Islam is the second religion of the book Essay

Incidentally, the end point People of the Book comes from the Quran which cites both Judaism and Christianity, religions which came before Islam, as having part of its origins in the prophet of Abraham. In this, we green goddess see a respect for the other religions a respect which is lost on the perception of a vocal minority of Muslims and as a result, a perception that Muslims hate all other religions. This is off and dangerous assumption for both sides.Belief in Islam requires that a convert hope in that angio cristalsin converting enzyme divinity fudge, the revelations which he has flipn to his mess from his apotheosiss, his messengers and chiefly, the prophet Mohammad whose writings from 610AD until his death in 632 AD helped to drop a line the hallowed book of Quran. It is a central belief and oneness that is seen as the around important That in that location is no beau ideal but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet. This is required of all those wishing to consi der themselves Muslims and followers of Mohammad and his teachings. There argon an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims with an annual growth rate which exceeds all other religions in the world. Muslims be propagate all over the world but argon highly concentrated in the nub East. Pakistan is the most heavily populated country of Muslims and even the States has an estimated seven to ten million Muslims in the country. Muslims believe that the Koran is the literal word of God and was made such by a visitation of the angel Gabriel to the prophet Mohammad. Angels be described in the Koran as messengers with wings. Two or three of quaternary pairs. He adds to Creation as He pleases. This is a central belief as salubrious as the fact that Mohammad, despite his greatness in the religion of Islam, is non considered a deity of each kind. uncomplete is Jesus who, despite being highly regarded in the official teachings of the ratiocination fourteen centuries, is considered to be single a man and a prophet of Gods, although his greatness is not to exceed that of the prophet Mohammad. God is a central theme of the religion and his is referred to as God, the One and Only God, the eternal, Absolute, He begetteth not, nor is He beget and there is none like unto him. It is also a central theme of Islam the Day of Judgment. Similar to the Christian belief in predestination, many Muslims believe that commonwealth atomic number 18 predestined as to whether they allow for write in code heaven or enter hell on the Day of Judgment. That is not to say that an individual does not puddle the freedom to choose, rather that God, from the beginning of time, knows the destination of every person who ever existed, or who will ever exist. In this fervor, the message of a complete submission to God is central as well as to the belief in Islam.Disbelief and a failure to submit to the will of God are one of the main offenses which, according to the Koran, will result in a person, on t he Day of Judgment, loss to hell. The latter is one of the main appeals that individuals have for Islam as in many countries with a high commonwealth of Muslims, the livelihood conditions are less than substandard and people live a very tough existence. Lastly, one of the most important and central teachings of Islam is called the Five Pillars of Islam. There are louvre major aspects of Islam which individuals are powerfully encouraged to observe.The low gear is belief in Mohammad as the prophet of God and that the words of the prophet which are located in the Koran are the literal word of God. The second is praying in the direction of Mecca, five times a day. The third is the giving of alms or charity to the poor and needy. The fourth is fasting during the month of Ramadan in which one must not eat or drink from dusk to dawn. The last is called the haj or a pilgrimage during the fourth Islamic month to Mecca at to the lowest degree once in their lifetime. The latter will c ompel millions of Muslims, any(prenominal)times two and three million Muslims at a time, to go to Mecca at the corresponding time in order to fulfill their last duty, or pillar of Islam. When communicate Mr. Aziz most the importance of the religion of Islam at bottom his own life, he gave a very passionate and intercommunicate response. In America, there is a great deal of misconception to the highest degree the religion of Islam and as a Muslim it is my responsibility to live in a way that would help to dispel those myths.Although not in the same light, nor with the same amount of spotlight, it is similar to the experience that the American boxer, Joe Louis had while he was the Boxing heavyweight thaumaturge of the world. His manager was careful not to have Joe Louis portrayed in a way that would add to the misconceived stereotypes about African Americans at that time since the last African America boxer, Jack Johnson, had done the opposite and was shunned by America. When asked if he has found this to help within his own life the conception of others about him, his ethnicity and his religion, Mr.Aziz had a multiform response. There will always be people who will not change their opinions about the Middle East or Islam. I cant really help that. However, for three high majorities of people who make the effort to know me, they have sometimes come out and said that they were wrong about Muslims, or at least about me. There is still a hint of racism within such sentiments. However, it is progress. Mr. Aziz then talked to me about his religion. In Islam, there are five pillars which every Muslim is anticipate to respect and obey these pillars.In no specific order, these five pillars are to travel to Mecca at least once in your life, to give to charity, to pray five times in the day while go about in the direction of Mecca, to fast during the Holy Months and to believe that there are no gods but Allah and that Mohammad is his messenger. The last is the most important and is what helps to connect the more than 1. 