Religion And Rituals In Islamic Religion

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Religion has played a major role in the lives of people for thousands of years by impacting the way people have acted, lived, and thought around the world. The five largest religions, Christianity (2.2 billion followers), Judaism (13 million), Hinduism (900 million), Buddhism (488 million) and Islam (2.2 billion) have all influenced the past with how their values and beliefs affect their followers. This can result in worldwide quarrels over the ‘correct’ explanation for those aiming to search for religious truth. The religion of Islam’s most principle value is that of their God Allah, which is said in the Quran ‘There is no God but God’ (BBC, 2014). The ritual, philosophical and institutional concepts in the Islam religion can tell us as non …show more content…
They are significant as to the followers as they are a way to remember the history, express conviction, and grow in devotion. Some of the rituals are practices daily, such as prayer, whereas some are practices annually, such as Islamic holidays like the Eid Al-Fitr and the Eid Al-Adha. The Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting, and on the occasion, Muslims usually give zakat (charity). (Maris, J, 2014) While the number of practices and rituals in the Islamic religion are small, the importance of them is large. The five pillars regarded by all sects of the Islamic religion that are essential to the Muslim faith. (Maris, J, 2014) The Five Pillars of Islam are the five religious duties that every Muslim is expected to abide by. The first of the five practices is shahada, or confession of faith. Shahada is the Muslim profession of faith, expressing the two simple, fundamental beliefs that make one a Muslim. (Maris, J, 2014) These are ‘la ilaha illa Allah wa Muhammad rasul Allah’ or ‘There is no God but God and Muhammad is the prophet of god’. (Maris, J, 2014) The second of the five pillars is perhaps the most recognized Muslim Practices among non-Muslims, the ritual prayer, or salat. Salat is performed five times a day, at al-fajr (dawn), al-zuhr (midday), al-‘asr (afternoon), al-maghrib (sunset) and al-‘isha (evening). (Maris, J, 2014) The zakat, or Alms tax, is the third …show more content…
The single most important belief in Islam is that there is only one God. The name of their God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for ‘the (al) God (Ilah).’ (BBC, 2014) Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is known universally as ‘the Seal of the Prophets’ - the last and greatest of the messengers of God. (BBC, 2014) Other prophets are important in Islam as well, all of which are shared with the Jewish or Christian religion. According to the Quran, Allah ‘created man from a clot of blood’ at the same time he created the jinn from fire. (BBC, 2014) Humans are the greatest of all creatures, created with free will for the purpose of obeying and serving God. For a Muslim, the sole purpose of life is to live in a way that is pleasing to Allah so that one may gain Paradise after death. It is believed that at puberty, an account of each person 's deeds is opened, and this will be used at the Day of Judgment to determine his or her eternal fate. Like Christianity, Islam teaches the continued existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after death. (BBC, 2014) There will be a day of judgment and humanity will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell. There is no official ideology to which one must adhere to be considered a Muslim. All that is required is to believe and recite the Shahada: ‘There is no God but God, and

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