Islam4th

Islam

Origin The name of this religion, Islam, is derived from the Arabic word "//salam//," which is often interpreted as meaning "peace." However "submission" would be a better translation. A Muslim is a follower of Islam. "//Muslim//" is an Arabic word that refers to a person who submits themselves to the will of God. Many Muclim are offended by the phrases "//Islamic terrorist//" or "//Muslim terrorist".// Founded in 622 CE by Muhammad the Prophet. The religion started in Mecca, when the angel Jibril (a.k.a. Jibreel; Gabriel in English) read the first revelation to Muhammad (pbuh). Islam is the youngest of the world's very large religions -- those with over 300 million members -- which include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Religious Leaders And People

Ayatollah Ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله; Persian: آیت‌الله) is a high title given to major [|Shia] clergymen. Ayatollah means 'sign of God', and those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies Grand Ayatollah Only a few of the most important ayatollah are accorded the rank of [|Grand Ayatollah] (Ayatollah Uzma, "Great Sign of God"). This usually happens when the followers of one of the ayatollahs refer to him in many situations and ask him to publish his Juristic book in which he answers the vast majority of daily Muslim affairs. The book is called Resalah, which is usually a reinvention of the book Al-Urwatu l-Wuthqah, according to their knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life. Grand Mufti The title of Grand Mufti (Arabic: مفتي عام‎) refers to the highest official of religious law in sunni muslim community

Religious Beliefs and Practices

A) Oneness of Lordship: To believe that Allah is The ONLY Creator, Provider, and The Commander. B) Oneness of Worship: To believe that Allah is the ONLY God who should be worshipped, and obeyed as Allah prescribed. C) Oneness of Allah's Names and Attributes: To believe that Allah Is Perfect and His Names and Attributes are Perfect according to what Allah tells us about Himself in the Quran, believing that those Names and Attributes, in their perfection, belong only to Allah. ◊ Muslims believe that NO one shares Allah's divinity that is neither angel nor human. Allah says: "And Allah makes none to share in His decision and His rule." (Holy Quran 18:26) ◊ Muslims do not believe that Allah sleeps, gets tired, or dies. Those attributes are only for Allah's creatures. Allah has neither Weakness nor Weariness. ◊ Muslims do not believe that human beings are created in the image of Allah. ◊ Muslims believe that there is no intermediary who will take any one nearer to Allah or plead on anyone's behalf. They believe that any individual can directly supplicate to Allah and ask for anything he/she wants.

Holidays Muslims have two major religious observances each year, Ramadan and Hajj, and corresponding holidays connected with each one. All Islamic holidays are observed according to the lunar-based [|Islamic calendar].

Ramadan Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims. The third "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetites during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of ascendancy is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to God. Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Qur'an, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds. As a secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.

Hajj The **Hajj** ([|Arabic]: حج‎ // Ḥaǧǧ // "[|pilgrimage]") is the [|pilgrimage] to [|Mecca], [|Saudi Arabia]. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the [|fifth pillar of Islam], a [|religious duty] that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied [|Muslim] who can afford to do so.[|[][|1][|]] The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to [|God] ([|Allah] in the Arabic language).[|[][|2][|]] The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of [|Dhu al-Hijjah], the 12th and last month of the [|Islamic calendar]. Because the Islamic calendar is a [|lunar calendar], eleven days shorter than the [|Gregorian calendar] used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. [|Ihram] is the name given to the special spiritual state in which Muslims live while on the pilgrimage. The Hajj is associated with the life of [|Islamic prophet] [|Muhammad] from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of [|Abraham] ([|Ibrahim]). Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the [|Kaaba], the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim [|direction of prayer], runs back and forth between the hills of [|Al-Safa and Al-Marwah], drinks from the [|Zamzam Well], goes to the plains of [|Mount Arafat] to stand in vigil, and throws stones in a ritual [|Stoning of the Devil]. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of [|Eid al-Adha].[|[][|3][|]][|[][|4][|]][|[][|5][|]]

Areas of Population

Geographical distribution of Sunni and Shiite Islam
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