Islam

1 billion people in the world follow Islam.  More than any religion except Christianity



Muslims believe that sometime in the early 7th century that God's word was revealed to a man called Muhammad.  He is known as the Messenger of God, or the Prophet



The foundation of Islam is the messages that God spoke to Muhammad, through the angel Jibril.  Jibril first told Muhammad that there is only one God, named Allah


The Sacred Texts of Islam are:
Qur'an, which is the Islamic holy book.  It is the word of Allah as spoken to Muhammad - so Muslims believe it is written by God
Sunnah, which is the written record of the words and deeds of Muhammad
Hadiths, which help Muslims interpret the Qur'an


There are 7 main Islamic beliefs:
1.  Allah is the true God
2.  Angles exist
3.  The books is Islam
4.  The Prophets, such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David (from the Bible) and Jesus.  Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God (as do Christians)
5.  The Day of Judgement
6.  Life after death
7.  God controls everything


The 5 pillars of Islam show Muslims how to put their beliefs into action during their life:
1.  The Shahadah is a declaration of faith that is repeats several times everyday
2.  The Salah are the 5 daily prayers, to be said in any clean place
3.  The Zakah, which requires Muslims to contribute 2.5% of their savings every year to the poor
4.  The Sawm is fasting to help Muslims become more aware of Allah
5.  The Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Makkah


There are some strict Islamic customs that are followed:
-  A dress code.  Men must be covered from the navel to their knees.  In many countries Muslim women wear Burkhas, which covers everything but the eyes
-  Food laws which tell how to prepare meals
-  The Jihad, which is the struggle that a person endures to live a good life
There are also birth, marriage, and death customs that are folloed by Muslims


Muslims worship at Mosques for prayer and studying with other Muslims.  Muslims attend the Mosque on Fridays for prayers at 12 noon and must wash their hands, arms, face and feet before entering the Mosque.  Shoes are also removed because the place of prayer must be clean - and there are no seats because Muslims sit or kneel on the floor during prayers 


The spiritual leaders of Muslims are Imams, or "man of knowledge"