Richard Wormser Islam Origin

In the passage, “Islam-Its Origins and Practice” by Richard Wormser, the author begins to introduce to us what is Islam. Wormser started from the very beginning by speaking about how Islam was brought down to Prophet Muhammad, the last prophet in Islam. He explains how angel Gabriel was sent down to the Prophet, and revealed the first words of the Quran to him. From there he was told he was a messenger of God and began to preach Islam to his tribe of Quraysh. The idea that was sent across was, everyone had the freedom to choose what they wanted to do, but if you decided to accept Allah you will be granted paradise. On the other hand, if you decided to deny Allah you are sent to eternal punishment. The author goes on to explain that even if …show more content…
Zakat is where Muslims donate 2.5 percent of their earnings to a charitable institution or the needy. There are exceptions like students because they are not earning their own wage. Although there is an alternative contribution they could make which is called sadiqa. Sadiqa is the undertaking of doing a charitable act. The last two pillars of Islam are fasting and Hajj. These two actually have a lot to do with each other. Fasting is from dawn to sunset for the whole month of Ramadan. Just like Zakat there are exceptions for people who are sick, traveling, or are children for example. It’s considered the holiest time of the year. After Ramadan comes the pilgrimage Hajj. Hajj is required to be made once in a Muslims lifetime. Everyone dresses in white robes to signify we are all equal in the sight of Allah. Muslims may also visit Medina and perform umrah, which is not at the same equivalence as Hajj. Wormser ended this passage by giving a brief description of the different types of Muslims, which are Sunnis and Shittes. He concludes by giving the perspective of a couple people who converted to Islam and how they found out about Islam. He quoted them on how they found Islam, and how complete they felt