Web Assign 1 Islam

Islam is an ancient Faith that is one of only three major world religions, Judaism and Christianity being the other two.  Islam originated in Arabia during the seventh century.  Around the year AD 570 the founder of Islam was born, this man was Muhammad and he was born in the city of Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula.  Forty years after the birth of Muhammad, he started to preach a considerably radical set of teachings, which broke away from the expected of Muhammad's day.  Islam taught that there was one God who had sent a series of prophets over the course of history, including Moses and Jesus, but Muhammad himself was the last in the series.  Muhammad revealed the holy book of Islam, the Qur'an, to the people and this expressed the direct message of Allah, or God.  Supposedly, the angel Gabriel disclosed what Allah had told him to Muhammad, who was subsequently able to compile the holy book for the new religion of Islam.

The Qur'an describes that there is only one God and only one true religion, Islam.  Also, it outlines that when humans stray from the truth prophets, like Muhammad, are sent by Allah to guide the people back to truth.  The Islam Faith believes in an afterlife where sinners are punished and people who did good during their lives will be rewarded.  In addition, Allah conveys that the primary stuggle in life are

Muslim boys study the Qur'an

moral dilemas, therefore the role of prophets and the Qur'an are to lead people into living moral lives.  A primary focus in the Qur'an is the message regarding the sheer joy of heaven and torment of hell, where heaven may be acheived through good moral actions in life.    During Muhammad's life, although many people embraced his message, others met him with resistance forcing him to flee to what is now known as Medina around AD 622.  In Medina, Muhammad set up some core Islamic beliefs.  At the forefront was the five pilliars of faith.  They are the profession of faith (shadada), prayer (salat), almsgiving (zakat), fasting (sawm), pilgrimage (hajj), and a possible sixth pilliar of Islam, Jihad.  The belief and execution of the five pilliars of faith are necessary for a person to be a Muslim.  All Islamics must express their profession of faith stating that "there is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His messenger."  This declaration is encorporated into the daily prayers Muslims use.  Muslims must pray five times daily while facing the direction of their holy city of Mecca in the East.  Mecca houses the holy shrine of the Kaaba.  The third pilliar is almsgiving, which is used by Muslims to purify themselves in the prescence of Allah, it expresses their devotion for Allah and it often entails providing for the poor.  The fourth pilliar, fasting, takes place during the Islamic month of Ramadan.  It is to remind Muslims of the least among them.  Finally, a pilgrimage to Mecca is required for all those physically and economically capable at least once during their lifetime.  Ritual purification takes place on the journey.  The meeting point for Muslims worldwide is the Kaaba, which was supposedly given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel.

The Kaaba in Mecca

The possible sixth pilliar of Islam is Jihad and it is the quest to please God.  Jihad may be carried out in one of four ways: by the heart, by the tongue, by the hand, or by the sword.  The first calls for moral excellence, mainly an internal stuggle.  The second calls for the spread of Islam to others by word of mouth.  Thirdly, to combat injustice with action.  Finally, defending Islam by waging war with opposers, by the sword.  The final point of Jihad is only a small portion of th entire picture; however, Islamic extremists feel that terroism is somehow justifiable under this religious guideline.  Many modern Islamics don't condone this intrepretation, they primarily focus on the spiritual Jihad, which is noteworthy.  Unfortunately, Islamic extremists misconstrue the meaning of their own Faith      Muslim's incorporate their Faith and moral disciplines into their lives. Muslims believe that their family is very important and they should take care of their loved ones.  Islamic sexual morality forbids premarital sex and only allows abortions in specific situations such as rape, incest, or if the woman's life is endangered.  Alchol is forbidden and it considered to be a corruption for Muslims, also it's a major sin.  Materialism is not compatible with Islam, it is thought that it leads people away from Allah.  As far as war goes, the killing of innocents is unlawful unless in a true situation of Jihad, also terroism is discouraged.  Islam defends freedom of speech, but religious images, such as those of Muhammad, are considered to be extremely offensive or forbidden.  Recently the cartoons portraying Muhammad in the middle east were met with severe opposition and riots from Muslims.