Islam

Basic Practices and Beliefs

Islam is based upon five religious duties, often called the “Five Pillars.” The first pillar is the profession or declaration of faith: There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. Recitation of this sentence makes a person a Muslim, one who submits to God. The second duty is prayer five times a day: dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, and nightfall. Each prayer is said facing Mecca, in a state of ritual purity, and is composed of a number of bows or prostrations to God. People may pray anywhere, although many congregate at mosques, Muslim houses of worship, especially for the Friday noon prayer.

Almsgiving is the third pillar or religious duty. Generally, most almsgiving is personal and direct from donor to recipient. Historically, in some countries, it has been an obligatory tax on those who were able to pay. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of repentance and purification, Ramadan. Eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations are prohibited between dawn and sunset. At night, communal feasts for family and friends are common. The last pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be made at least once in a lifetime if possible. Over a million people annually make the pilgrimage during the month of Dhul-Hijja. Among the many ritual acts the pilgrims complete are seven circumambulations of the Kaaba, a sacred shrine originally consecrated to God by Abraham. Those who make the pilgrimage to Mecca are called hajjis and are much respected when they return to their local communities.

A foundational belief in Islam is that God has a unitary nature. God is referred to as omniscient, merciful, compassionate, generous, everlasting, the most high, and the judge. These and other characteristics of God are often part of men's names; for example, Abdul Rahman, or “slave of the compassionate,” indicates a man's submission to God in his personal name.

The Koran, Islam's holy book, contains 114 chapters, arranged longer to shorter, and contains legal, judicial, and ethical norms. The Koran is considered the last, final, and perfect revelation from God to human-kind. It refers many times to the Day of Judgment, when God will judge people and the good will go to paradise and the evil to hell.

Other customs associated with Islam are prohibitions against the use of pork, alcohol, and representations of animate objects. The enforcement of these prohibitions has varied historically and regionally. Although the veiling of women is often linked to Islam, the Koran specifies modest dress, not the complete veil or the seclusion of women.

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