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1. Asalama is an Arabic word and is the root word of the Word Islam. Asalama is translated to mean purity, peace, and submission, therefore the word Islam means “surrender to Allah”. Muslim, according to these translations, means “one who submits to Allah.” Islamics believe that submission to Allah is the will of god and it is stated such in the Qu’ran. All the branches of Islam, the Shia, Sufis, and Sunnis, accept that this submission is important to Islam.

2. Islam is a monotheistic religion. Islamic belief is that there is only one god, Allah, and his prophet, Muhammad, is the Last Prophet and ends a long line of prophets that have been sent to the world throughout the history of human civilization. The holy scripture of Islam is the Qu’ran, which was supposedly revealed to Muhammad through an angel named Jibrael. Islamic believes states that Allah is god and is incomparable to other gods. The purpose of life is to worship Allah and follow the edicts set forth through his message to Muhammad. Sunnah (normative practices of Prophet Muhammad) should also be adhered to as closely as possible by Islamics. To a Muslim Islam is the universal and complete truth revealed through the prophets and also is the final truth. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are three prophets that Islam claims were sent by Allah preceding Muhammad; Islam also teaches that Jesus’ message has been distorted and is no longer accurate as it is taught by Christians and Catholics.

3. The foundation of the practices of Islam are founded in the Five Pillars. The five pillars are Shahadah (acceptance of the oneness of god), Salat (the five daily prayers), Suam (fasting that takes place during the holy month of Ramadan), Zakat (tax obligations to the religion), and Hajj (the pilgrimage to the Kabbah that should be done at least once in a Muslim’s life, if the Muslim has the financial means). These five pillars form the basic beliefs of Islam and are relevant to all Muslims. Some speak of four...