Islam is a Middle-Eastern religion based on the visions of the prophet Mohammed. According to them, “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet”. Mohammed received visions one day from Gabriel and based what he saw into a religion called Islam meaning submission to Allah. All of his followers were called Muslims meaning the submitting ones. Each Muslim was to adhere to a strict set of guidelines spoken by Mohammed. Many of these were written down in the Koran, the holy book of Islam.
Prophets are the basis of much of the Islamic religion. According to Islam, many of the great religious leaders, such as Jesus and Buddha, were good prophets but Allah’s only true prophet was Mohammed. Mohammed was born into a powerful Meccan family and raised illiterate. He was known as a truthful man among his followers. Much of the Koran cannot be disputed by Christians or Jews because it is tied into their own religion. He was not widely followed in Mecca itself but instead when he fled Mecca to escape persecution, obtained many followers in Medina. His followers stormed Mecca in 630 and destroyed all of the idols in the Kaaba. He died soon thereafter.
One of the guidelines in Islam was to carry out five duties or Five Pillars. In order to become a Muslim to begin with, one must declare the
Shahada,
saying:
Arabic:
Ash-hadu anla elaha illa-Allah wa ash-hadu anna mohammadan rasul-Allah
English:
I bear witness that there is no deity but, Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah.
This declaration of faith is known as Aqidah. Prayer is known as Salah. Every morning Muslims are required to purify themselves and then pray as soon as they awaken. Five times a day they are required to pray, each time facing Mecca, kneeling and reciting:
Arabic: Subhaan Allaah laa ilaaha illallahu Wallaahu akbar.
English: Glory be to Allaah, and praise and thanks be to Allaah, and there is no god but Allaah, and Allaah is the most Exalted and Great.
All Muslims are required to give alms to the poor. This giving of personal wealth is known as Zakat. For one full month during the Ramadan, Muslims aren't allowed to eat or drink anything until after sundown. This fasting period is known as Siyam. Every Muslim, during one point of their life, must make a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city. This pilgrimage is known as a Hajj.
Muslims also have a number of beliefs in their religion. They believe that Allah is their Lord, Creator, and Sovereign and shares his almighty power with no one. They believe that every word spoken by Allah is truth and that his words are to powerful and numerous to be written down “if the oceans were ink for the words of my Lord, the ocean would be finished before the words of the Lord came to an end”. A more powerful belief of theirs is that all other religions are false. They have concluded that all other religions either that all men are gods, specific men were Allah, nature is Allah, or Allah is a figment of man’s imagination. For example, in Christianity, Jesus invited his followers to follow Allah but today many follow him claiming he is Allah. Buddha did not claim to be Allah however his followers use objects to worship him. It also states that men should not worship creation, this is the greatest evil. Man was created to worship Allah, not his creations. It is the only unforgivable sin Islam has.
Islam is an interesting religion which has convincing arguments towards themselves and against others. Their description of how other religions are false is very descriptive and accurate, and much of the Koran cannot be disputed against by the major religions of the world. This must display that they have near the same morals, but it depends on which prophet you believe.
