Sunni Islam

1. Sunni Islam By: Jeremiah and Joseph

2. Number of Adherents • Approximately 90% ( 1.08 billion of 1.2 billion ) of Muslims are Sunni.

3. Influential Practitioners • Muhammad was the founder of Islam. After Muhammad passed, there were a series of Caliphs who governed his Islamic State. Muhammad

4. Other Influential Practitioners • Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Muhammad Ali were very persuasive figures on early Islamic culture. • Muhammad Ali was the man who caused the schism in Muslim ways. The split into Sunni and Shiite occurred because of his followers.

5. Requirements to be Islamic • To be a member of the clergy, one must: • Read the Qur’an written in the language of Arabic • Denounce all other religions • Follow the Muslim way of life • Become elected by a council of elder clergy

6. Women in Clergy • Women are not allowed to join the clergy nor can they be on the same level of the mosque, as the men. • The are required to cover their hair, but not the rest of their bodies.

7. Holy Work • The Qur’an is the “Bible” for the Islamic society. The only true version is written in Arabic. • All others are considered illegitimate no matter how closely they were transliterated.

8. Holy Days • Friday is the Islamic day of rest or prayer. It is not considered the Sabbath Day because they reject the idea that God rested after the creation of Earth. • They believe that Adam was created on a Friday, so all believers try to attend a congregational prayer at the local mosque.

9. Islamic Holidays • Ramadan is the holy month in which Muslims should fast from dawn until dusk. • The ‘Feast of Breaking the Fast,’ also known as ‘The Little Feast,’ follows Ramadan. • ‘The Big Feast,’ also known as ‘The Feast of Sacrifice,’ comes ten days after ‘The Little Feast.’

10. Communication With God • Muslims believes that god communicates with them through angels. They believe that each person has two angels who look out for them and record their good and bad deeds. • Followers believe that the angel Gabriel came to Muhammad and told him what was to be written in the Qur’an.

11. Birth Rites In Islam • It is customary that the first words that a child should hear after birth is the Muslim call to prayer or the adhaan. This should be whispered into the baby’s right ear by the father. • The baby’s first taste should be something sweet, so often the parents will chew up a fig and wipe the juice on the baby’s lips and gums. This is believed to help start the digestive system. • If the child is male, he is to be circumcised within the first week of its life as well.

12. The Seventh Day • On the seventh day of life the baby's head is shaven and the hair is weighed. The weight of the hair will be matched in gold or sliver and given to charity. • A name for the child is also chosen on the seventh day. • A celebration is also held for the child, at which an animal is sacrificed; typically a sheep. Then the meat is disbursed among the relatives and neighbors.

13. The Children of Islam • Children are taught the Qur’an at a very early age in life. This is done so that they will learn and speak Arabic at a younger age. • However, children are exempt from Islamic law until they reach puberty. After puberty they are treated as adults, both legally and socially.

14. Marriage Rites • One man can have up to four wives, but he has to provide for all of them equally. • He may also have concubines, but he must provides for them equally. (In the same way he provides for his wives.) • The husbands primary role in the family is to provide for the wives and the children. • The wives main job is to take care of the household and the children.

15. Divorce from a Marriage • Divorce in Islam is not banned. However, God sees it as the most hated of all things which are permissible. • Reconciliation and/or guidance from relatives is recommended before lawful divorce is considered. • For a man to divorce a woman he has to say “I divorce thee” three times in front of another male. Once said they are divorced.

16. Death Practices • Before death the dying person is urged to say the shahadah or the declaration of faith. • The body of a deceased person is to be ritually washed by the family and the community. • Men are to be washed by men. • Women are to be washed by women. • Children can be washed by either a man or a woman. • After the body has been washed it is wrapped in a funeral shroud.

17. Once the body has been wrapped, funeral prayers or janazah are held over the body. These prayers, unlike other prayers, are said in a standing position. • The body is then transported to the cemetery for burial.

18. Graveside Rituals • Only the men are allowed to attend the graveside services. • Unlike other religions, the body is placed directly into the earth without a coffin. • The body is placed in the grave so that it faces the Ka’bah in Mecca. • The body is positioned on its right side, and face of the corpse is uncovered before the burial.

19. If a child is to die before reaching puberty, they are granted entrance into Jannah or paradise. • It is prohibited to embalm or cremate a corpse, however a burial at sea is permitted if it is necessary. • When visiting a Islamic graveyard, it is customary to greet the buried. It is believed that the dead can hear the words of the living. • One should also pray to God and ask for forgiveness of their sins.

20. How to Become a Sunni Muslim • To become a Sunni Muslim one must believe in their heart that Islam is true and confess it by reciting what is known as the ‘Two Testimonies’. • The ‘Two Testimonies’ state, "I bear witness that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." • This testimony must be recited in public.

21. Once a Muslim, they read the Qur'an and adopt the five pillars of Islam as a guideline for their life. • The Five Pillars are: • Shahada - Testimony of Faith • Salat - Prayer • Zakat - Almsgiving • Sawm - Fasting • Hajj - Pilgrimage

22. Shahada - Testimony of Faith • The Shahada is the first thing whispered into a baby’s ear, and is often the last words said by a Muslim before they die. When spoken sincerely this shows their commitment to the Islamic faith. • In English it reads, “I bear witness that there is no god but God; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of God.”

23. Salat – Prayer Zakat - Almsgiving • Salat or prayer is required by all Muslims. It is to be given five times a day at set times. All Muslims are expected to attend mosque at noon on Fridays. • Zakat or almsgiving is the paying of alms to the needy and poor. Usually 2 to 2.5 percent of annual earnings are given in alms. The Qur’an cares more about how the alms are given and to whom, and less about the amount of alms.

24. Sawm –Fasting Hajj - Pilgrimage • Sawm applies to the month of Ramadan, in which fasting during the daylight hours is required by all Muslims. Such things as eating and sexual activities are to be avoided during the day. At night these things are granted to them again. • Hajj requires all Muslims to pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. All times of pilgrimage are sacred, but the most sacred time for a pilgrimage is during the twelfth month.

25. Location of Followers • Sunni Islam is practiced world wide. The Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan, Iraqi, Saudi Arabia, and Israel have the largest population of Sunnis. • Sunni Islam is the most popular form of Islam. Its numbers are growing because people are becoming attracted to beliefs and principles that it teaches.

26. Age of Reason • The age of reason for a Sunni Muslim would commonly be achieved around twelve or thirteen years of age, or whenever puberty is reached.

27. Sources • http://www.aaiil.org/text/articles/other/howmslm.shtml • http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/ritesrituals/birth.shtml • http://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/mus-essays/mus-ess-divorce.html • http://www.kcm.kr/bethany_eng/a_code/islam.html • http://www.mediaguidetoislam.sfsu.edu/home/sitemap.htm • http://www.re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/re/passage/birth.htm