Symbol The symbol of the star and cresent have no religious signigicance but are associated with the Islamic religion. 1)The cresent : because of Islam's lunar calendar. 2)Stars because the Qur'an speaks of stars as being one of Allah's signs.

Islam

Islam means obedience, or peace through submission to the will of Allah(God). Followers of islam are called Muslims, which means obedient ones. There are about 1000 million Muslims in the World today, mainly in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity and the fastest growing religion.Muslims share some of the beliefsabout God and about history with Christians and Jews . the most important event in Muslim history however, was the revelation of God's word to a man calle Muhammad in the early 7th century CE. Muhammad is the founder of islam. He became known as the Messenger of God or the Prophet. 

Muhammad

Muhammad was born in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia around 570CE. although orphaned as a child, he grew up to be a camel driver, trader, husband and father. he was well respected in the community and was known as the Trusted One. However, Muhammad was unhappy and disapproved of his fellow country people worshipping many God's. It is believed that God spoke to Muhammad on the mountain called Mount Hirai, near Mecca. Muhammad received his first revelation, through angel Gabriel(Jibril). God spoke to him. Muhammad then began to spread the central message "There is no god but Allah". many people became interested in what he said but some resisted. So Muhammad migrated to Medina. The journe to Medina is called the Hijrah, or migration and is an important date on the Muslim Calandar. according to the Muslim calandar, it is now the fifteenth century. Muhammad died in 632CE. He is not worshipped. however as Allah's(God's) messenger he deserves the greatest respect. For this reason, whenever Muslims say Muhammad's name, they also say "Peace be upon him".

Holy Book

The Qu'ran is the Holy book of Muslims. It is believed to be the word of Allah revealed to Muhammad during the last 22 years of his life. Muhammad couldn't read or write, but he spke Allah's word and it was later written down in the "Qu'ran". The Qu'ran speaks of allah's oness and power and about what Muslims should believe. The qu'ran is written in Arabic. Muslims try to learn to read it in its original Arabic, even though it's not their language. they study it especially during Ramadam. Muslims try to learn several surahs, or chapters of the Qu'ran by heart. They read  a little every day and always wash before touching it as a sign of respect. The Qu'ran is always put onthe highest object in the room as a sign of respect and reverence to it. The Sunnah is a set of writings of the words and deeds of Muhammad.

Muslim Beliefs

They are divided into six categories.

1. Belief in Allah.
2. Belief in angels.
3. Belief in Holy Books. Muslims believe that other prophets, besides Muhammad were given written revelations by God but that these no longer exist in their original form. Theu call Jews and Christians "People of the Book" out of respect for their belief in the Tenakh and bible.
4. Belief in Prophets of the Tenakh and Bible, e.g.Adam, Ibrahim(Abraham), Musa(Moses). and Dawud(David). Muslims respect Isa (Jesus) as an important prophet but not the son of God. Muhammad was the last of the prophets.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement and life after death. On the Day of Judgement, the deeds of every human will be weighed. those whose good deeds weigh heavy will be able to cross the narrow pathway across hellfire into paradise.
6. Belief in Predestination. this is the belief that God controls everything that happens. It is linked to the idea of obedience. Muslims try to do the will of Allah rather than following their own individual path through life.

The Five Pillars of Islam

The Shahadah

This is the declaration of faith, which is repeated several times a day "There is no God but              Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger."

Salah.

These are the five daily prayers which are said in Arabic, at dawn, just after midday,                    mid-afternoon, just after sunset and after dark. The prayers must be said in any clean place and          extra prayers can be offered at any time. They consist of          verses from the Qur'an, praising Allah and asking Him for guidance. Muslims wash and take off their shoes before praying          for cleanliness.

Zakah.

This is the Muslim obligation for those who can afford it, to give at least 2.5% of their savings and other valuables to the poor.

Sawm.

This means fasting. During the ninth Muslim month, Ramadam, Muslims eat and drink nothind during daylight. this reminds them of the good things to be enjoyed, but not over-indulged in. It also shows equality with the poor. Ramadam is a time for studying the Qur'an and practising self-discipline.

Hajj

This means pilgrimage. Muslims hope to go to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their life, to visit the Ka'bah. It is believed to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. It had fallen into misuse but Muhammad restored it to the worship of Allah. The Hajj takes place in the twelfth Muslim month.

Muslim Worship

Muslims go to the mosque for communal worship. In a mosque, there is the main prayer room, a wash room for wazu, a study room and rooms for teaching children. Mosques often have dome-shaped roofs. The towers of a mosque are called minarets.Usually the mu'adhin gives out the call to prayer from the minaret. Muslims pray five times a day, always facing towards Mecca, no matter where they are in the world. At set times, five times a day, verses from the Sunnah are relayed often by a loudspeaker from one of the towers of the mosque. this acts as a call to prayer. The person who recites these verses is called the mu'adhin(muezzin).

Imam

The prayer leader is called an imam, which means man of knowledge. Imams are appointed by the mosque. All male Muslims are expected to go to the mosque on Fridays for midday prayers. Women who go to the mosque usually sit separately from men.

Inside A Mosque.

When you approach the mosque, you must remove your shoes as a sign of respect. You also must wash before you pray. This ritual is call "Wazu" which means to wash for prayer. Muslims must wash their hands, arms, face, nose and feet. Inside a mosque, the direction of Mecca is indicated by an arched alcove or a decorated panel in the wall called a mihrab. There are no seats in a mosque. Prayer takes place on prayer mats. There are no pictures or statues of God. this is because Muslims believe you cannot depict or draw Goid. Instead they are beautifully decorated with geometric patterns.

Islamic Art

The Qu'ran forbids images of any kind to be made of Allah, Muhammad or the other prophets, or indeed any person or animal. This is partly because worship of images is forbidden in Islam and because no artistic representation could possibly be good enough to reflect the magnifience of Allah's creation. So, Islamic artist instead concentrate on developing beautiful geometric patterns and calligraphy as writing is important to the Qu'ran.

Jihad

This is the inner struggle a person has to live a good life. it can also include the holy duty to try to win others over to Islam by setting a good example in their lives. They believe that the solution to world problems would be a world-wide Islamic state.

Muslim Diet

In Islam, all meat must be halal (permitted), which means it has to be prepared in a certain way. The name of Allah must be mentioned while the animal is slaughtered, and the blood, which is considered unclean, must be allowed drain away. Muslim do not eat pork because they believe that it is unclean. Food that is forbidden is called "haraam". Alcohol is Haraam (forbidden) because drunkeness makes people forget that they have duties to Allah, such as prayer.

Muslim Dress.

Both men and women should dress modestly and not try to appear attractive to the opposite sex by displaying their bodies. Women should cover their head, arms and legs. In some palces, it has become the custom to cover their faces too when outside the home but it isn't an Islamic rule. Anything which threatens family life, such as the possibility of affairs outside marriage is to be avoided. Men and women are not usually allowed to mix freely.  

Muslim Calandar

Did You Know?

1. Arabs invented the number symbols we use today. number symbols used today are called Arabic numbers. Before this, western countries used the roman numerasl, e.g III=Roman; 3=Arabic
2. arabs also invented zero,making it easier to work out sums.
3. Muslim scientists invented the Astrolabe, an instrument which enables people to navigate by the stars in the 14th century. This was important for sailors and people in hot countries who usually travel by night.
4. Many English words come from the Arabic language. Examples include :

Festivals

• Ramadam
• Eid-ul-Fitr
• Eid-ul-Adha
• The Birthday of Muhammad
• The Beginning of each New Year.

For a full description, click on the "Festivals" page.