Islam: An Ancient Religion Misunderstood

What is Islam, and where did it come from? What is this religion all about? Islam is not the new kid on the block in regards to religion. Islam is in fact an old, ancient religion. It is not that unlike of the Christian faith either; in fact, Islamic beliefs are in the Torah, which is Jewish, and also in the bible, which is Christian. The book that Islam goes by is called the Qur’an, which is the story of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, Who is the founder of the Islamic faith and is believed to be the last of the prophets of God. Practitioners of Islam are referred to as Muslims, and their place of worship is a mosque, which is similar to the Christians place of worship which is the church. These days Islam has become a very common and widely practiced religion throughout the world. Islam has become very misunderstood, especially within western culture. Today, many Americans and Europeans see Islam as a serious threat to their way of life. Though there have been some very serious and unfortunate events in the news that have transpired to fuel this misunderstanding,

These metaphorical “pillars,” are what Muslims base their life decisions and actions around. To clearly understand Islam’s core philosophy of life, one must first know what these five pillars entail. The first pillar is called Shahada, which is the Muslim’s declaration of faith and belief. The declaration is a short phrase, which translates from its native language of Arabic to English as, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.” Then the second pillar is the Salat, which is the pillar of worship. In Islam, daily prayers are greatly important. A Muslim is required by their religion to pray five times a day; at dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, and then lastly in the evening. Devout Muslims also wash their hands and feet as a religious practice to purify themselves symbolically before prayers. (University of Calgary,