Department of Education

Bureau of Learning Delivery

Teaching and Learning Division

Supplementary Learning Modules

for Senior High School Learners
Grade Levels: Grade 11
Specialized Subject: Introduction to World Religions and Belief
Systems
Semester: First Semester (WEEK 6)

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs,

practices, and related issues of Islam
 ISLAM
(Abrahamic religion)

Established around seventh century C.E., Islam is the youngest among the
world’s major religions. With more than 1.5 billion adherents comprising almost one-
fourth of the entire world population, Islam is the second largest group and one of the
fasting growing religions in the world.
Majority of Muslims, the followers of Islam, live in Asia and Africa. There are 49
countries in the world that are Muslim-majority or comprise 50% of the population.
There are 1.2 billion Muslims in these countries equivalent to 74% of the entire Muslim
population worldwide. More than 60% of the worlds Muslims can be found in Asia,
including Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Iran. Indonesia is the
world’s most populous Muslim-majority country with almost 87% of the population
practicing the Islam religion. In Africa, sizeable Muslim communities are found in Egypt
and Nigeria.
This module will present the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs,
practices, and related issues of Islam

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

6.1. Read the opening lines of Qur’an preferably from an English version
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIg-h-6.1
6.2. Retell the life and times of Prophet Muhammad
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIg-h-6.2
6.3. Explain: The core teaching of Islam is there is only one God and Muhammad is His
final and greatest messenger.
HUMSS_WRB12-I/IIIg-h-6.3

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Direction: Remember to take on the attitude of openness and respect as you
approach this tradition. What do you know about Islam? You may be right, but be
aware also of the possibility that the information you have is flawed or inadequate.
So, fill out the second and third column of this table.

What I Know What I Want To What I Learned

Know
About Islam
About the Qur’an
About
Muhammad
About Muslims

Task 1: Here’s the English version of the opening lines of Qur’an. Read
the verses and be mindful of what each line says.

Surah Al-Fatihah
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Universe
The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Judgement.
You alone do we worship, and You alone we turn to for help
Guide us to the straight path;
The path of those on whom You have bestowed your grace, not (the way) of those
who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray.

1. What are the qualities of Allah proclaimed in these verses?

2. Which verses imply total surrender to the will of Allah?

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Task 2: Explain what you know about the following concepts which are
considered as the Five Pillars of Islam.

Sawm
Shahada

Salat

Hajj
Zakat

Islam began with the Arabian Desert people around early seventh century C.E.
These people had developed their own set of beliefs prior to the formal establishment
of Islam and had been influenced by other religions for a long period of time, including
Byzantine Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
Judea, the home of Christianity, was not too far away from Arabia, and the great
cities of Damascus, Antioch and Alexandria were neighbors to Mecca and Medina
(Hopfe, 1983). Byzantine rulers, however, antagonized Arab Christians that provided
an impetus for their acceptance of a new Arab religion that started with the
establishment of Islam. On the other hand, the Arabian people were also familiar with
the Judaism. For one, several desert tribes were Jewish in origin. When the Muslim
forces entered Medina in 622 C.E., many citizens of the city were Jewish (Hopfe,
1983). Lastly, the Muslims may have been in contact with the Persian Zoroastrians
though its influence may be not as strong compared to Christianity and Judaism.

THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD (SIRAH)

