The Islam Experience: The Five Pillars Of Islam

Superior Essays
The Islamic Experience In 2010, there were approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world (Lipka). With so many people who follow the Islam faith, why do so many non-Muslims not know the truth about it? I chose to do my service learning over Islam for that reason exactly. I had not known much about Islam before this class other that what I heard on the news or from my friends and family who are predominantly from the South. I wanted to dig deeper into this religion and find out more details from reliable sources. Islam, which means “submission” in Arabic, started in 610 AD by Muhammad, who Muslims believe was the last prophet that God sent. Some of the core beliefs and practices of the Islam faith are the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five …show more content…
What I believe was the largest similarity was that we technically share the same God. I had not even known that Islam was an Abrahamic faith and when I started this semester. When I would hear the news speak of “Allah” I would think, “Oh, that’s the Muslim’s God not mine.” But as we learned in class and through my service learning, I found out that “Allah” was not a name necessarily, it just means “God” (Enchassi). This was a real revelation for me, because I had thought all along that we worshipped completely different Gods, when in fact we do …show more content…
The Ku Klux Klan and the Army of God are two of the most notorious Christian terrorist groups in the United States. These two groups have been responsible for lynching people of color and glorifying people like Eric Rudolph, who was responsible for the bombing of an abortion clinic, and many other forms of terrorism. ISIS and Al Qaeda are also very well known for horrible acts of terrorism and they are often put in the spotlight especially during the race for presidency. These different kinds of terrorist groups often are publicized more than the people who actually practice their religion how it is meant to be practiced; therefore, making others believe that all Christians and Muslims are horrible, ruthless people. This actively contradicts both religion’s beliefs and it is disheartening that both are stereotyped every day in the media, especially

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Sikhs are one of the brown, dark skinned people who have been the targets of anti-Muslim hate crimes. They have been misunderstood because of their beard and turban. In a 2013 survey made by Stanford University and by the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, it was found that 49 percent of Americans think that the religion of Sikhism is a section of Islam. Sikhism and Islam are two separate religions. In this survey it was also concluded that some Americans tend to mix Sikhs and turbans with al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, The Islamic state or with the Taliban.…

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Five pillars of Islam are important duties that Muslims have to do daily. The Five Pillars of Islam are the basic foundation of Islam, it center around God, and it also centers around the three prophets Muhammad, Abraham, and Ishmael. The pillars tell all Muslims that God is the only god to worship and Muhammad is his messenger. An important principle is that all things belong to God. The name of the five pillars are shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, and hajj.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Islam is a monotheistic religion that began in the Middle East, much like Christianity and Judaism, yet Islam is much more misunderstood. The prophet Muhammad founded the religion of Islam, and Muslims pray to Allah, or God, five times a day. Now, in 2015, you can find Muslims all over the world, much like Christians and Jews. The religion of Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad in 632 .…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    You may know Christianity and Judaism's faith but Islamic faith unique and interesting. In the beginning stages if islamic faith something started it all. You may ask how Islamic faith it actually similar to the other well known religions. Most of the Islamic faith were ideas from other religions but they have this amazing month Ramadan that celebrates the start if islamic faith. Islamic faith not as well known but with a interesting religion with unique ideas on how it all started.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Five Pillars Of Islam

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Five Pillars of Islam help Muslims follow the religion called Islam. To truly be faithful in Islam, you must follow all five pillars. The first pillar is shahada, or faith. To be a faithful Muslim, you must confess your faith. The profession of faith goes like this,” There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.”…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Muhammad believed himself to be god’s final prophet,There was only one god that people believed he was called Allah. The religion Muhammad created was called Islam but the people who followed were called Muslims. All Muslims were expected to pray on a yearly tax, That is mostly to help the needy and poor. These graceful act were called The Five Pillars of Islam, A sort of law that all Muslims must follow. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims must not eat , smoke or drink alcohol and cannot have any sexual relationships during this month.…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They share many common beliefs with Christianity; including Moses, Abraham, and even Jesus Christ. One of their distinctive beliefs from Christianity is that Jesus Christ is a prophet and not the Son of God. They also adhere to the Islamic law rigorously. The Muslim religion has been affected in their customs of the Five Pillars of Islam yet still find ways to keep it alive and rich in their lives after facing hardships given by society.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Islam is the 2nd largest religion and is most of the time misunderstood. Islam believes in only one God and Muhammad is his prophet. When the started believing in only one God that made them realize there should be only one people, so they eliminated all tribes. This made every single person equal. The Islamic people were developed in the Koran, a representation of God.…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Islam: The people who follow Islam are Muslims, 1.5 billion people are Islamic followers, 22 per cent of the worlds population. Islamic religion started in 622 CE and was formed in the Arabian Peninsula. The religious leader Muhammad died in 632 AD but is still the main leader. Islams have two main sacred texts the most impotant text is the Quran, this book is conisdered the word of God and people believe that to only get the full experience is by reading the book in Arabic (even though translated copies are sold).…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Five Pillars Of Islam

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The hajj is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place in the last month of the year. All Muslims are expected to perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime. During the hajj, there are a series of detailed rituals such as the stoning of evil, wearing a special garment, and circling around the Kaaba repeatedly. More than 2 million Muslims go on the hajj annually, and the numbers of Muslims are still increasing. Before they set out for the hajj, everyone must pay all their debts, redress all their wrongs, and make sure they are financially and physically able to make the journey.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Five Pillars Of Islam

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Vin Signorile HS 102-01 Fall 2015 October 21, 2015 Short Answer 1. The Five Pillars of Islam are declaration of faith in Allah (Shahada), prayers toward Mecca five times daily (Salat), almsgiving or welfare of contribution (Zakzt), fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). Shahada is a brief prayer to show your individuality of god and faith in Islam. Salat requires Muslims to pray five times a day toward Mecca. Zakzt means Muslims are expected to give to the poor and ill.…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Islamic religion began in 610 AD. It is one of the first religions to believe in one god, also known as a monotheistic religion. This religion teaches that prophet Muhammad was called upon by God. The Angel Gabriel came to him bearing a message from Allah; the message read was, “There is one God Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” In Mecca, where Muhammad was born, this was not a popular idea because people living there believed in multiple gods, also known as a polytheistic religion.…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Have you ever wondered about Arabia’s most common religion and its biggest prophet? Arabia’s most common religion is Islam. Muslims are people who follow Islamic faith. Islam is a monotheistic religion. Monotheism is the belief in one God.…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one God (Allah). In this regard, it shares some beliefs with Judaism and Christianity by tracing its history back to the patriarch Abraham, and ultimately to the first prophet, Adam. All the prophets preached the same universal message of belief in one God and kindness to humanity. The last in the series of prophets, according to Muslims, was Muhammad. Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia around 570 CE.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The world three important religions; Islam, Christianity and Judaism are often debated for their competing and differentiated doctrines and beliefs system. However, this essay argues that there are more similarities between these religions than differences. In order to understand the similarities and differences between these religions, it is important to know about their basic belief system. Islam is a religion, which emerged in the 7th century and the followers of Islam are known as Muslims. Muslims follow the teachings of Quran and Sunnah (way of life) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays