9781422281161

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The Birth of Islam

I n Mecca, an ancient city in present-day Saudi Arabia, there stands an old square building known as the Kaaba. According to Islamic tradition, Adam, the first man, originally built the Kaaba as a place of worship. It is said that after the first building was destroyed, a second building was erected by Abraham, a man who is considered a patriarch by three major world religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham, the Muslims believe, was helped by his son Ishmael, from whom the Arabs are said to be descended. The ancient Kaaba, which still stands today, has been renovated several times over the centuries. A sacred black stone (probably a meteorite) is located in one wall of the structure. Muslims consider the Kaaba the holiest site in the world. Some 14 centuries ago, a season of severe storms damaged the building. The leaders of the four major tribes of Mecca agreed that the expense of repairing the Kaaba would be shared equally among all the

Opposite: American Muslims prostrate themselves during Friday prayers outside their mosque in Queens, New York. Islam is one of the world’s major religions, and there are an estimated 6.5 million Muslims living in the United States and Canada.

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