What is a Muslim?

The word Muslim is an Arabic word and has the same root as the word Islam and it means the one who submits to the one God, Allah. Submission means obeying Gods commands as revealed in the Quran and following the example of the last Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him).

What does a Muslim believe?

A Muslim believes in God the Creator and that the purpose in life is to worship God the Creator. A Muslim also believes in the Divine Books of God (Torah, Bible and Quran); the Angels, the Prophets, the Day of Judgement, Predestination. Islam is a confirmation of the previous message revealed to all the other Prophets.

How does a Muslim worship?

Islam is a practical religion. It is not only about believing but also about acting on that belief. What makes a person a Muslim is submitting to the one God by obeying Gods commands. Muslims worship by praying 5 times a day, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, going for pilgrimage once in their lifetime and giving a certain percentage of their wealth to the most needy.

Apart from these obligatory acts of worship Muslims practice their religion in every aspect of their life, for example a smile, a kind word or even removing an obstacle from the path of others can be an act of worship with the right intention.   

How does a Muslim live?

Islam is not just a religion. It is a way of life. When Muslims encounters a problem in everyday life they look to the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to resolve it. Muslims are commanded by Islam to act according to certain guidelines. Islam teaches us to respect our parents, neighbours and all members of the society. It defines in detail the social, economic, political and legal system we should live by.

Who leads Muslims?

There is no hierarchy of leadership nor monarchy system in Islam. In an Islamic state all the systems of Islam are applied by a leader called the Khalif.

The job of the Khalif is to ensure that the laws are implemented. All the laws in Islam are derived from Quran and Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet) and are not man-made.

Nowadays none of the Muslim countries can be classified as Islamic as there is no Khalif who leads all Muslims. However all the rules of Islam are still derived from Quran and Sunna.

What are Muslim festivals?

he Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle and is 10 days shorter than the solar calendar. The fasting month, Ramadan, falls in the ninth month of the year in Islamic calendar. After Ramadan Muslims celebrate the festival called Eid-ul-Fitr. The second one is Eid-ul- Adha which is 2.5 month after Ramadan and follows the pilgrimage to Mecca. It relates to the story of Abraham when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Ismail.

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Useful links:

BBC web site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam
Muslim Council of Southampton - http://www.mcs-online.org

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