The word Islam simply means 'to submit.' Therefore, a muslim is to be considered 'one who submits.' This religion was founded by a man named Muhammad Ibne Abdullah who lived between 570 and 632 AD in Saudi Arabia and has grown to over 1.2 billion adherents.

Muslims have a collection of scriptures they believe to be inspired by God known as the Quran (also spelled Koran and Qur'an). It is the sacred book of Islam which according to Muslims was dictated by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 chapters known as surahs, and is a little shorter than the New Testament of the Bible. The surahs are organized by length from longest to shortest and touch upon topics such as human existence, doctrine, ethics, social organization, and legislation. Muslims believe it to be the direct words of God that were given to Gabriel who then gave them to Muhammad.

In addition to the Quran, Muslims also believe that the writings known as the Hadith are also perfect, authoritative, and without flaw. They are known to contain a collection of sayings spoken by Muhammad himself along with traditions and historical points in Islam all of which were recorded by his followers.

Islam contains a core of duties known simply as 'The Five Pillars of Islam.' A muslim who follows these five pillars, retains his faith in Islam, and repents from his sins is hopeful to enter into paradise after his death.

Statement of Faith (Shahada)

The Shahada is the Islamic proclamation that “there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” In most Muslim families, this is to be the first words spoken into the ear of a child right after birth and sometimes the last words they hear before death.

As a statement it asserts two things. First that there is no god but Allah. Though the term Allah simply means 'the God,' it has over time been adopted to almost universally refer to the god of Islam. Second, the Shahada points out that Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet who ever lived. This part of the statement raises the creator of Islam above the founder of Christianity; thus making him out to be the most faithful follower of God.

Prayer (Salat)

Salat is the duty of praying five times a day at certain intervals starting at dawn and ending at sunset. Done to purify the body and soul, these prayers require certain things to be done and said at certain times. Before a person can begin his or her prayers they must perform ablutions or washings. The Muslim will wash their hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, ears, and feet three times each. During prayer, if a man or woman becomes unclean, by either passing gas, getting a bloody nose, or some other method they must leave and do their ablutions all over again.

Once the washings are completed, the Muslim may begin their prayer which is a memorized saying that must be said while in certain poses or prostrations. This prayer known as a rak'a (cycle or unit of prayer) is usually done twice after which comes the recitation of the Tashahud.

The Tashahud is the portion of the Salat where the Muslim will face towards Mecca and recite the following in Arabic:

"All worships are for Allah. Allah's peace be upon you, O Prophet, and His mercy and blessings. Peace be on us and on all righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger."

At this point, the Muslim turns to the right and left and says "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah" (Peace be upon you and God's blessings); which concludes the Salat for that time of day.

Fasting (Saum)

The month of Ramadan is the month of fasting in Islam. It is an act of worship where the follower denies his own needs and seeks Allah. During the daylight hours of Ramadan, the Muslim is to fast from eating, drinking and sexual relations. After sunset each day the fast is over and the Muslim is free to eat, drink and have sex.

In the Middle East, during the month of Ramadan, many restaraunts will close their doors in adherence to the fast but will continue cooking food all throughout the day, because as soon as the sun goes down many Muslims will flock to these restaraunts for a nightly feast.

Alms-giving or charity (Zakat)

Zakat instructs Muslims to give gifts or money to the poor on a regular basis. This can be compared to tithing or the giving of alms. They believe it benefits the poor but also helps the giver by moving him more towards holiness and submission to Allah. In Islam, this is also considered a form of worship.

While it is not directly said in the Quran how much one should give to charity, most Muslims pay 2.5% of their income as specified in the Books of Bukhari and Muslim. In addition, between 5% and 10% of certain types of harvests are to be donated depending on irrigation and amount rendered, but homes and modes of personal transportation are exempt from Zakat.

Although the Quran states in 6:141 that alms are to be given on the day of harvest, most Muslims do not pay their Zakat until the end of the Lunar year which is frowned upon in some communities.