Around the year 570 C.E., Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in the oasis town
of Mecca just off the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula (Karabel, 2007).
Muhammad’s father died before he was born while his mother died before he was six
years old. He belonged to the clan of Hashim of the Quraysh tribe that controlled the
Kaaba and the camel trade that passed through Mecca. Following the tradition, he
was sent to be reared among the Bedouins. When his mother died, Muhammad was
raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib (Renard, 1992).
Later, Muhammad was taken into custody by his paternal uncle, Abu Talib, who
was chief of the Quraysh tribe. Life must have been very difficult for the young
Muhammad. With no formal schooling, Muhammad worked as a caravan worker
travelling across the Arabian Peninsula as a camel driver. From his travels in the
Arabian Peninsula to the different Byzantine cities, he may have met and conversed
with Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians alike. Muhammad soon learned the various
ways and means of their belief system that may have led him to question the faith of
his own people, especially with regard their animistic practices and reverence given to
numerous gods and idols (Hopfe, 1983). He used to retreat to Mount Hira near Mecca
in search of truth about God.
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 Muhammad later married an older wealthy widow named Khadija, fifteen years
his senior. Muhammad was twenty-five years old when he married Khadija who was
about forty years old at the time. Khadija managed her own caravan and Muhammad
was working for her. He was married only to khadija if she lived even though it was
acceptable for men to have multiple wives then. Khadija became his staunch supporter
and one of his first converts to the new religion he founded.
Around the year 610 C.E., Muhammad began hearing the voice of God in a
cave on the summit of Mount Hira, just outside Mecca in the Arabian Hijaz. God was
speaking to Muhammad in the Arabic language (Armstrong, 2000; Karabell, 2007).
Mostly auditory but occasionally visual form, he began to experience divine revelations
delivered by the angel Gabriel (Renard, 1992).
Muhammad first disclosed these revelations only to his wife since revealing
these messages to his tribe could disturb the social order that was primarily anchored
on clan and kinship. He was now preaching a new order built upon God’s will and
human submission to this belief.
The term “islam” originated from an Arabic word meaning “submit”. In other
words, Islam means to “surrender or submit oneself for obedience to God” or to “enter
into a condition of peace and security with God through allegiance and surrender to
Him” (Armstrong 2000; Bowker 1997). On the other hand, the word “muslim” is the
Arabic word for a person who submits. A Muslim, therefore, is a “person who
surrenders or submits himself to obey God” (Brown 1975). In Arabic, the word “Allah”
is a compound of al (the definite article, the) and ilah (god or deity). Joined together,
the words signify “god” (Renard 1993). Henceforth, he is called Allah or “the one who
is God”.

SACRED SCRIPTURES

The Quran
The sacred writing of the Muslim is called Quran (or Koran in English) that
literally means “recitation” or “reading”. The Quran is the revelation from God of his
speech (kalam) and is the foundation of the Islam religion (Bowker 1997). It is the
supreme authority in all matters of faith, theology and law (Parrinder, 1971).
In 610 C.E., when Muhammad received the first revelations, he was
commanded by angel Gabriel to “iqra” or “recite”. All Muslim believe that the Quran is
a copy of the eternal scripture written in heaven but made known to Muhammad
chapter by chapter (Hopfe, 1983). As such, the Quran is the word of God that is
binding, continuous and supreme. The same message became known to earlier
prophets like Moses and Jesus but people gradually altered the revelation entrusted
to them by God (Bowker 1997). Any translation of the Quran, either in English or any
other language is neither a Quran nor a version of the Quran; rather it is only but a
translation of the meaning of the Quran (Ibrahim, 1997). The Quran in Arabic, the only
language in which it was revealed, is considered the perfect word of God.
A person who is able to memorize the Quran in its entirety is called hafiz
“guardian”. The female counterpart is called hafiza. Whatever denomination Muslims
may belong, they always have had same Quran written in Arabic like the early days of
Islam’s founding. No two copies of Quran anywhere in the world differ in any way (Aziz,
1993).

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The Hadith
The hadith is the collected deeds and sayings of Muhammad and his followers
(“traditional reports or sayings”) that is the second source of shari’a law (Horrie and
Chippindale, 2003). Unlike the Quran that was officially compiled under the auspices
of a central authority (as initiated by the first caliph Abu Bakr), the hadiths were
collected generations after death of Muhammad. The hadiths are recognized today as
second in authority after the Koran (Parrinder, 1971).

BELIEFS
Islam began as a way of life (din) for its followers which God intended for his
creation form the very beginning (Bowker 1997). In time, God has to send several
prophets, including Musa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus), to summon people back to the din
as a result of human rebellion and transgression. Ultimately, all prophets were
rejected, persecuted or killed except for Muhammad.
If one wants to convert to Islam religion, one must only utter the statement
“There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” in the presence of
the two witnesses. By affirming this declaration of faith and accepting the duties as
required under Islamic laws, a person can now become part of the fastest growing
religion in the world.

