The followers of the Islam religion are called Muslims. They believe in one god, Allah. They also believe in angels, prophets of Allah, revealed books of Allah, Day of Judgment, destiny and divine power, and the Five Pillars. Their holy book is the Koran (also spelled Qur'an) and their holy cities are Medina and Mecca and they are both located in Saudi Arabia. They believe that Mohammed recorded the words of God given to him by the archangel, Gabriel. Mohammed is the founder of Islam in 610 A.D. and Muslims believe that he is the prophet of Allah. Muslims do not pray to Mohammed, they only pray to Allah.The left picture is of the Kaaba located in Mecca and the right picture is of a mosque. Some symbols of the Islam religion are the Star and Crescent, the written name "Allah," the color green, a mosque, and the Kaaba.
All Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca to go to the Kaaba if able to do so. This is part of the Five Pillars and they are the duties of Muslims. It consists of faith, prayer, charity, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and Hajj. Here is a live feed from the Kaaba.
|
Islam means "the surrendering of one's will (without compulsion) to the true will of God in an effort to achieve peace" in a religious context. "Muslim" means "anyone or anything that surrenders itself to the true will of God." By this definition, everything in nature are "Muslims" because they fulfill the purpose that Allah set for them.
The only way to get to Paradise is to live in a way that is pleasing to Allah. At puberty, an account of each person's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the Day of Judgment to determine his eternal fate. The Day of Judgment is when all living things will be raised to life again and called in front of God for the final judgment. They will be divided; one group to Paradise and another to Hell.
Muslim women wear head-coverings, called hijab, to fulfill Allah's proclamation to dress modestly.
About 1.5 to 1.8 billion or 21% of people in the world identify themselves in the Islam religion. The main denominations of Islam are Shia and Sunni. Most Muslims in the world today are Sunnis with 940 million and Shia with 120 million followers.
Muslims praying in a mosque.
Muslims pray five times a day at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening and they pray facing towards Mecca. The pray times are spaced out throughout the day so one will be constantly reminded of Allah.
|