammed was told by God to stay strong and to pray 5 times a day

One son from several families were sent in the middle of the night to track down Muhammed
and his friend to kill him

Muslims went to war three times, they won 2/3 battles

Peace treaty was made, but Makka's then broke it

They regret calling war again and surrendered, Muhammed said that there should be no more
fighting

PAGES 196-201 SUMMARY/NOTES

The Five Pillars of Islam:

1. The Creed (Shahadah)

• “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah”
• Underlying belief of Islam; there is only one God
• The Shahadah is the sign of belonging to the Muslim community
• A person needs to only say it out loud to two witnesses to legally be considered a
Muslim
• 7 conditions of Shahadah
i. True belief in what you’re saying, understanding and knowledge
ii. Acceptance in your heart
iii. Sincerely
iv. Love, you love Allah and you love the teachings, all of them, not just the
ones you don’t love.
 v. Certainty
vi. Submission
vii. True faith
2. Prayer (Salat)
• The ritual prayer of praise and adoration of God
• Muslims need to say this five times a day
• Involves both quiet verbal prayer and gestures, such gestures could be standing
with hands folded on the chest or stomach, or hanging loose on each side, bowing
with the hands and knees, sitting upright and kneeling with the hands and
forehead on the ground
• Prayers can take place at home, work, or anywhere, if the place is clean
• Also have to be in a clean state, body needs to be clean
• Muslims attend a mosque for prayer on Fridays
• Muslims can also pray quietly throughout the day; these prayers are called du’a
3. Almsgiving (Zakat)
• Asks to give to people in need
• Muslims who have more than a certain amount of money or goods are required to
donate a portion of their savings, after debt, to the needy, to help build mosques,
or to similar causes
• Expected to give 2.5% of your wealth after bills
• Purifies what you owe
4. Fasting (Sawm)
• This specifically takes place during the month of Ramadan, which is the month
where Muhammed first received the divine message of Allah
• People are encouraged to spend more time reading the Qur’an and praying since
this also marks the start of the Qur’an
• During the daylight hours of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged not to eat or
drink anything, stay away from evil thoughts, drinking, smoking, and sex
• Elderly, the sick, pregnant woman, and children are exempt from this fast
• They do this because it teaches self-control, empathy, and strengthens their faith.
A way to give thanks.
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• Makka is the central thing of the Hajj????
• Needs to be done at least once in your life
i. If you cannot afford it, if in bad health, you do not have to go
• Go to madeena before hajj to go into a proper state of mind
• You need to apply for a spot with the government, a lot of people get denied, if
you get chosen you need to fill out a lot of paperwork, can be denied if the
government doesn’t like the people you’re traveling with
 • Divorce is allowed
• Hijab must be worn during hajj
• Men wear two seamless cloths
• Must practice wearing the outfit to preserve modesty
• Women cannot have their faces covered, not allowed in the grand mosk without
their faces showing
• If you are successful doing the haraj, you will get buried in your outfit

The five pillars are a way that Muslims decided was the best way to organize the way they
express their faith to new converters and to make sure that their rituals and ways are understood
and done properly.

These pillars are the main ritual acts of the Muslim faith; these pillars show what it means to be a
Muslim or how they worship.

A society that is governed by a religious leader is called a theocracy

MARKING TIME pg 201-204

The five pillars help guide Muslims on how to order their time.

- All daily life is permeated with the Shahadah

- The salat ritual prayer creates the rhythm of daily life
- The fast of Ramadan is held in the lunar month named after the fast
- The pilgrimage to Mecca is done in a particular lunar month

Months are measured by the moon

For Catholicism, they believe that it was Isaac who was sacrificed, but Muslims believe it was
Ishmael

General Idea of Pillars:

- The five pillars guide both worship and daily life for muslims
- Days are based off of the sun and months are based off the moon
1. Shahadah (Profession of Faith)
a. Decloration of belief in one God (Allah)
b. Influences all aspects of daily life
2. Salat (Prayer)
a. Ritual prayer preformed 5 times a day
 b. Creates a daily routine and rhrythm
3. Swam (Fasting during Ramadan)
a. Observed during the month of Ramadan
b. Because its lunar
i. Random shifts – 10 days earlier each year
c. Ends with a major festival:
i. Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast/ Minor Eid)
4. Hajj (Pilgrimage)
a. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Kaaba)
b. Takes place during Dhu al-Hajja (month of pilgrimage)
c. Includes the festival:
i. Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice/Major Eid)

Eid al-Adha Significance:

- Commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son

Eid Practices:

- Begin with special morning prayers

- Often followed by family gatherings and celebrations and meals

Life Cycle Rituals:

