The Religion Islam

 

The Religion Islam

The religion Islam was born in Mecca in Arabia (in the 7th century CE). Its founder was Prophet Muhammad. The religion believes in one God – Allah and Prophet Muhammad is His messenger. According to Islam, the holy book Quran was revealed by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad and there are five tenets of Islam that serve as a basic guide as to how Muslims should live their lives. The five tenets are Shahadah, Salah (offering prayers five times a day), Saum (observing fast during the month of Ramadan), Zakat (giving alms) and Hajj (holy pilgrimage to Mecca once in life, if possible).

After the death of the Prophet (c. 632 CE), the task of providing religious and political leadership to the Muslims passed on to the Caliphs (Islamic leaders) known as Rashidun (rightly guided). The word Caliph is derived from the Arabic word “Khalifa” which means deputy and was the title given to the rulers who succeeded Prophet Muhammad. The Umayyads and the Abbasids were called the Caliphs. They expanded their rule by conquests and spread their religion Islam.