Islam, which means submission, peace and obedience, is a monotheistic religion, meaning that there is only one God. The supreme God of Islam is named Allah. Islam shares beliefs with Christianity and Judaism because all three religions believe in one God and in the prophets starting with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (among others). The last prophet sent by Allah was Muhammad born in 570 A.D. at Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.

Allah is the Arabic word for God. He is worshipped by people of all faiths. We prefer to call God Allah because the name is neither feminine nor masculine. Allah created and rules everything. Muhammad is Allah’s last prophet and founder of Islam. When he was about 40 years old, Muhammad had a revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel. He received messages from Allah all through his life. He was born in Mecca.

Our sacred text is called the Koran. It contains the exact words, in Arabic, revealed by Allah to Muhammad. He memorized and wrote down the words. It took him a few years to complete the Koran. A Muslim, who is a follower of the religion of Islam, regards the Koran as the word of Allah.

  We only believe in one God named Allah.   We believe in Angels.   We believe in the Holy Koran.   We believe in the prophets.   We believe in the day of judgment.   We believe that God decides everything.

We Muslims pray 5 times daily. Our church is called a Mosque. Mosques are very elaborate and richly decorated. Very often, Mosques have domed roofs and a tall tower called a Minaret.

Minaret: A tower which looks down on the Sahn. Mihrab: An empty arch which indicates the direction of Mecca. Minbar: A priest Sahn: It is a courtyard that has a fountain or pool of water inside, that symbolizes purity. Worshippers bathe before entering the mosque. When people go into a Mosque, they take off their shoes to keep the prayer room clean.

Sahn Minaret Mihrab There are no pictures and statutes in a Mosque. Only patterns and words from the Koran decorate the Mosque. It is forbidden to worship images in Islam.

The most important service at the Mosque is held on Friday at noon. This is a special day for our prayer. There are five duties that every Muslim should perform. These are the Five Pillars to guide daily life: 1. 1.Prayer- Required to Pray 5 times a day and face Mecca. 2. Charity- Required to give away to the less fortunate. 3. Pilgrimage- To Mecca, at least once in a lifetime. 4. Fasting- During the month of Ramadan. 5. Belief in Allah and his prophets.

The star and crescent is the best- known symbol used to represent Islam. The moon represents the Islamic lunar calendar and the star is a symbol from Allah in the Koran. It is important to keep in mind, that in the Islam faith, there are few symbols and images. There are two reasons for this: - - It is forbidden to worship an image. - - Any representation of Allah is forbidden, for no one could represent the true beauty of Allah.

Hajj is Pilgrimage to Mecca to worship in the Ka’bah. The Ka’bah, built by Abraham was restored by Muhammad for worship to Allah. It is the holiest place on earth. Id ul-fitr is the festival marking the end of the month of fasting called Ramadan. We visit our Mosque, pray, visit friends and family, exchange gifts and thank Allah for his blessings. Id ul-Adha is a festival at the end of the pilgrimage in which a sheep or a goat is sacrificed. This is symbolic of God’s mercy and Abraham’s obedience. Ramadan is a time when we fast (do not eat or drink) during the hours of daylight. It is a time for worship and a time for family and community ties.

After Christianity, Islam is the world's second largest religion. There are 1.2 billion people who follow the Islamic faith. Most followers of Islam live in the Middle East and in Northern Africa. Most of us live in Indonesia, India and China. You can also find us in Western Europe and in America.