ISLAM AND MUSLIMS

The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one
another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that: submission to the One
God, and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total
system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person
anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe.

Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The
Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others.
He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the
atheists, and others. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His
guidance.

MUHAMMAD

Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in
Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he
received is called the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam.

Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the
Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of
Jesus, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him.
He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted
with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching of the Qur'an.

 
PRACTICES OF ISLAM

God instructed the Muslims to practice what they believe in. In Islam there are five pillars, namely:

  A.Creed (Shahada): The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger
     of God, is considered to be the Creed of Islam.
   B.Prayers (Salat): The performance of the five daily prayers is required of Muslims.
  C.Fasting (Saum): Fasting is total abstinence from food, liquids and intimate intercourse (between married couples) from
     dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadan.
  D.Purifying Tax (Zakat): This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim's property which is distributed
     among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries.
   E.Pilgrimage (Hajj): The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required once in a life time if means are available. Hajj is
     in part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael.