Religious prejudice is rampant in the world today. In my opinion, prejudice comes from ignorance. Most of us know little about religions other than our own. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be writing about different religions. I hope you will enjoy this journey of exploration.
Today we will begin with Islam.
The Muslims--followers of Islam--believe that God established a covenant with the children of Adam and that God has sent prophets to countries around the world to guide humanity. These prophets include Jesus, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad.
The Muslims believe that God's final message is contained in the Qur'an, which was revealed to Muhammad in the Arabic language through the angel Gabriel.
The Muslims see God as transcendent and the creator and sustainer of the universe. On the "Day of Judgment", Muslims believe that each human being will be judged according to the deeds they performed in life.
There are five fundamental religious duties expected of every Muslim. Sometimes called "The Five Pillars of Islam," they include:
1. Witnessing--affirming the absolute unity of God and accepting the prophecy of Muhammad.
2. Worshipping--offering prayers five time a day to God while facing in the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca.
3. Charity--paying at least 2.5% of wealth annually to help the needy and to "purify" one's own possessions.
4. Fasting--abstaining from food, drink and conjugal relations from dawn until dusk during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
5. Pilgrimage--visiting the Ka'bah and other sites in Mecca at least once in a lifetime during the prescribed days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
In my next post, I will write about Hinduism.
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