ISLAM

• Islam


  To "surrender or submit oneself for obedience to God"
• Muslim


  A "person who surrenders or submits himself to obey God"
• Allah


  "the one who is God"
• Islam is the youngest among the world's major religions
• Islam has more than 1.9 billion adherents and is the second largest group and one of the fastest growing religions in the world as of today

  
• Quran


  The sacred writing of the Muslims that literally means "recitation" or "reading"

  
• The Quran is the revelation from God of his speech and is the foundation of the Islam religion
• The Quran is the supreme authority in all matters of faith, and law
• Surahs


  Chapters in the Quran
• Ayahs


  Verses in the Quran
• The Quran is arranged based on the length of the surah (chapter) in descending order
• Sunnah


  A compilation of anthology of ahadith (reports/accounts/narratives) that described the daily life of the prophet Muhammad which is not found in the Quran

  
• Muslims believe that the example of Muhammad's life was the ideal human response to Allah and provided an authoritative commentary on the Quran

  
• Hadith


  The collected deeds and sayings of Muhammad and his followers ("traditional reports or sayings") that is the second source of shari'a law

  
• Major division in Islam

  • Sunni
  • Shi'a

  
• Sunni


  The greatest majority of Muslims who believe that, since Muhammad died without explicitly appointing a khalifah, his rightful successor is elected by an electoral body of Muslim clerics
• Shi'a


  The Muslims who supported Ali ibn Abi Talib as the rightful khalifah, founded by the four companions who advocated the election of Ali

  
• Imam


  A member of the community selected to lead the congregation due to the devoutness and religiosity he manifest to the people
• Five Pillars of Islam

  • Shahada (Creed)
  • Salat (Obligatory Prayer)
  • Zakat (Poor Tax)
  • Sawm (Fasting)
  • Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)
• Shahada


  The creed or declaration of faith in the oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet
• Salat


  The obligatory prayers that Muslims must offer five times each day
• Zakat


  The annual wealth tax that Muslims who live above the subsistence level must pay to aid the underprivileged Muslims
• Sawm


  The fasting during the entire 30 days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islam calendar, that must be performed by all Muslims every year
• Hajj


  The pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must perform at least once in their lifetime
• The most sacred place for Muslims is the Kaʿbah sanctuary at Mecca, the object of the annual pilgrimage
• The Prophet's mosque in Medina is the next in sanctity after the Kaʿbah
• Jerusalem follows in third place in sanctity as the first qiblah (i.e., direction in which the Muslims offered prayers at first before the qiblah was changed to the Kaʿbah) and as the place from where Muhammad, according to tradition, made his ascent (miʿrāj) to heaven
• Mosque


  The general religious life of Muslims is centered around, which was the center of all community life in the days of the Prophet and early caliphs
• Doctrines of Islam


  • Belief in one Allah
  • Belief in the angels
  • Belief in the prophets
  • Belief in the revelations of Allah
  • Belief in the last day of judgment and the hereafter
  • Belief in predestination

  
• The Islamic Calendar is composed of 12 lunar months of between 29 and 30 days, constituting a total of 354 days
• Significant Islamic months and observances

  • Muharram ("The Sacred Month")
  • Rabi Al-Awai ("The Spring" - Birth of the Prophet Muhammad)
  • Ramadan ("The Month of Great Heat" - Fasting)
  • Shawwal ("The Month of Hunting" - 'Id al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast)
  • Dhu Al-Hijja ("The Month of Hajj" - 'Id al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice)
• The concept of law and justice in Islam, or the Shari'a, is based upon the Quranic verses as revealed by God to Muhammad, and the hadiths

  
• "Five Decisions" in Shari'a law

  • Haram (forbidden)
  • Mubah (neutral)
  • Makruh (discouraged)
  • Fard (obligatory)
  • Mandub (recommended)
• Haram


  Actions that are both sinful and criminal, such as eating pork, drinking liquors, etc.
• Fard


  Obligatory actions, such as the Five Pillars of Islam