Five Pillars of Islam

The basic obligations of Muslims are called the Five Pillars of Islam arkan al-
din. While differences may occur in the interpretation of Islamic law, all Muslim believe
and accept the entirety of these obligations that must be strictly observed to avoid
being sent to hell on the “Judgment Day”. The Five Pillars give structure and unity to
all believers of Islam.
Foremost among all Muslims’ obligation is the declaration of their statement of
beliefs called shahada “witness” that is recited during prayers and rituals. Apart from
shahada, the four other duties that must be performed by all Muslims are collectively
called as ibadah “state of submission”. The ibadah aims to discipline the adherents
and eliminate impostors to the Islamic faith. The ibadah is composed of praying five
times a day, fasting during the time of Ramadan, giving of annual charity and
undertaking a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a Muslims’ lifetime.

1. THE CREED (SHAHADA)

The basic creed of Islam that “there is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah” is known as shahada. In Arabic, the shahada is recited as “La
ilaha illa Allah; Muhammadon rasul Allah”. These are the very first words uttered into
an infant’s ear and perhaps the last word given to a dying Muslim. That shahada
asserts that Allah is the only divinity and that he has relayed his will through
Muhammad (Bowker 1997).
To be accepted into the Islam fold, one must recite the kalmia or phrase with
two witnesses. The first half of the kalmia is known as tawheed “the unity” which is the
most important statement for Muslim faith. The second half is called risallah
“acceptance of prophethood” which implies acceptance of prophets as messengers of
god (Horrie and Chippindale, 2003). For a Muslim to deny any part of the shahada is
tantamount to the crime of reversion to Islam that is punishable under Quranic law.

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2. OBLIGATORY PRAYER (SALAT)
Facing in the direction of Mecca or qiblah, Muslims must offer prayers or salat
five times each day before sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, immediately after sunset,
and before midnight. Each prayer session begins when the strong- voiced muezzin or
caller recites the prayer from the tallest point of a mosque.

3. FASTING (SAWN)
Fasting or sawn during the entire 30 days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar must be performed by all Muslims every year.
Ramadan is believed to be the month when Muhammad received the first surah
of the Quran. The sawn was done by all Muslims to express obedience to Allah and
the readiness to relinquish pleasures in their lives. By undertaking sawn, Muslims
observe discipline and experience the deprivations of the poor (Bowker 1997). During
this time, a Muslim must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and engaging in any
sexual intimacy from dusk until dawn. By resisting the demands of the body during
sawn, the Muslims strengthens their will. Muslims are reminded that they have the
capacity to ignore the longing of the body for the sake of material gratification (Frager,
2002).
The sawn culminates with the “Feast of Breaking the Fast” (‘Id al-Fitr) wherein
Muslims may celebrate and partake in festivities. They hold congregational prayers
and exchange presents. Unlike Jews or Catholics who fast for a brief period of time in
observance of holy days, the Muslims are obligated to fasts the longest and strictest
of all.

4. POOR TAX (ZAKAT)

Muslims who live above the subsistence level must pay zakat or the poor tax to
aid the unprivileged Muslim. It is not charity but annual wealth tax that serves as just
and lawful claim of the poor against the affluent ones.

5. PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA (HAJJ)

All Muslims must attempt to undertake a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca of
hajj “visitation of holy places” at least once in their lifetime during the twelfth Islamic
month. The “Grand Mosque” (Al-Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca houses the most sacred
site of Islam, the Kaaba “house of Allah”. The Kaaba is the cube-shaped ancient stone
building that date back to the time of Adam and Eve according to Muslim tradition. The
Muslims believe that the Kaaba was originally built for the worship of God by Abraham
and his son Ishmael (Belt, 2001). The Kaaba represents the end of a journey because
it is the symbolic point of origin of all creation wherein all things turn around it and from
it all things radiate (Benard, 1992).

