Religion/Islam

Islam

Religions of the World

Philip Towne

Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Islam is in close running with Christianity which is the first largest religion in the world, due to the enormous growth. Islam is derived from the word, “Salam”, which is often interpreted as meaning peace and submission (www.religioustolerance.org). Islam originated in South Arabia. Most would say that Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in 622 CE. Since Prophet Muhammad received the revelations from God, this is why many consider him as the founder. Islam is a monotheistic religion, meaning that the followers of Islam only worship and believe in one God, Allah. Submission to the will of God is Islam’s main central belief. The followers of Islam are known as Muslims. The practices of Islam are based on the five pillars, the teachings are based from the Qur’an, and the revelations were sent to the Prophet Muhammad for the people.

The five pillars are important because these are the practices that coincide with the Islam faith. These pillars help lay the foundation of Islam. According to Fisher (2005), the first pillar, is “believing and professing the unity and the messengership of Muhammad.” This is significant to Muslims because it is the first step in believing and having faith. The second pillar is continuance of prayer. Prayers are a way of remembering God and his works, believing in the heart shows on the exterior. The third pillar is “spiritual tithing and almsgiving”. Two and a half percent of collected wealth must be donated to Muslims that are less fortunate. Helping others is the focus of this pillar. The messenger Muhammad helped his sick neighbor, so this symbolizes what people should do for one another. The fourth pillar is fasting. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is the most important fast and basically mandatory for Muslims. As long as there are no health issues, then fasting during this period is an obligation. Fasting gives a clear...