New Muslims Guide to Islam

The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam
The Five Pillars consist of






* Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith
* Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day
* Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy
* Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
* Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca



Why are they important


Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion


No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice


Carrying out the Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it in around their secular lives

The Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam. Shahadah is the declaration that there is no god but Allah and Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is the Messenger of Allah.

Tawheed:

The first part of the Shahadah, that there is no god but Allah attests the Oneness of Allah. There are numerous verses in the Qur'an about Tawheed or the Oneness of Allah.

In the first surah of the Qur'an it says:

"You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help."


Similarly, the Qur'an also states:

"Worship Allah and join no partner with Him."

The most summarizing expression is in Surah Ikhlas:

"Say, He is Allah, the One. The eternally besought by all. He begetteth not, nor was He begotten. And there is no one comparable to Him."

Associating partners with Allah is called Shirk. Shirk is not only the worship of idols, but also offering prayers or supplications to anyone, living or dead, believing that they hold the same attribute as Him. The Qur'an considers Shirk as an unpardonable sin. It says:

"Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgives anything else to whom He pleases; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin most evil indeed."

"What! Shall I seek for you as god other than Allah, while He has given you superiority over all creations."

The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is reported to have said:

"Shirk is the greatest of all sins."

Prophethood:

The next basic requirement is to believe in all the Prophets of Allah. The Qur'an says:

"He who obeys the messengers obeys Allah."

Allah sent prophets in different periods of time to communicate His guidance with human beings. They were raised from the nation in which they were sent to preach for. They preached in the languages of there nations as the Qur'an says:

"And We never sent a messenger save with the language of his folk that he might make (the message) clear for them."

"And there not a nation but a warner has passed among them."

"And for every people there is (sent) a guide."

Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is the last Prophet. No prophet shall come after him. He was sent for all mankind as he said:

"Every prophet before me was sent for his own people but I am sent for all mankind

Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. These five prescribed prayers contain verses from the Qur'an, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation. Personal supplications, however, can be offered in one's own language and at any time.

Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Oftentimes visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life


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A translation of the Adan or Call to Prayer is:
God is Great.
God is Great.
God is Great.
God is Great.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer!
Come to prayer!
Come to success!
Come to success!
God is Great!
God is Great!
There is none worthy of worship except God



Learn How to Pray :


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Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are no priests. Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an and is generally chosen by the congregation

The pilgrims begin arriving by air, sea, and land during the weeks prior to the pilgrimage period. As they approach Mecca, they stop at one of the designated areas to shower and change clothing, entering into a state of devotion and purity for the pilgrimage.


During Hajj, Mina turns into an enormous tent city housing millions of pilgrims

On the first official day of the pilgrimage, the millions of pilgrims that have now gathered travel from Mecca to Mina, a small village east of the city. There they spend the day and night in enormous tent cities, praying, reading the quran, and resting for the next day.



On the second day of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims leave Mina just after dawn to travel to the Plain of Arafat for the culminating experience of the Hajj. the pilgrims spend the entire day there After sunset on the Day of Arafat, the pilgrims leave and travel to a nearby open plain called Muzdalifah


On the third day, the pilgrims move before sunrise, this time back to Mina. Here they throw their stone pebbles at pillars that represent the temptations of Satan. After casting the pebbles, most pilgrims slaughter an animal (often a sheep or a goat) and give away the meat to the poor.




The pilgrims then return to Mecca and perform seven tawaf, turns around the Ka’aba, the house of worship built by Abraham and his son. In other rites, the pilgrims pray near a place called “The Station of Abraham,” which is reportedly where Abraham stood while constructing the Ka’aba. The pilgrims also walk seven times between two small hills near the Ka’aba (and enclosed in the Grand Mosque’s complex caled 'safa' and 'marwa')..


In the days and weeks after Hajj, many Muslims take advantage of their travel time by visiting the city of Madinah, 270 miles north of Mecca

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Ending the fast at a mosque

Therefore, the Arabian lunar month is either twenty-nine or thirty days but never thirty-one days. Fasting in Ramadan, besides being a religious duty, is no doubt of great benefit as it trains one to be patient, wise, well disciplined and to share the feelings of others. In particular, it reminds all Muslims of the hardships faced by those less fortunate than themselves. Ramadan, traditionally held to be the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first revelation and the month in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet, is considered particularly holy by Muslims. Ramadan and, with it, the period of abstinence ends with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. With a sense of achievement that ensues from submission to the will of God, families and friends gather together to share celebratory meals.

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Al Masjid al Haram at night Al Masjid al Haram at night The imposition of fasting, which means complete abstention from food and drink and ***ual intercourse from sunrise until sunset during the month of Ramadan, is the third basic tenet of the Islamic religion. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Arabian calendar, which consists of twelve lunar months.