1. Notes done by an Islamic Student

2. What is Islam?
Islam is a religion followed by 1.2 billion people around the world and is the second largest of the three major monotheistic religions.
Followers of Islam are called Muslims
The meaning of the word Islam is “submission to God”
Contrary to popular belief, not all Muslims are Arabs, but most Arabs are in fact, Muslim

3. Prayers and times Salat al-fajr: dawn, before sunrise.
Salat al-zuhr: midday, after the sun passes its highest.
Salat al-'asr: the late part of the afternoon.
Salat al-maghrib: just after sunset.
Salat al-'isha: between sunset and midnight.
On Fridays, Zuhr is held at mosque.

4. Holidays
There are two official holidays in Islam: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.
Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting during daylight hours), and Muslims usually give zakat (charity) on the occasion.
Eid Al-Adha is known as the “Festival of Sacrifice” It honors the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God's command, before God then intervened, through his angel Gabriel (Jibra'il) and informs him that his sacrifice has already been accepted.
Meat is often sacrificed for this occasion

5. Location of Muslims around the globe

6. The five basic pillars of Islam are as follows:
Shahada: to declare one's belief in God and the prophetic role of Muhammad;
Salat: to pray five times every day (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening);
Zakat: to give charity to those in need;
Sawn: to fast from food, water, and other bodily pleasures during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan;
Hajj: to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if this is physically and economically possible.

7. Other Facts
Jihad (struggle) is not the initiation of violence in the name of Islam. Rather, the religious precept directs Muslims to study, preach, and defend Islam.
According to Islam, there are many prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.
Muslims worship God directly. Religious leaders do not have any divine characteristics; people and objects are not considered holy. It is, in fact, sacrilegious to worship anything or anyone outside of God.
Muslims, unlike Christians, do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, although they do believe he was a prophet.
There are two main sects of Islam: Sunni and Shiite.