The history of Islam is closely bound with the life story of Muhammad who is
recognized by the Muslims as the last of the prophets. The sacred writing of the
Muslims is called Qur’an that literally means “recitation” or “reading”. The basic
obligations are called Five Pillars of Islam or arkan al-din and all Muslims believe and
accept the entirety of these obligations. The Five Pillars give structure and unity to all
believers of the Islam.

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Task 3: Choose to do one of the following in a short bond paper:

1. Have you had any inspiring encounters with a Muslim? In what way did he
live out or practice a key teaching of Islam? Write the story below.

2. Look for a news report, article or story about a Muslim/s who made a
positive contribution in a community. Paste it below and describe in what way
he or they live out or practice the key teaching of Islam.

MUSLIM IN ACTION

Task 4: Many of us have flawed or inadequate information about Islam.

Create a poster to spread awareness on Islam. You will be graded using
the rubric below.

Rubric for Poster

Points
Criteria Description Points
obtained
Organization The concept was clearly and
10
creatively conveyed
Content Important concepts were highlighted
5
and explained
Visual The idea was clearly presented based
5
Presentation on the poster presentation
Total:20

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 I have learned that ________________
________________
______.

I have realized that ________________

_________________
_____.

I will apply _____________

_________________
_______________.

Direction: Identify what is being asked in the following statement.

____1. It is the first chapter of the Quran.

____2. They are the tent-living nomads or dessert wanderers.
____3. It is the traditional rule of the Arabs which means “well-trodden path”.
____4. He is the leader of the tribe who is a man of ability and judgment, the first
among equals.
____5. They buy and sell and provide goods to markets where various tribes could
gather and barter foods.
____6. It contained about 360 images, most of which represented celestial beings
and forces of nature.
____7. He is the patriarch of the Muslims who had a covenant with God.
____8. He is the eldest son of Abraham and believed to be the ancestor of the
Muslims.
____9. It means surrender or submission to God.
____10. It means “one who submits to God”.

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Glossary:

Bedouin - dessert wanderer/ancestors of the Muslims

Hadith - collected deeds and sayings of Muhammad and his followers (“traditional
reports or sayings”) that is the second source of shari’a law
Hajj - visitation of holy places at least once in their lifetime during the twelfth Islamic
month
Ka’bah - contained about 360 images, most of which represented celestial beings and
forces of nature
Muhammad - last of the Muslim prophets
Qur’an - sacred scripture of the Muslims
Salat - prayer of Muslims five times each and every day before sunrise, noon, mid-
afternoon, immediately after sunset, and before midnight
Sawm - Fasting during the entire 30 days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar must be performed by all Muslims every year
Shahada - basic creed of Islam that “there is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah”
Shaykh - leader of the tribe who is a man of ability and judgment, the first among
equals and who received authority from a consensus
Sunnah - well trodden path/ traditional law
Zakat - poor tax to aid the unprivileged Muslim

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Answer Keys:

Task 1 – Answers may vary

Task 2 – Answers may vary
Task 3 – Answers may vary
Task 4 – Answers may vary
Task 5 – Identification

1. Surah Al-Fatihah 6. Ka’bah

2. Bedouin 7. Abraham
3. Sunnah 8. Ishmael
4. Shaykh 9. Islam
5. Meccan/Makkan 10. Muslim

References

TEXTBOOK
Ong, J. A. and Jose, M. D. dl. (2016). Introduction to World Religions and Belief
Systems (Senior High School Textbook) Ground Floor, Bonifacio Bldg., DepEd
Complex Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines 1600, Vibal Group

Manaloto, C. B. and Rapadas, M. T. R. (2016). Pilgrimage to Sacred Spaces: An

Introduction to World Religions 927 Quezon Ave., Quezon City, The Phoenix
Publishing House Inc.

Prepared by:

MARVIN P. SUBRIDA
Teacher II
Schools Division of Passi City
Region VI

Evaluated by:

NESCEL P. PANES, PhD JUNAL M. MARCON, PhD

Education Program Supervisor Master Teacher I
Schools Division of Passi City Schools Division of Passi City
Region VI Region VI

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