What Does It Mean To Be A Muslim?

Running Head : WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MUSLIM

What Does It Mean To Be a Muslim

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What Does It Mean To Be a Muslim

Recent events have put the Muslim population of the world in the middle of public attention . Unfortunate events like the 9 /11 terrorist 's bombings have place Muslims in a bad light because of some people 's accusations that the Islamic religion is somehow related to terrorism Nevertheless , even though the suicide bombers

who are responsible in these terrorists ' acts are indeed Muslims , it does not necessarily mean that all those people should be characterized as such . However , those people who lack the necessary knowledge about Islam as well as those people who adhere to these beliefs become susceptible in giving judgments toward the Muslims in the forms of stereotypes and prejudices Being the case , a persisting question arises , what does it really mean to be a Muslim ? To be a Muslim means to have a deep commitment towards your religion that is observable in words and in actions that is mindful of the well-being of oneself and most especially of other people

In to understand what it is to be a Muslim , the meaning of the Islamic religion must first be understood . The word Islam ' means to submit ' or submission (Chittick , 1992 , 2 . Thus , Islam is defined as voluntary submission to God 's will by following His revealed messages (Chittick , 1992 , 2 . The Koran states that Muslims ' are those who freely submit to God . As such , religion is a very important aspect of being a Muslim wherein they adhere and practice the different teachings and beliefs of their religion . The principles that guide the Islamic religion are found in the Koran . The Koran or Qu 'ran is a book of Holy Scriptures of the Islamic religion that contains a record of the Prophet Muhammad 's teachings , which he delivered during the seventh century (Dawood , 1990 . Since , Muhammad is considered as the messenger of Allah or God his teachings are also recognized as coming from the divine . Among the most notable principles that guide the Muslim in the practice of their faith are the Five Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are : Shahadah , Salat , Zakat , Sawm , Hajj First , the Shahadaha also known as the testimony is the basic foundation of remaining four pillars as it is considered as the gist of Islam 's central points . It is a profession of faith wherein an individual bear witness that there is no other god but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet (Schimmel , 1992 . Second , the Salat or the ritual prayer , which is performed properly five times a day . Third , the Zakat or giving alms or tax is considered as a form of charity , which is given to the poor and the needy . Fourth , Sawm is the practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan . Lastly , the Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca , the...