How old is muslim

Muslim Denominations. Sunni - The largest branch of Islam. They accept that the first four caliphs leaders are the legitimate successors to Muhammad. Wahabi - A Sunni sect comprised of members of the Tameem tribe in Saudi Arabia, following the strict orthodox teachings of Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulawahab.

Shiite - Or Shia, the second-largest branch of Islam, believes only the caliph Ali and his descendants are the legitimate successors to Muhammad and reject the first three caliphs. Alawite - Concentrated in Syria, a sect within the Shiite community that maintains similar but different core beliefs about the divinity of Ali and the seven pillars of the faith. They also observe some Christian and Zoroastrian holidays in addition to Islamic holidays. Kharijites - Members of the earliest sect in Islam that left the followers of Ali; their break with the Shiite was over the selection method for a new leader.

They were known for uncompromising positions on the observance of the Quran and for radical fundamentalism. Today they are known as the Ibadi or Ibadities. It is a Sunni sect. There are other sects of both Sunni and Shiite in African and Arab nations.

Sharia Law. Soon after the death of the prophet Muhammad, there were military expeditions, called "futuhat," or literally "openings," into what is now Egypt and other parts of North Africa. In other parts of the world, Islam spread through trade and commerce. The following is a brief timeline that highlights some of the major occurrences in Islam's development, as well as the geographical spread of Islam to some of the countries featured in the film.

Muhammad is born in Mecca. He comes from a noble family and is well-known for his honesty and upright character. According to Muslim belief, at the age of 40, Muhammad is visited by the angel Gabriel while on retreat in a cave near Mecca. The angel recites to him the first revelations of the Quran and informs him that he is God's prophet.

Later, Muhammad is told to call his people to the worship of the one God, but they react with hostility and begin to persecute him and his followers. After enduring persecution in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrate to the nearby town of Yathrib later to be known as Medina , where the people there accepted Islam. This marks the "hijrah" or "emigration," and the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad establishes an Islamic state based on the laws revealed in the Quran and the inspired guidance coming to him from God.

Eventually he begins to invite other tribes and nations to Islam. Muhammad returns to Mecca with a large number of his followers. He enters the city peacefully, and eventually all its citizens accept Islam. The prophet clears the idols and images out of the Kaaba and rededicates it to the worship of God alone. Muhammad dies after a prolonged illness. Masks are required for all visitors. Born in Mecca, in western Arabia, Muhammad ca. In Medina, Muhammad continued to attract followers and, within a few years, Mecca had also largely embraced Islam.

Under their command, the Arab armies carried the new faith and leadership from the Arabian Peninsula to the shores of the Mediterranean and to the eastern reaches of Iran. The Arabs conquered Syria, Palestine, and Egypt from the Byzantine empire , while Iraq and Iran, the heart of the Sasanian empire , succumbed to their forces.

Here in these lands, Islam fostered the development of a religious, political, and cultural commonwealth and the creation of a global empire. Thus, calligraphy started to gain prominence, becoming essential also to Islamic ornament. The early structure, known as the hypostyle mosque, included a columned hall oriented toward Mecca and an adjacent courtyard surrounded by a colonnade.