Islam: The Five Pillars Of Faith

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in 570 C.E. The angel Gabriel in 610 C.E visited him. He was told by Gabriel to recite and 20 years later, a collection of his recitations became known as the Qur’an, or also known as the “Islamic Holy Book”. Muhammad became a social activist against the treatment of the poor and needy, materialism, and paganism. This religion was formed in 622 C.E. when Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina. This date was considered to be the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Islam means “surrender” or “submission”, and Muhammad founded this religion as his expression of surrender to the will of Allah. A few basic beliefs were to submit to God’s will, five pillars were required of all Muslims, and the “People of the Book” (also known as Jews and Christians) were to be protected until they could be reconverted to Islam. The Five Pillars of Faith included: faith inside, prayer, 5 times daily, almsgiving to the poor, fasting during the Islamic holy month known as Ramadan, and Haj – pilgrimage to Mecca. A few of the sacred places to pray and worship were Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. The Muslims would also gather at

God has the final say deciding who goes to Paradise, but the Qur’an's requirements for entering are a belief in God, a belief in the Day of Judgment, and having led a righteous life. Islam's goals were to live forever in Paradise by following the Qur’an guidelines. The Muslims were to serve Allah during all aspects of their lives. If they failed to do so, their afterlife was definitely not a happy one. The Qur’an states that the worldly life was a preparation for the eternal life after death. Islam viewed death as the next stage of their existence. They believed that life continued after death but only in spiritual and physical resurrection. If a Muslim were to reject the belief of life after death, then all other beliefs were of no use to