- Birth
o When a baby is first born, the first thing they hear is the Adham, or call to prayer,
spoken in their right ear
o Seven days after birth, a naming ceremony is held with friends and family
o Hair is often cut or shaved
o Hair that was cut is then weighed, and whatever the amount it weighed they
would give that amount of silver to the poor
o The naming ceremony can also be used for adults who are converting to Islam and
would like an Islamic name in Arabic
- Marriage
o The Qur’an allows males to have multiple wives, but many choose not to partake
in that
o Muhammed saw polygamy as a way of forming political alliances and protecting
widows who would otherwise have no money or support
o Marrages establish a deep connection with the two families, as well as the
spouses, for this reason, many marriages are arranged
o Islamic law sets rights between the families of the spouses, as well as the spouses
themselves
o Divorce is permitted but strongly discouraged
 o The wedding itself is simple, normally it consists of reading of the Qur’an and
exange of vows in front of witnesses for both partners; leader of mosque preforms
ceremony
- Death
o The last words of a dying Muslim should be the Shahadah
o After the person dies, the corpse is washed, covered, and buried as soon as
possible
o Body is buried with the face towards Mecca, imitating direction of prayer
o

Death Rituals

• The first words a newborn hears and the last words before death should be the Shahadah
• After death:
 Body is washed and covered
 Buried as soon as possible
 Positioned facing Mecca
• Ritual prayers and memorials take place after burial

The Muslim Community (Umma)

• The Umma = worldwide Muslim community

• United by the Five Pillars of Islam- regular practice to make known you are a part of
umma
• Islam has:
 No central authority
 No priests
• The community is important for spiritual life and salvation
• Brings together people across different cultures and backgrounds
• It works best because everyone follows the same rules
• Salvation; idea of being saved, idea of a community that gets saved altogether; no one
gets left behind.
• ESSAY QUESTION!!!
• Piety and good conduct are the only measures of a person’s worth, not race or social
status
• Ummah referred to divine-guided communities like those of Moses or Jesus
• Muslims are spiritually connected and responsible for each other worldwide; brother and
sister hood
 • Encourages them to look outside of their community
• Promotes justice, kindness, social responsibility, and standing against injustice
• Emphasize cooperation in worship, charity, and moral behavior to face modern
challenges.
• PILLARS ESSAY QUESTION!!!!
• Fractured tribal world:
 Tribal meaning pot tied to bloodlines and local gods; united under strict
monotheism and a single God
 Radical reforming religion=Islam
 Pray at dawn noon afternoon sunset and late evening (salat pillar)
 Being a part of ummah trumps every tie

The Mosque

• A Mosque is where Muslims gather to pray

• First mosque built by Muhammad in Medina after the Hijra
• Five times a day, from the top of the tower beside or in a mosque, Muslims are called to
prayer by a prayer caller
• Worshippers gather and preform ritual washing in an open courtyard before entering your
prayer area
• Shoes aren't allowed in a prayer hall, so there's a place for shoes
• No benches or chairs in a prayer hall, just a large open area and it is usually carpeted
• Sometimes halls are separate; a side for men and a side for women
• Muslims must face toward mecca when praying
• At Friday prayer, an iman gives a sermon from the pulpit
• If there is no segregation between men and women during prayer, the women will line up
behind the men to preserve modesty and essentially avoid the men from being distracted
by their prayers

Purpose

• Worship
• Community gathering
• Learning and teaching
Friday Prayer (Jumu’ah)

• Weekly congregational prayer held around midday Friday

• Led by an Imam
• Includes:
 Group prayer
 Sermon explaining teachings of the Qur’an
• Muslims may pause work/school to attend

Features of a Mosque

• Call to prayer happens 5 times daily from a tower (minaret)

• Worshippers:
 Perform ritual washing (wudu) before entering
 Remove shoes
• Prayer hall:
 Large, open, carpeted space
 No chairs or statues
 Decorated with Qur’anic calligraphy
• Key parts:
 Mihrab: shows direction of Mecca
 Minbar: pulpit for sermons
 Minaret: tower for call to prayer
• Men and women may pray in separate areas

The Qur’an

• The Qur’an is:

 The word of God (Allah) revealed to Muhammad
 Delivered by the Angel Gabriel
• Provides guidance on:
 Worship
 Behavior
 Daily life
Importance

• Treated with great respect:

 Kept clean and elevated
• Often read in Arabic (original language)
• Children learn it from a young age
• A person who memorizes it is called a hafiz

Key Ideas

• Faith is expressed through rituals and community

• Worship is structured, simple, and focused
• Islam emphasizes:
 Unity
 Cleanliness
 Discipline
 Connection to God