Pilgrimage (Hajj)

This is the pilgrimage to Mecca which is in Saudi Arabia. All Muslims, if they are able do so physically and financially are to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This pilgrimage is to take place between the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar.

During the week Hajj, over a million Muslims perform a series of rituals to show their service to Allah which include:

• Walking counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka'bah, which is the cube-shaped building that Muslims all over the world face during their times of prayer
• Kissing the Black Stone in the corner of the Kaaba
• Running back and forth between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah
• Drinking water from the Zamzam Well
• Going to the plains of Mount Arafat and standing in vigil
• Throwing stones at a statue of the Devil

After all these rituals have been performed, the pilgrims then shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice, and then celebrate the three day global festival of Eid al-Adha.

As Christians, I think we can all agree that some of the pillars make up good practices. But pillar 1 puts the faith of the believer in someone besides Jesus Christ (John 14:6); and pillar 5 is similar to idolatry in that the Muslim must run around the Kaaba (a large square stone structure Muslims believe was built by Abraham) seven times and run between two hills seven times, among a variety of additional things.

Other things taught in Islam

1. The angel Gabriel is the Holy Spirit (2:97, 16:102)
   1. "Say (O Muhammad, to mankind): Who is an enemy to Gabriel! For he it is who hath revealed (this Scripture) to thy heart by Allah's leave, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, and a guidance and glad tidings to believers;" (2:97)
   2. "Say: The holy Spirit hath revealed it from thy Lord with truth, that it may confirm (the faith of) those who believe, and as guidance and good tidings for those who have surrendered (to Allah)." (16:102)
2. Muhammad is Allah's greatest and last prophet and his message supersedes all other past prophets including Jesus.
3. Drinking alcohol is forbidden (2:219; 4:43; 5:93-94; 16:67)
   1. "They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness. And they ask thee what they ought to spend. Say: that which is superfluous. Thus Allah maketh plain to you (His) revelations, that haply ye may reflect." (2:219)
   2. "O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter, nor when ye are polluted, save when journeying upon the road, till ye have bathed. And if ye be ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have touched women, and ye find not water, then go to high clean soil and rub your faces and your hands (therewith). Lo! Allah is Benign, Forgiving." (4:43)
   3. "There shall be no sin (imputed) unto those who believe and do good works for what they may have eaten (in the past). So be mindful for your duty (to Allah), and do good works; and again; be mindful your duty, and believe; and once again: be mindful your duty, and do right, Allah loveth the good. O ye who believe! Allah will surely try you somewhat (in the matter) of the game which ye take with your hands and your spears, that Allah may know him who feareth Him in secret. Whoso transgresseth after this, for him there is a painful doom." (5:93-94)
   4. "And of the fruits of the date-palm, and grapes, whence ye derive strong drink and (also) good nourishment. Lo! therein is indeed a portent for people who have sense." (16:67)
4. Gambling is forbidden (2:219; 5:90-94)
   1. "They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness. And they ask thee what they ought to spend. Say: that which is superfluous. Thus Allah maketh plain to you (His) revelations, that haply ye may reflect." (2:219)
   2. "O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed. Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from (His) worship. Will ye then have done? Obey Allah and obey the messenger, and beware! But if ye turn away, then know that the duty of Our messenger is only plain conveyance (of the message). There shall be no sin (imputed) unto those who believe and do good works for what they may have eaten (in the past). So be mindful for your duty (to Allah), and do good works; and again; be mindful your duty, and believe; and once again: be mindful your duty, and do right, Allah loveth the good. O ye who believe! Allah will surely try you somewhat (in the matter) of the game which ye take with your hands and your spears, that Allah may know him who feareth Him in secret. Whoso transgresseth after this, for him there is a painful doom." (5:90-94)
5. Jesus was a great prophet but not the son of God (9:30), is not divine (5:17, 75), was not crucified (4:157)
   1. "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they!" (9:30)
   2. "They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things." (5:17)
   3. "The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. See how We make the revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away!" (5:75)
   4. "And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain." (4:157)
6. There is no death bed repentance (4:18)
   1. "The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom." (4:18)