ISLAM

ISLAM
The Arabie word "Islam" means "submission" [to God]. Islam claims that it was never a new religion, but rather a continuation and culmination of God's revelations to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

To become a Muslim, one must accept and declare the creed of Islam, commonly known as the two professions of the faith. These are, "there is no other God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah." A Muslim then must believe in six articles of faith: God, the Angels, the Scriptures, the Prophets, the Day of Judgment, and Fatalism.

A Muslim must perform five religious duties known as "The Pillars of Islam," which are: The Professions, Prayer, Almsgiving, Fasting, and Pilgrimage to Mecca. Some have raised the Quranic sanction of Holy War (Jihad) for the spread of Islam to the rank of a sixth religious duty.

It is interesting to note that much of Islam's practices and rituals were borrowed from the pre-Islamic pagan Arabs. This is the period that Muslims refer to as "al-Jahilyya" (Ignorance Age). Some of these rituals are: exalting the Kaaba and the Black Stone, pilgrimage to Mecca, fasting Ramadan, dedicating Friday for assembling to worship, and adopting the name "Allah" for God.