islam

ORIGIN

Monotheistic religion
Islam in Arabic means “submission”
It was founded on 662CE at Arabian Peninsula
Their founder is Muhammad -- the last and greatest of the prophets, whose revelations alone are pure and uncorrupted.

BELIEFS

Allah -- Strict monotheism. One God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles
The angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet over the course of 20 years, revealing to him many messages from God.
Muslims recognize some earlier Judeo-Christian prophets—including Moses and Jesus—as messengers of the same true God.

SACRED TEXT

The Qur'an, was written in Arabic within 30 years of Muhammad's death. Muslims believe it contains the literal word of God. Also important is the tradition of the sayings and actions of Muhammad and his companions, collected in the Hadith.

PRACTICES

Five Pillars: profession of faith (shahada), ritual prayer (salat), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj), and charity (zakat)
Mosque services on Fridays.
Ablutions before prayer.
No alcohol or pork.
Holidays related to the pilgrimage and fast of Ramadan.

Islamic Ethics and Morality

Islamic ethics are based primarily on the Qu'ran
Hadith- an authoritative collection of sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Ethical behavior is also governed by Sharia or Islamic law, which has been developed by Muslim authorities over the centuries.

Islamic Holiday Festivals

·Al-Hijra - the New Year - is celebrated on the first day of Muharram, the month in which Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina

·Eid Al-Adha - "Festival of the Sacrifice") is a major festival that takes place at the end of the Hajj.

·Eid Al-Fitr - "Festival of the Breaking of the Fast" marks the end of Ramadan.

·Ramadan - a holy month wherein those who are able must abstain from food and drink (including water), evil thoughts and deeds, and sexual intercourse from dawn until dusk for the entire month.

Islam Symbols

1.The Star and Cresent

The star and crescent is the best-known symbol used to represent Islam. The symbol is not Muslim in origin, it was a polytheistic icon adopted during the spread of Islam, and its use today is sometimes controversial in the Muslim world. The crescent and star are often said to be Islamic symbols, but historians say that they were the insignia of the Ottoman Empire, not of Islam as a whole.

2."Allah" in Arabic

The words "Allah" in Arabic script or characters can be regarded as visually representing Islam as a symbol.

The Qur'an

is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God. It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. The Quran is divided into chapters, which are then divided into verses.

Mosque

is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The Grand Mosque of Makkah 'The Sacred Mosque', also called the Great Mosque of Mecca, is the largest mosque in the World, and surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba, in the city of Mecca, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.