Islam

1. Explain the meaning of the name, Islam.
The name Islam literally means “surrender,” or “Submission.” The idea behind this name is the complete surrender or submission to God (Allah).The word Muslim means one who surrenders to Allah. The words Islam and Muslim are closely related to the word “peace.” The words of Islam and Muslim propose the inner tranquility that is achieved with the surrendering to the divine. Islam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message - which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone. For this reason, Islam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The word "Islam" means peace and submission. Peace means to be at peace with you and your surroundings and submission means submission to the will of God. A broader meaning of the word "Islam" is to achieve peace by submitting to the will of God.

2. Explain the basic concepts of Islam.
The basic concept of Islam is that there is only one God who is known as Allah, which, other concepts arise from this basic concept. This God has the right to be worshiped since there is only one God. No statues, idols, or deities.

3. Describe the practices of Islam.
The description to the practices of Islam is made up of what is called the Five Pillars. One of the practices is the Profession of Faith where they pledge that there is only one God (Meaning of Islam). Prayers is another pillar that Muslims pray five times a day facing toward the House of God. At that time they must pray wherever they are when the time of prayer arrives. Charity is another that is where a fixed proportion of a Muslim’s net worth is distributed among the poor. Fasting everyday from dawn to dusk during Ramadan is another practice (Meaning of Islam). They must abstain from eating, smoking, drinking, and sexual contact during this time. Pilgrimage is the...