The lessons are said to have been given to him by an angel. The angel was delivering messages from God. Muslims call God Allah.

From words to the page

When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632, experts think the Koran had not been written down. By 650, 18 years later, it probably had been. Experts agree it was probably the standard edition we have today. It has 114 chapters.

For a long time, copies of the Koran were written by hand. People who write out books by hand are called 'scribes'. Sometimes the ink was decorated with gold leaf. In 1143, the Koran was translated into Latin. In 1649, it was translated into English.

Sacred place

The Prophet Muhammad lived in what is now Saudi Arabia. He was born in Mecca. Today, Muslims all over the world turn to face Mecca when they pray.

Once a year - usually in November or December - millions of Muslims from all over the world go to Mecca to pray. People travelling to a holy place to pray is called 'pilgrimage'.

Global Islam

National Geographic has produced a two-hour special on the Koran. The Koran tells more than 1 billion people around the world how to live their daily lives. But Muslims in different places live their lives differently.

Women are treated differently in various Islamic countries. In some places they cannot go to school, drive or vote.

In some places, people are still punished for crimes by being put to death in public. In others, there is no death penalty.

now do this

1 The Koran is the sacred book of ...

a. Buddhism.

b. Islam.

c. Christianity.

2 Islam is ...

a. the world's second most popular religion.

b. the world's most popular religion.

c. the world's third most popular religion.

3 People who write things out by hand are called ...

a. writers.

b. scriveners.

c. scribes.

Answers on page 11 next Wednesday

Answers

Page 8:

1. b, 2. a, 3. c