Islam is an Abrahamic religion whose doctrinal beliefs and understandings are recorded in Islam’s sacred texts (Qur’an, hadith and sunnah). The Quran is the most well known of Islam’s sacred texts and is considered to be the literal word of god (Gordon, 2010) by those in the Islamic tradition. …show more content…
The injunctions laid out in the Quran and the Hadith form the bases of what is known collectively as the Sharia, or the “Islamic way” (Gordon, "Chapter five- ethical principles," 2010). According to Mathew s. Gordon, the Islamic laws were divided into five categories of human ethical conduct; these were: required, recommended, indifferent, reprehensible, and forbidden. The required practice for Muslims is highlighted in the five pillars of Islam. The first of these pillars is known as Shahadah. This pillar refers to a Muslim’s proclamation of their faith “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his messenger” (Pennington, 2009). The second pillar focuses on the ritual of prayer (Salat), this is made clear in the Quran, when Muhammad is quoted saying “When each of you performs his prayer, he is in intimate communication with his lord” (Gordon, 2010). The third pillar (Zakat) focuses on giving money to charities and to the poor. Sawm is the fourth pillar and focuses on the period of fasting during Ramadan. The fifth and final pillar refers to Hajj that is a pilgrimage to the holy city, Mecca. These pillars are the frameworks to which Muslim life is based and built. It is a known fact in Islamic tradition that no matter how much one may believe, if they do not turn that belief into action then they are not fully living their faith. Therefore it is an ethical requirement for all Muslim’s to showcase peace and tolerance in their everyday