6 billions Muslims in more than a hundred countries in the world, each one to the other. It is very important to all Muslims.I have not yet gone(a) to Mecca but I hope to by the end of the decade. I have not always been devoted in the completion of the other four on a daily basis as most people of faith experience a lapse in their faith and devotion. That has happened before. However, I am lively to connect the dots and to separate myself from whatever vehicle is serving as an impediment to my faith. Fasting is also important. During the Holy month of Ramadan, there is to be no eating during sunlight. This is one of the most difficult of the five pillars.The originator to fast is that it will help to bring the believer closer to God through the realization that God is the supplier of everything and that nothing can be done apart from him. We eat his food and breathe his air. We engross his sunlight and are stewards of his world. In proportion with God, man is so small and weak. Sometimes people deflect that. Fasting helps to remind them. Mr. Aziz also prays five times a day as well as gives to charity. I wake up at 5am and pray then as well as at 8am, noon, four pm and before I go to bed at 9pm.Since I was extractd to do this and to adhere to the five pillars, this has become a habit of mine and is not really difficult. I echo as a child, I rebelled a great deal towards this especially since I wanted to nonplus in bed. It was not until two consecutive years, did I feel its difficulty ease and I began to bonk it. It is also important to give to charity. This does not solely mean money. There are many people in the world who are very poor and do not have the money to give. To give to charity, or to give alms, means also to be helpful to ones neighbor.Whether it is shoveling the snow from an elder neighbors driveway or simply right informing a person at the grocery store that they dropp ed their purse these all are examples of charity. Mr. Aziz also speaks to the importance that his religion has towards his community. Even though here in America, there is an estimated three to seven million Muslims, there are very few where I live and no places of worship. One of the reasons for the latter I believe is caused by the beliefs that the people in the surrounding towns have about Muslims and that we are all terrorists.Therefore, there have been many attempts, to diffuse any building plans for a mosque. How do you feel about that? It is discouraging to me but me and fellow Muslims meet in peoples homes in order to worship and pray. It is similar to the 1st century Christians who were barred from worshiping by the Roman authorities or the Jews who during WWII were not allowed to worship either. We are not under the same aim of persecution but as these other two groups. However, it still requires some planning. It is my family and friends which help to lay a stem of f aith within my life.There are few Muslims in the surrounding areas. Therefore, the friends that I do have and which confide Islam as well as my family, for more than one reason, provide a structure and radical for me. This is very important. America does not have the same problem with their Muslim population in comparison to the troubles in Europe because we have assimilated. This is important to a degree. We do not want to become altogether Americanized but in the process, love American sports and the traditions that come with this country. So we are then relegated to worship close in private. It is one of the prices to pay for being a Muslim in America. However, since the majority of American Muslims are doing well in America and enjoy this land, we are content to pay some of that price. We are Muslims first however and Americans second. Just as Christians have as a major aspect of their identity in which it cannot be separated from who they are, the same can be said about Mu slims. The societal restrictions towards Muslims in America have eased up. However, as a Muslim in America, I still feel as though I am a foreigner in a country that I immigrated to lawfully over twenty years ago.America has still given me more opportunities than my homeland. I just sapidity forward to the day when I can be truly being considered an America. If I do not live to see that day, I will be sad but I will delay happy that I have had such a rewarding and blessed life while living in America. Mr. Aziz still continues to work and to support his family. When asked about the faith of his two daughters, Mr. Aziz comments They are eight and ten years old so they are young, but not too young to understand some of the world around them. I hope that I can keep them from experiencing instances of racism or prejudice.I do not however, that the worst that they receive in America, is still better than what they could have hoped for in Pakistan. That is wherefore I am hesitant to complain too loudly. I am still able to raise my children, along with my wife, in the ways that we choose. This is a great freedom that America has its religious freedom. I latterly watched a documentary on Thomas Jefferson and learned that he was instrumental in creating a rump of religious freedom that is present in America. This happened more than two hundred years ago.Yet, I am a recipient of such actions even today. It is very amazing to me and I am very appreciative. I am proud to be an American. However, I am also proud to be a Muslim. It seems that in the past few years, especially since 9/11, such sentiments have been seen as an oxymoron. I believe that they are one in the same as America promises religious freedom to all who will practice their religion of choice without breaking the law. This is the great gift that Americas forefathers and all who help to affect such efforts, to contemporary Americans and all who will follow.It is the effort of every Muslim, not to be swayed by the temporary morals of a society but to hold firm to the faith and teachings of Islam. This is what I am attempting to do. I have not always been successful and have fallen away from my faith from time to time. It is important, just like with anything in life, that once somebody has fallen short of their personal expectations, to get right cover up and to try again. Religious faith is an ongoing process and does not stop while one is alive. This is my hope and prayer for me and all others who feel that the law can only go so farthermost and that a personal relationship with God is paramount in a persons life. works CITED Armstrong, Karen Islam A Short History New York Random History 2006 Burns, Ken Thomas Jefferson New York Steeplechase & phosphate buffer solution Films 1997 Miller, James Religions of the World. New York WW Norton 1987 The Holy Quran (2002) New York Oxford University Press An Interview with Mr. Aziz. Recorded with his permission on November 1, 2007 and transcribed on November 4, 2007.