Download Allah

Islam, which means submission, peace
and obedience, is a monotheistic religion,
meaning that there is only one God. The
supreme God of Islam is named Allah. Islam
shares beliefs with Christianity and Judaism
because all three religions believe in one God
and in the prophets starting with Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (among others).
The last prophet sent by Allah was Muhammad
born in 570 A.D. at Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
Allah is the Arabic word for God. He is worshipped by people
of all faiths. We prefer to call God Allah because the name is
neither feminine nor masculine. Allah created and rules
everything.
Muhammad is Allah’s last prophet and founder of Islam.
When he was about 40 years old, Muhammad had a
revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel. He received
messages from Allah all through his life. He was born in
Mecca.
Our sacred text is called the Koran. It
contains the exact words, in Arabic,
revealed by Allah to Muhammad. He
memorized and wrote down the words. It
took him a few years to complete the Koran.
A Muslim, who is a follower of the religion of
Islam, regards the Koran as the word of
Allah.
 We only believe in one God named Allah.
 We believe in Angels.
 We believe in the Holy Koran.
 We believe in the prophets.
 We believe in the day of judgment.
 We believe that God decides everything.
We Muslims pray 5 times daily. Our
church is called a Mosque. Mosques are very
elaborate and richly decorated. Very often,
Mosques have domed roofs and a tall tower
called a Minaret.
Sahn: It is a courtyard that has a fountain or
pool of water inside, that symbolizes purity.
Worshippers bathe before entering the
mosque. When people go into a Mosque,
they take off their shoes to keep the prayer
room clean.
Minaret: A tower which looks down on the
Sahn.
Mihrab: An empty arch which indicates the
direction of Mecca.
Minbar: A priest
Sahn
Mihrab
Minaret
There are no pictures and
statutes in a Mosque. Only
patterns and words from the
Koran decorate the Mosque. It
is forbidden to worship images
in Islam.
The most important service at the Mosque
is held on Friday at noon. This is a special
day for our prayer.
There are five duties that every Muslim
should perform. These are the Five Pillars
to guide daily life:
1. Prayer- Required to Pray 5 times a day and
face Mecca.
2. Charity- Required to give away to the less
fortunate.
3. Pilgrimage- To Mecca, at least once in a
lifetime.
4. Fasting- During the month of Ramadan.
5. Belief in Allah and his prophets.
The star and crescent is the bestknown symbol used to represent
Islam. The moon represents the
Islamic lunar calendar and the star is
a symbol from Allah in the Koran.
It is important to keep in mind, that in
the Islam faith, there are few symbols
and images. There are two reasons
for this:
- It is forbidden to worship an image.
- Any representation of Allah is
forbidden, for no one could represent
the true beauty of Allah.
Ramadan is a time when we fast (do not eat or
drink) during the hours of daylight. It is a time
for worship and a time for family and
community ties.
Id ul-fitr is the festival marking the end of the
month of fasting called Ramadan. We visit our
Mosque, pray, visit friends and family,
exchange gifts and thank Allah for his
blessings.
Hajj is Pilgrimage to Mecca to worship in the
Ka’bah. The Ka’bah, built by Abraham was
restored by Muhammad for worship to Allah. It
is the holiest place on earth.
Id ul-Adha is a festival at the end of the pilgrimage in
which a sheep or a goat is sacrificed. This is
symbolic of God’s mercy and Abraham’s obedience.
After Christianity, Islam is the world's second
largest religion. There are 1.2 billion people
who follow the Islamic faith. Most followers of
Islam live in the Middle East and in Northern
Africa. Most of us live in Indonesia, India and
China. You can also find us in Western Europe
and in America.