CENTRAL BELIEFS:
The Qur’an:
- The first pillar, the Shahadah, sums up the Qur’an.
- This book is the voice of Allah spoken from the Prophet Muhammed by the Angel
Gabrial.
- Gives guidance on how to worship, behave, and see the world
- In most Muslim homes, the Qur’an is wrapped to be kept clean and placed on high
furniture with nothing else above it
- Children learn from the Qur’an at a very early age, as well as learn Arabic early so that
they can read the Qur’an in its original language
- Anyone who can memorize the whole of the Qur’an is given the title of “hafiz” or
“memorizer”
Organization of the Qur’an:
- Divided into 114 Suras; more like chapters rather than books
- The opening chapter, Al – Fatiha, is found at the very beginning of this chapter; it is
short, starting with Sura 2, the Suras are generally organized shortest to longest
- Each Sura has a name and a number and divided into verses
- Most Suras begin like this: “In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.”
Interpretation of the Qur’an: Sunna and Hadith:
- Sunna is a collection of Muhammad’s own words and actions, as recorded by his inner
circle of family and friends
 - The word Sunna means “beaten path”; in other words, it is customary path that all
Muslims should follow
- Haith is a record of Muhammed’s words, actions, and his statements about current
religious practices by others
- The haith also gives stories about what Muhammed was like in person
- Unlike the Sunna, the haith is not built from first-person accounts by Muhammeds inner
circle of followers
- When a Muslim has a problem, they turn to the Qur’an first and then the Sunna or Haith
to find what Muhammed said or did in a similar situation
- These books all together are called the shariah; the three books that form the law
- Laws of the land governed by religion is Shariah Law
Creation and the Qur’an
- Many verses in the Qur’an portray a view of creation like Christian and Jewish ones
- Since Allah is the creator of all things, creation has dignity

SHARIA LAW VIDEO NOTES:

- Legal system that governs the law of Muslims countries, living a life as God intended
- Based off of the Qur’an
- Helps navigate through difficult situations in life
- It’s not static, it varies between the interpretations between schoolers in countries
- Like the law of court in many countries

Morality and Family Life Questions:

What is Shariah Law?
- The set of moral rules that Muslims follow
- Was set out by Allah
- Intended for individuals and society
- Helps guide Muslims to live a devout life and consists of legal rules to help govern
Muslim society
What are the sources for shariah law?
- Qur’an: contains passages on how to live a good life
- The Sunna: collection of Muhammad’s sayings and actions, taken down by family and
friends
- The Hadith: collection of Muhammad’s sayings, actions, and statements about Islam as it
was practiced in his time. Contains stories about Muhammad and the early Muslim
community, provides moral and legal interpretations of specific issues
How is shariah law put into practice?
- It divides human actions into five categories:
o Obligatory actions or duties, i.e. following the Five Pillars of Islam
 o Recommended actions i.e. Making donations/contributions beyond zakat and
doing volunteer work
o Neutral actions, i.e. Neutral actions are not addressed by the Qur’an, Sunna, or
Hadith
o Discouraged actions, i.e. Divorce; however, no penalty is imposed in Islamic law
o Forbidden actions, i.e. Murder, theft, adultery
- It is interpreted differently depending on culture or country
- Legal experts use fiqh (interpretation) for new situations
What is a fatwa and when is it used?
- A futwa is a religious edict (degree of order) on Islamic Law delivered by a learned
scholar versed in the Qur’an, Hadith, and other sources
- It can be issued on any matter

What is the role of family in Islam?

- Basic building block of a healthy society
- A stable family unit, where expectations and roles are clear, can help avoid many of the
challenges of modern society
- The moral upbringing of children is important, as parents are seen as agents of Allah,
providing all authority and guidance needed for mature development.
- How parents act and model certain things, the more likely their child will act the same
way
What are the traditional gender roles for Muslims? How can this be a challenge in a country like
Canada?
- It was a patriarchal society, and sometimes considered harsh
- As Islam spread, Muslims attitudes to gender roles were formed mostly by the Qur’an,
Sunna, and Hadith
- Men typically work outside the home, women focus on home and family
- Roles are seen as complementary, not equal
- Challenging in Canada because we have more flexible gender roles
- Men and women often share responsibilities
- Immigrants may struggle balancing Islamic traditions with Canadian expectations
Describe two traditional outfits found on page 218

What is the madrasas? What is the focus there?

What do the terms halal and haram mean?
Why are dietary rules so important to Muslims?
What are the two purposes of “Conjugal love” in Islam?
What are two other teachings found the book regarding sexuality in Islam