ABC’s of Islam Kent Ratliff

Arabic Arabic is the language of Islam. Islam is meant to be practiced in Arabic. Arabic is what Mohamed spoke Arabic and so did his followers. calligraphy.jpg

Bedouins The Bedouins were a nomadic tribe of peoples. Muhammad was sent to live with his Bedouin relatives in the desert when he was young.

Cleanliness Islam’s believe that you should be clean. They lay a prayer rug out to separate them from the dirty ground as they pray.

Da’wah Da’wah is the call of Islam. It is literally translated as “making an invitation.” Islamic people are told to spread their beliefs to others

Eid ul-Fitr This is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Eid means festivity while Fitr means to break fast. It is a feast at the end of a month of fasting.

Faith This is the first pillar of Islam. All people of Islamic belief must have faith that Allah is God and is supreme.

Gabriel The angel Gabriel came to Muhammad when he was in the dessert. Gabriel told him what Allah wanted. From his revelations talking to Gabriel, the Qur'an was written. wc.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/ArchAngelGabrielEggTempera.jpg

Hajj The Hajj is Muhammad’s journey from Medina to Mecca. He marched with his followers and cleansed the Ka’bah, removed all idols. The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.

Islam Islam is a monotheistic religion that worships Allah(God) as supreme. Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. There are five pillars of Islam. These are Faith, Prayer, Giving to the Needy, Fasting, and Pilgrimage to Mecca.

Jihad Jihad means struggle. It is a religious duty to Muslims. It is a struggle to improve one’s self and one’s community. There were very few politically correct pictures for jihad.

Ka’bah The Ka’bah is a sacred spot for Muslims. It is where they make their pilgrimage to. It is draped with black cloth with writings of the Qu’ran in gold around it.

La ilaha il allah This means “There is no God but The God.” It is the first part of the Kalimah, an Islamic creed.

Muhammad Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. He was born in Mecca but had to grow up in the desert with a Bedouin tribe because his father died. He saw the angel Gabriel and had many revelations. He preached Allah and gained followers to his new religion.

Nuh Nuh was a prophet. The Christians call him Noah. He filled a boat with animals when Allah told him that he would flood the Earth to cleanse it of Idol worshipers.

Ostrich The Bismillah invocation is written in the form of an ostrich. This invocation guarantees protection LL0xI/AAAAAAAAABg/fq9LLMefWDY/s400/Bismillah3-Web-full.jpg

Prayer Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. Muslim’s must pray five times a day facing Mecca. They usually pray in Arabic. They use prayer rugs to separate themselves from the dirty ground while they pray.

Qur’án The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam. It was written from Muhammad’s revelations after speaking to the angel Gabriel in the desert.

Ramadan Ramadan is a month of fasting in which no eating, drinking, smoking or indulging in anything in excess from dawn until sunset. Muslim’s ask for forgiveness from past sins, pray for guidance and try to purify themselves during this month.

Shariah The Shariah is a code of Islamic law. It deals with many aspects of every day life including politics, economics, banking, business, family, hygiene, and social issues. It is the most wide used religious law.

Tawhid The Tawhid is the concept of unity of God. It is the concept of monotheism in Islam. Christians believe in the father, son and holy spirit. Muslim’s believe that Allah is only one. It is to cleanse oneself for prayer for Allah.

Ummah This means community in Arabic. It is used to refer to the community of believers of Islam.

Veil The Qur'an tell women that they should cover parts of their body that are not shared by men. In another section it tells how prostitutes expose themselves more than necessary and that women should cover themselves so people know that they are not prostitutes.

Wud’u This is a ritual of cleansing for Muslims. It is a very thorough cleansing in which you wash your hands, arms, face, ears, nose, and feet. It is preformed to prepare oneself for prayer.

Malcolm X Malcolm X became a member of Islam while in prison. He became one of the nations leading spokespersons of Islam after being released. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca. After his pilgrimage, he disavowed racism.

Yunus Yunus is the same as the Christian Jonah. He was eaten by a whale when he wouldn’t do God’s bidding. The whale delivered him to the place that God wanted him to go.

Zakah Zakah is the third pillar of Islam. It is the obligation of all Muslims to give to those in need. This is the belief that everything belongs to God, so it is given to human’s in trust.