Introduction to Islam

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mohammed_Abdullah]Mohammed Abdullah

Islam is a religion started in the 7th century in Saudi Arabia by it's prophet, Mohammed. It is one of the three most popular Abrahimic religions, the other two being Judaism and Christianity. The word Islam means "submission", which refers to submitting oneself to the one and only God, Allah. Currently Islam is the second largest religion in the world, and some estimate that there are of 1.2 to 1.5 billion Muslims.

Islam's holy book is the Qur'an, or al-Quran. It was revealed by Allah to the prophet Mohammed through the angel Jibril or Gabriel. These revelations came to Mohammed in a period of 22 years, from AD 610 up to his death in AD 632. Muslims believe that Mohammed is Allah's last prophet and that Islam is His last religion.

Islam is more than a religion, since it covers areas of spirituality, politics, society, and law. For example, there are teachings about how to pray, how the members of society should behave, who can be a leader, and what kind of punishments should be given for different offenses. This makes Islam a way of life and governance, which is different from Judaism and Christianity.

Just like Christianity and Judaism, Islam teaches that there is one omnipotent, omniscient God (Allah in Arabic), that Allah created everything, that Allah created Adam & Eve from whom humanity flourished about, that there is a Satan, that there is a day of judgment, etc. Islam believes that Jesus and Moses are prophets of Allah and as prophets, they are given their due respect. However, Muslims believe that the Torah and the New Testament were the words of Allah, but that the teachings have been corrupted by humans.

Islam has 5 tenants, which are the Shahadah, the Salah, the Zakat, the Sawm, and the Hajj. The Shahadah refers to the tenet of Islam, which is "ashadu al la ilaha illa lahu wa ashadu ana mohammdan rasulullah", which means "I testify that there is no god, but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet". New Muslims MUST testify to this to be considered Muslims. The Salah is the ritual prayer of Islam, and it must be performed 5 times a day. Zakat is the giving of alms. Sawm is the fasting during the month of Ramadan. And Hajj is the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, which must be done once in a person's lifetime.

Currently there are many denominations of Islam, but the most popular are Sunni, Shia, and the Suffis. Just like Christian denominations, the Islamic ones differ on few beliefs, but they all believe in the oneness of Allah, and prophet Mohammed's prophecy, etc.

To learn more about or to discuss about [http://www.faithfreedom.org/]Islam please visit http://www.faithfreedom.org

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Find more information on the Islamic Religion @ The Adherents Religion Website.