General Muslim Religion Essay

Islam is the humankinds second great monotheistic religious belief (Armstrong, 2002). Islam, an Arabic banter, comes from a root word meaning commitment or decline hence the foundation of Islam is conformation to the pull up stakes of the Only God, tout ensembleah. The word Muslim excessively it egotism office one who lives his lifespan match to Allahs will (Esposito, 2002). Allah excessively has set(p) down the flipper pillars of foundations of Islam which atomic number 18 1. confession of faith (shahada) the basic idea of Islam which is submission to Allahs will 2. Prayer (salat) An model preceptore five times day-by-day to remember Allahs influence in a Muslims life3. sobriety (Roza) In the month of Ramadan for a month 4. Almsgiving (Zakat) Annually by rich Muslims at the rate of 21/2% of wealth 5. Pilgrimage (hajj) at once in a lifetime What holidays or events ar in-chief(postnominal) to your trust and why? The Muslims follow the Moslem calendar which is found on the position of the moon and their holidays condescend accordingly to it. This accommodates 1. New Year which for them is the number 1 day of Hijra (migration) when we celebrate visionary Muhammads departure from Mecca to Medina in AD622 2. 12th Rabi-ul-awwal that is the natal day of the Blessed Prophet (PBUH)3. Shab-e-Baraat (night of forgiveness) In eagerness of Ramadan, Muslims seek to forgive old grievances against each(prenominal) another(prenominal) and beg for mercy from their original 4. Lailat-ul-Qadr (night of power) when the beatified record book was revealed to the Holy Prophet. It takes stern on the 27th of Ramadan. 5. Eid-ul-Fitr which takes habitation aft(prenominal) Ramadan and is like Christmas to the Muslims 6. Hajj The expedition which constitutes the ordinal pillar of Islam is one of the most important events in the Muslim calendar and takes place in the month of Hajj 7.Eid-ul-Azha another(prenominal) Christmas type celebration which cel ebrates the end of the Mec hatful pilgrimage and animal sacrifices argon do during the triple days How does your group handle appointment? What atomic number 18 some examples of conflict? If in that location ar criminal or family conflicts, they tramp be resolved through Islamic courts which decide the cases according to Shariah or the Islamic law. These are practiced in nearly al Muslim countries though such(prenominal) Shariah courts are disallowed in western countries and over at that place Muslims must(prenominal) follow the law of the country they are residents of.One of Britains MPs deep suggested that Shariah courts be allowed in Britain withal but this created uproar by non-Muslims who were horror-struck of Islamization. Other wherefore that, if the solution of an pick out is not mentioned in the account book or its explanation is murky, knowledgeable Islamic scholars derive together to find an answer to a certain problem and it then becomes a rule of the S hariah. This practice has been prescribed by Allah to keep Islam updated with emerging problems in this desist changing reality. What is the substance of your religion? The focus of Islam for Muslims is again submission to Allahs will.This can be done through reading, intellect and following the word of God, which Muslims believe to be the Holy Quran. They should also follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) called the hadithh and only then can they live the life of a true and distinguish Muslim. For the Western humankind though, the focus of Islam has always been its fascist beliefs and what they assure to be its outdated traditions, not spirit that there is only a minority of Muslims who distort the name of Islam by construe it so harshly. Who are your current leading? Who are leaders of the past? analogous most religions, Muslims have also had godly men of God lead them by example. There have been a natural of 124000 illusionists sent by Allah though the Q uran only mentions 25 of them. The first prophet was Hazrat Adam and the final and undoubtedly the greatest prophet was our last prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Allah revealed in the Quran that no to a greater extent prophets shall come afterwards the Holy Prophet (PBUH). After the prophets, came legion(predicate) Caliphs or religious leaders. Currently, tough there are learned Islamic scholars in the Muslim realness there are no leader as such.The Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the lyric poem of Allah was the stamp of the Prophets. How do your members participate and what is expected? All Muslim males are involve to assemble in a mosque for the five free-and-easy prayers, especially the afternoon Friday prayers (Clark, 2003). For Muslim women, lying in mosques is not mandatory. Other then that, all Muslims are required to incite the basic principles of Islam by fulfilling all their obligations. argon there any special requirements, such as fasting, personal sacrifice? Fasting is the third pillar of Islam and without fasting, a Muslim is incomplete.It is prescribed for Muslims in the form of a month long abstinence from nutrient and drink, accompanied by intense pious activity. Physical relations and swear words are also prohibited to be performed or uttered. Similarly, smoking, losing temper, telling lies and all interdict activities are also discouraged. Fasting, as is made clear by Allah, is not to be taken as self torture but mainly a way for Muslims to learn about patience, fortitude and self sacrifice and also to realize the dilemma of the needy and poor. During Eid-ul-Azha, Muslims are also required to sacrifice goats in Gods way and share the meat with the poor.Where do you see your religion in 25 years? What changes have occurred recently? tutelage in mind the fast evolution popularity of Islam, I see Islam in 25 years, as the worlds largest religion. This is because as the concept of religion is dying in the west and more churches are being converted to museums and restaurants, Muslims, now more than of all time are embracing their faith with a greater fervency and non-Muslims are also converting to Islam which they accept as a complete way of life and not solely a religion. Muslims have now braggart(a) more receptive to Western ideas and Ijtehad or consensus helps keep Islam updated with the modern world.How has the modern world changed the direction and or movement of your religion? The recent of War on Terror, which frequently tends to depict Islam as a wet and extremist religion has resulted in more Muslims delving deeper to understand their religion (Lewis, 2004). This has led to change magnitude knowledge of Islam and a growing number of Muslims defending their faith as really a very flexible one. My religions name has been besmirched by a few misguided individuals who believe felo-de-se bombings and terrorist activities are completely acceptable in the eyes of God which is not at all the case.Islams ver y reason is peace. Are there any other validated forms of the religion practiced? What are some of the factors that have contributed to changes in ideas or customs? The Muslim sect is predominantly divided into Sunnis (around 80%) and Shiahs. The major residual between them is the way in which shaper guidance is discovered. Sunni Muslims take their stand on the consensus of the community making known the Sunna (Holy Prophets example) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Shiah Muslims look instead to inspired teachers and Imams who are descendents of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).Other sects include the Aghakhanis who are followers of the Aga Khan who considers himself a spiritual leader sent by God. His followers believe the five pillars of Islam to be non-mandatory, preferring to give charity to the poor instead. They dont share the Muslim tabu associated with drinking. Many believe theses changes have occurred delinquent to undue influence of the West. Other sects are the Qadianis and Bohri s. Conclusion Muslims all over the world follows a religion known as Islam which is a monotheistic religion. The word Islam means to submit oneself to god.There are almost 2 billion Muslims around the world practicing the teaching of Islam making it the second largest religion of the world. The follows the teachings of Prophet Mohammad on whom a holy book Quran was revealed. The faith of a Muslim is based on five pillars of Islam that are tauheed, salaat, zakat, hajj, and fasting. References Book Armstrong. (2002). Islam A shortstop History. Esposito, J. L. (2002). What everyone needs to Know about Islam. Clark. (2003). Islam for Dummies. Lewis. (2004). The Crisis of Islam.