Islam

The job of every Muslim, is to spend their life in the worship of their god, Allah. Islam was started by Muhammad, who was born in 570, and after he died, he was labeled as the messenger of Allah. In this paper I will write about how Islam started, and what Muslims believe and are required to do.

At age 40 in 610, Muhammad got a vision, and that was the beginning of Islam. In his vision, he was told that he was the prophet of a new religion. Muhammad began to preach in the streets of the town where he was born, Mecca, and specifically near the holy shrine Ka'ba. No one would listen to him, for he was preaching about a one god religion. His friends, and even his family shunned him, some threatening to kill him. He was forced to flee Mecca, and went to a city named Medina. Medina was going through a rough period of reconstruction and happily welcomed Muhammad and his new religion, and he soon became the leader of Medina. The Muslims in Medina went to war against Mecca, and converted everyone there to Muslims. In 632 the first Islamic pilgrimage was led by Muhammad to visit the Ka'ba shrine in Mecca. Shortly after this pilgrimage, Muhammad died, and was regarded as the messenger of Allah.

Muslims are required to complete the five pillars of Islam, which make up most of the religion. The five pillars are:

1. Shadadah - the oath that one must take before joining the religion.

2. Salat - the daily prayers of Muslims to keep ones mind focused on Allah. (required of Muslims five times a day)

3. Zakat - almsgiving, Muslims giving to the needy.

4. Fast of Ramadan - Muslims fast for a month to keep there body clear of sin.

5 - Hajj - the Islamic pilgrimage to Ka'ba that all Muslims must take once in their life.

Islam has seven holy books, but the most important one is the Qu'ran, which represents the exact words that Muhammad preached. Muslims believe that Allah created the world, and want to be respected by him. They believe in the afterlife, and that after you die, you are judged by Allah to go to heaven or hell. Since 610, when Muhammad received his first vision, Islam has become very successful, even the second largest religion in the world.