The Pillars and Beliefs of the Islamic Religion

Islam means peace or submission to the will of God. It is a religion founded by Mohamed (SAW). Allah is the one and only God. A Muslim is someone who follows or practices Islam. The rules of Islam are based on five pillars.

The first pillar is the declaration of faith (shahadda) — trusting and understanding Allah. There is no god but Allah and no prophet but Prophet Mohamed (SAW), the final messenger. The second pillar is swalah, which means praying five prayers a day. The third pillar is zakat. Rich people pay, give, and share their wealth with poor people. The fourth pillar, soum, is fasting for the holy month. For people above the age of fifteen years, fasting is compulsory unless they have permission from God or if they are sick. The fifth pillar is going for the pilgrimage to the hajj, going to Mecca to ask for forgiveness. Allah forgives those who ask for his forgiveness and one leaves Mecca as a newly-born baby.

Muslims are divided into two main groups: Sunni, 84-90% of all Muslims, and Shiite, 10-16% of all Muslims.

Muslims have six main beliefs. The first is belief in Allah, the second is belief in angels, the third is belief in the holy book (the Quran), the fourth is belief in the prophets, the fifth is belief in the day of judgement, and the sixth is belief in the power of Allah.

Mecca is the holiest city in Islam because it is where Mohamed was born. Any kind of idolatry is condemned in Islam. Quran means recitation. It took twenty-three years for the Quran to be revealed to the Prophet Mohamed: thirteen years in Mecca and ten years in Medina. Muslims face north while praying, the direction where the Kaabah is located. The Kaabah was built as a house for worship. Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael built the Kaabah, which is in Mecca.