The reason for the terse episodic nature of this material is that it was initially written for use with the teletext emulator on the BBC-B computer, used in schools at a time when computers were just emerging from the primeval swamp. Aimed at primary children, many a secondary teacher has said 'that will do my kids just fine', and I have used it often as a basis for exhibition work as well as talks to muslims (which I suppose says a great deal about the state of Islamic knowledge in the community) and non-muslims of all ages.
THE WORLD OF ISLAM
bismillahirrahmanirrahim
WHO ARE THE MUSLIMS?
One in five of all the people in the world call themselves muslims.
They live on every different continent,
are black, brown, yellow and white,
come in all shapes and sizes,
dress in many different fashions,
speak many different languages.
???? Did you know ????
The country with most muslims is lndonesia!
At least 50 million muslims are Chinese!
VARIETY AND UNITY
Muslims live in deserts & jungles
Muslims live in tents & cities
Muslims live in boats & tower-blocks
They build mosques & minarets
They build palaces & forts
They build Public baths & libraries
They build schools & hospitals
They work as surgeons & scientists
They work as poets & patternmakers
They work as cooks & gardeners
When they are all so different
what makes them all the same?
GOD
Muslims believe in God!
Do you wonder what life is all about?
If the laws that move the sun and stars
have a reason or are just an accident?
Muslims think the world makes sense,
and the power that made it that way
is known as 'God'
Muslims say there is only one God,
and God is not an 'it' but a 'who'!
So if we talk to God we talk to 'You'
The muslim name for God is an Arabic word - ALLAH!
Muslims also use other names for God,
the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper,
the Mighty, the Wise, the Merciful,
and lots of others
THE AFTERLIFE
Have you ever wondered
what happens after you die?
Is that the end of everything?
If there is nothing after death
this world seems very unfair.
Some are rich, some are poor,
some are sick, some are healthy,
some starve, and some get fat.
Muslims believe that when you die
you will be brought to life again,
and then - Justice is done!
The rewards for doing good or bad
are known as Heaven and Hell.
Muslims call them the Garden & the Fire.
GOOD AND BAD
What is good and what is bad?
How do we know which is which?
Muslims follow the example of a man named MUHAMMAD.
Muhammad lived 1400 years ago
in a little mountain town in Arabia.
It is still there. It is called Makkah.
What sort of things are good for you?
Make your life easier and better?
How can we be more like Muhammad,
the happiest, most smiling of men?
He said: Tell the truth. Be tolerant.
Be patient. Be open-hearted.
Be generous. Be faithful.
Keep your promises.
Control your temper and your tongue.
Fight for justice. Be merciful.
Muhammad was "a mercy to all beings".
EACH MOMENT
Muslims like to live their lives
each moment remembering Allah.
They remember Allah when
they respect their parents
they keep themselves clean
teeth brushed, smelling sweet
They remember Allah when
they are honest in business
do the best job they can
show kindness to others
give to those with less
praise Allah for life
greet Allah in death
There is no god except God
and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
EACH DAY
Muslims work the best they can
in service of Allah
Muslims learn and tell
the glory and wonder of Allah
Muslims wash themselves
to meet Allah
Muslims make Salaat
to greet Allah
The Salaat is a kind of prayer
SALAAT
Muslims make Salaat 5 times a day
At dawn before sunrise
After mid-day
In late afternoon
After sunset
In the dark of night
In the Salaat
muslims stand
muslims bow
place their heads on the ground
and sit
They face Makkah,
make a good intention,
start by saying God is Great,
end by wishing peace on everybody.
In Salaat muslims remember the Qur'an.
QUR'AN
Qur'an is the Message of Allah
as read by Muhammad.
The words are in the Arabic language.
They are for everyone at all times.
It is a Message of good news
and warning.
It is a Message of One God
and the signs of God to look for.
It is a Message guiding us
to the straight path.
The Quran is a healing and a mercy
to the believers.
EACH WEEK
Muslims join with their neighbours
together in prayer.
It is a specia1 Salaat called the Jummah.
Muslims bathe - clean all over.
They are called to the prayer
sometimes from a minaret.
They meet in the Mosque.
The leader of the Jummah Salaat
is called the Imam.
He talks to the people.
To be seen the Imam stands on some steps
known as the Minbar.
On Fridays the muslims pray together.
NEIGHBOURS
To make towns and cities
muslims have to work together.
It takes scientists and engineers
It takes doctors and artists
It takes writers and translators
It takes diggers and carriers
They fashion where they live
and what they use
in the way they have learned together.
Different tribes in different places
do things in different ways.
But all muslims agree
with the words of the Qur'an.
EACH YEAR
The muslim year has a different calendar.
It follows the moon and not the sun.
Yearly the months move 11 days earlier
moving through the seasons
full circle in 33 years
Some of the months are special
One is called Ramadan
In Ramadan muslims fast
taking no food or drink
from dawn to sunset
In Ramadan muslims learn to go hungry
In Ramadan muslims learn to control
their bellies and their minds
In Arabic fasting is called Saum
ZAKAT
Before the end of Ramadan
muslims pay Zakat.
Part of the value
of their money and what they own
is given to feed the poor.
It is no use praying
if you don't help others
with less than yourself.
At the end of Ramadan,
the first day without fasting
is called the Eid ul Fitr.
Muslims cook lots of food
they send greetings cards
they visit their neighbours
Families go to the mosque together
and make the special Eid ul Fitr prayer
EACH LIFETIME
Another time of festivity
is at the end of the time of Hajj.
This is known as the Eid ul Adha
In the month of Hajj, muslims travel
from all over the world
to visit the Ancient House in Makkah.
At least once in their lives
muslims try to make Hajj
leaving everything behind
even their usual clothes.
Dressed in white winding sheets
rich or poor all look the same
standing together before Allah
slaves only of the Merciful.
THE ANCIENT HOUSE
In Makkah stands the Ancient House,
It was built by Abraham
in the dawn of mankind,
a house for no-one but the One God.
It is built on a square base,
its corners to the compass points.
It is as high as it is wide,
in Arabic it is Ka'bah - the cube.
Mosques show the direction of Ka'bah
by an alcove called the Mihrab.
In circles stretching round the globe muslims
face Ka'bah when they pray,
walk around Ka'bah during Hajj
and lie facing Ka'bah in death.
MAKKAH AND MADINAH
Muslims pray facing Makkah,
But Muhammad's first community
was in a town called Madinah.
In Madinah
they worked and played together
they loved and fought together
they found laws to live together
Makkah and Madinah
are like the inner and the outer.
How can we live in harmony together?
How can we learn to face Allah alone?