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  God's 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 God's  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?

The  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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