Welcome to Gaia! ::

Assalamu alaykum ladies! biggrin (Just in case someone doesn't know what that means, that's Arabic for "Peace be on you." It is a greeting. It is a kind, friendly, and peaceful hello.) I'll denote Arabic translations in red for people who don't know what they mean.

Just wondering if there are any Muslim sisters out there? In this post, I'm going to give a brief run down of what Islam is, and then Insh'Allah (Insh'Allah is Arabic for God willing), we can have some interesting and fun discussions.


First, what is Islam? The word Islam basically means submission or surrender. Islam is a monotheistic religion, which means Muslims believe in one god. So, Islam is a monotheistic religion in which Muslims surrender to the one and only god. His Arabic name is Allah (swt). After one says His name, they say Subhanahu wa ta'ala (swt) which translates to Free and exalted is He.

OK! So now we know what Islam is. Now what?

Well, lets start with the 5 pillars of Islam. They are (and I will go into details for each) :
1. The Shahada Testimony of Faith
2. Salat 5 Daily prayers
3. Giving Zakat Donating to the needy, or to any charitable cause
4. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca

First Pillar of Islam: the Shahada, or Testimony of Faith.
When one decides to convert, or revert back to Islam, all they have to do is say the Shahada and truly mean it from the heart. In Arabic, it goes: Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah and it's English translation is, I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and I bear withness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. (More on the prophet later in the post) If you say this and truly mean it, then Insh'Allah you are a new Muslim! biggrin But that's not all, now on to the second pillar.

Second Pillar of Islam: Salat, or 5 daily prayers
A big part of being Muslim is praying. Each prayer takes about 10 minutes. The prayer times are as follows: Fajr Pre-dawn prayer, Dhuhr Noon prayer, 'Asr Late afternoon prayer, Maghrib Sunset prayer, and finally, 'Isha Night prayer.

To me, prayer means building a personal relationship with Allah (swt) and remembering Him and His guidance. It's very calming and builds a sense of inner peace and reflection within me. With all that Allah (swt) does for us and more, He only asks to be worshiped in return.

Third Pillar of Islam: Giving Zakat, or Donations
Part of Islam is giving a small amount of financial aid to those who need (if you are able to of course). "Give to others what you would like to have" is the main jist of it in my opinion. Donating to charities shows selflessness and kindness.

Fourth Pillar of Islam: Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth Islamic month in the Islamic calender. We fast so we can gain sympathy for those who go hungry, and gain appreciation for the blessings we have. During Ramadan, we don't eat, drink, or engage in sexual activities from dawn until sunset (Maghrib, the fourth daily prayer). After the Maghrib prayer, we can break the fast. I suggest breaking the fast with something light like water and fruits, then a little later, a big dinner known as Iftar. It's a good idea to wake up before sunrise to break the fast with lots of water and large breakfast so as to prevent dizziness or other issues.

And finally...

The Fifth Pillar of Islam: The Pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca is the holiest city in the Islam religion. As a Muslims, we are required to make a pilgrimage there at least once in our lifetime. This pilgrimage is known as Hajj.

There is one more thing I have to cover and then that will conclude the basics of Islam!

Prophet Muhammad (saws) Salallahu 'alayi wa sallam (s.a.w.s) means "Blessings of Allah be upon him and peace". He was the final messenger of Allah (swt), he spread the word and signs of Allah (swt) to others through the holy Qur'an.

Insh'Allah this was helpful to many of you out there and I hope we can engage in friendly discussion. In case if some of interested, I'll post the Islamic Calender that I mentioned earlier.


Month 1: Muharram
Month 2: Safar
Month 3: Rabi I
Month 4: Rabi II
Month 5: Jumada I
Month 6: Jumada II
Month 7: Rajab
Month 8: Sha'ban
Month 9: Ramadan
Month 10: Shawwal
Month 11: Dhu'l-Qa'dah
Month 12: Dhu'l-Hijjah

Alhamdulilah. There are muslim in this guild. biggrin

We're currently studying Islam in my World Histories class. I honestly find the history of it more interesting than the actual religion itself, but the belief system is well-structured and has logical merit :3

I think one of my favorite ideas about the belief system is that who was supposed to succeed the spot of the Twelfth Imam, a young boy who disappeared before being able to take the position, was considered the Hidden Imam after this and thought to be the one who would welcome God's peace into the world at what I'm figuring is their version of the Rapture. I think it's a nice idea, despite seeming a little childish. It's comforting to know they still think of the missing child as a martyr. Even if it's just the Shiite faction of the religion ^^;

There are only a few things I "disagree" about in the religion, though it's not so much disagreement as my own personal distaste. Most of it pertains to some Shiite beliefs - firstly, how even after their revolt against the Sunni in 749 succeeded, just because the person chosen to become caliph was not actually a descendent of Ali (despite being entirely qualified and a result of the very same revolt), they refused to accept him. That doesn't make any sense to me, and honestly irritates me a bit... It's a bit narrow minded...

The only other thing that irritates me about Shiism is just to blame because of my cynical personality - Ali's death turned him into a martyr, Husayn's death turned him into a martyr, though both of them clearly displayed signs of aggression not based on religion but more based on personal grudges (well, Husayn I could understand. He did fight against those who persecuted his belief and he actually had a good point when he opposed Muawiya appointing his son as the next caliph). Add that to the missing Twelfth Imam, which, despite being something I like about the religion, is still turning someone into a martyr without actual reason. I just feel like the Shiites somehow magically believed their faction of the religion is... how do you put it, "inclined"?

The only other thing would be the Sunni persecution of the now minority of Shiites, but persecution in any situation isn't something I favor.

Salaamu aleikum sisters! ^_^

I just wanted to answer your question because it looks as if no one did, but yes young children, the elderly, and the ill (such as with cold, or too weak to fast-due to health issues).