Yesterday we went to one of the Mosques, which is like church for the Islam religion. There I had to wear a thing over my head, it looked like this:
All the visitors had to cover most of their skin in respect. If you wanted to enter into the main building, you had to take of your shoes. (also out of respect) What are the rules and beliefs of the Islam religion? They have five pillars, or beliefs.
1. The testimony of faith.
The testimony of faith is saying “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.” This means that there is no true god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger (prophet) of God. The part that says “There is no true god but Allah” is saying that none has the right to be worshipped but God. (Allah) This part is much like the Christian faith. This testimony of faith is called the Shahada, and it should be said without conviction to convert to the Islam religion.
2. Prayer
Muslims perform prayer five times a day, but each prayer doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. In prayer, the worshipper feels inner happiness, peace, comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her. Prayers are at performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night.
3. Giving Zakat (support of the needy)
The original meaning of the word zakat is both ‘purification’ and ‘growth.’ Giving zakat means ‘giving a specified percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people.’ So, in simple words, they donate a percentage of their money to the poor and needy, which is nice.
4. Fasting the month of Ramadan
Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown. The fasting is regarded as a motive of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, the fasting person truly sees what it is like for the poor and the people who go hungry.
5. Pilgrimage to Makkah
The annual pilgrimage to Makkah is an obligation of once in a lifetime to those who can. (financially or physically) The annual Haji (pilgrimage) is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar.
And those are the five pillars. To learn more, go to this website:
www.islam-guide.com/ch3-16-htm
Soooooooooo…….bye guys!
Thanks for the educational post on Islam. It seems like Islam is very similar to our Catholic religion — it is a monotheistic religion, it has a book called the the Qur’an considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God, and preaches many of the same principles Christianism preaches. I have Muslim friends and have been told that Islam is a very peaceful religion that preaches love and peace.
I would love to see on your blog more pictures of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
P.S. You and your Mom look very pretty with the “thing” over your heads; very elegant.
y are u wearing head phones in the pic? u look awesome in the thingy.
weird religion rules of respect
Hi Ela! I can tell you’re having so much fun working on your blog… it’s very cool ! I’ve gotta tell you you’re a pretty good writer or should I said blogger? your stories are both informative and fun… I started reading just the first post and ended up reading like 4 more… so keep posting and enjoying your adventures in the UAE!!