Islam is a major religion, according to Huda (2007) the word Islam comes from an Arabic root word meaning peace and submission. Any one who believes and consciously follows Islam is called a Muslim. Huda (2007) states “Although usually associated with the Arabs of the Middle East, less than 10% of Muslims are in fact Arab”. Muslims are every color, from every nation, and of any race. Islam is one of the Abrahamic monotheistic faiths along with Christianity and Judaism.
The Islamic World to 1600 (1998) states that “Islamic belief is the bsolute power of God, Islam believes in one God, omnipotent and merciful, and that associating any human being or image with God is an unforgivable sin”. It goes on to state that “this view translates into the Muslim rejection of the Christian belief in Jesus’ divinity, as well as in the Trinity, and it also means that Muslims do not accept idolatry, or shirk”.
We are also told that even though Islam believes in on God or “Allah” as it is called in Islamic religion according to Cline (2007) Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last of a series of prophets that God sent to earth o correct the corruption of all the previous messages. The foundation of Muslim life is called “The Five Pillars”, according to Islam101 (2007) the Five Pillars are as follows:
1. Faith or belief in the oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad, 2. Establishment of the daily prayers, 3. Concern for and almsgiving, 4. Self- purification through fasting and, 5. The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able. These are the foundation for the Islamic religion. People everyday and all over the world question their faith and what hey believe when it comes to religion, sometimes these questions leads one on a path to find a religion or denomination that is right for them.
Sometimes people make the right choice however; there are always those who jump from one religion to another because they do not do their research before the jump. If I were thinking of converting to Islam, I would have to make sure that I am prepared to live by the five pillars. After looking at them and taking some time to think about this I would have to say that I would not have any problems with believing in one God or accepting Muhammad s a messenger (prophet) of God’s word, nor would I have a problem of prayer.
Praying is and has been a way of life for me already; I believe that one should thank God for everything in their life and that nothing is possible without him. I also would not have a problem with living my life with concern for and almsgiving to the needy. The reason I would not have a problem with this is because no one ever goes through life without sometimes having to ask for help. I do try and give back to not just the people that I know but to those who I may not know by name but I do know hem because I may have or can relate to the situation they may be in.
I have given money when I have it, my kids and I have given food, donated jackets and blankets, my kids have learned that no matter how bad things seem to be there is always someone else who is in more need than we are. So far I have covered 3 of the 5 pillars and I have realized that so far I have the same beliefs as Islam’s that tells me that my religion is not that much different. Now lets look at the other 2 pillars, Self-purification through fasting I know that this is suppose to be a time from dawn until sundown, hat the people should abstain from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses.
I am not sure that I believe that by doing this that it will make me closer to God, somehow worldlier, or even make me one with the earth. I am just saying that I do not have what it takes to abstain from food and drink for an entire day. The last of the 5 pillars is Pilgrimage, this one is a lot trickier than the others because it requires an obligation for those that are physically and financially able, physically I do not think that there would be a problem however financially is a ifferent subject.
I say this because given my financial situation it would be impossible at this time in my life however, that has not or will not always be the case. When it comes to religion, I believe that if you do not take the time to understand what it is all about you should not judge that religion. I say this because sometimes if you stop, listen, and ask questions you might find that some religions are the same as or very close to another religion. This may not always be true but do not be ignorant when it comes to something that you may not understand.