What are some holy texts, major beliefs, and cultural influences that the religion of Islam has produced?
►Source of Islam.
The legal sources of Islam are the Qur’an and the Hadith. The Qur’an [holy book]is the exact words of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet’s sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for muslims.
http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/Intro_Islam.htm
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►There are many aspects of belief in which one who adheres to Islam must have firm conviction. From those aspects, the most important are six, known as the “Six Articles of Belief”.
1) Belief in God
2) Belief in the Angels
3) Belief in the Prophets and Messengers
4) Belief in the Sacred Texts
5) Belief in Life after Death
6) Belief in the Divine Decree
[u may read a very short explanation to each one of them in this link http://www.Islamreligion.com/articles/4/ all 6 are less then one web page ]
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►There are five simple but essential observances that all practicing Muslims accept and follow. These “Pillars of Islam” represent the core that unites all Muslims.
1) The ‘Declaration of Faith’
2) The Prayer (Salah)
3) The Compulsory Charity (Zakah)
4) The Fast of Ramadan (Sawm)
5) The fifth Pillar is the Pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca
[there is a brief explanation to each one of these 5 in this link http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/3/ the whole thing is half a page]
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►Diets:
Islam allows Muslims to eat everything which is good for the health. It restricts certain items such as pork and its by-products, alcohol and any narcotic or addictive drugs.
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►Islam is a complete way of life and is present in every field of human existence. Islam provides guidance for all aspects of life – individual and social, material and moral, economic and political, legal and cultural, and national and international. The Quran enjoins man to embrace Islam without any reservation and to follow God’s guidance in all areas of life.
→ Islaam commands all kinds of good and forbids all kinds of evil. It encourages good manners and proper treatment of others. It enjoins good characteristics such as truthfulness, patience, deliberation, kindness, humility, modesty, keeping promises, dignity, mercy, justice, courage, patience, friendliness, contentment, chastity, good treatment, tolerance, trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and self-control in times of anger.
→ Islaam commands the Muslim to fulfil his duty towards his parents and to uphold family ties, to help the needy, to treat neighbours well, to protect and safeguard the wealth of the orphan, to be gentle with the young and show respect to the old, to be kind to servants and animals, to remove harmful things from the road, to speak kind words.
→To forgive at the time when one has the opportunity to take revenge, to be sincere towards one’s fellow-Muslims, to meet the needs of the Muslims, to give the debtor time to repay his debt, to prefer others over oneself, to console others, to greet people with a smiling face, to visit the sick, to support the one who is oppressed, to give gifts to friends, to honour his guest, to treat his wife kindly and spend on her and her children, to spread the greeting of peace (salaam) and to seek permission before entering another person’s house, lest one see something private that the other person does not want one to see.
→Islaam forbids the consumption of riba (interest); all kinds of selling which involve ignorance (of the product), misleading and cheating; selling blood, wine, pork, idols and everything that Allaah has forbidden – their price, whether bought or sold – is haraam; najash, which is offering a price for something one has no intention of buying, as happens in many auctions; concealing a product’s faults at the time of selling; selling something which one does not own or before it comes into one’s possession; undercutting, outbidding or out bargaining another; selling produce before it is clear that it is in good condition and free of blemish; cheating in weights and measures; and hoarding.
→ It is forbidden to consume the wealth of orphans unjustly; to bet or gamble; to take anything by force; to accept or offer bribes; to steal people’s wealth or to consume it unjustly; to take something for the purpose of destroying it; to undermine the value of people’s possessions; to keep lost property which one has found, or to keep quiet about it and not announce it, for it belongs to the one who recognizes it; to cheat in any way; to ask for a loan with no intention of repaying it; to take anything of the wealth of a fellow-Muslim, unless it is given freely, because what is taken because of another person’s shyness is haraam; and to accept a gift because of intercession.
→ Also the dress code,if u go to an area where there is a lot of muslims,u’ll see they dress modestly,sometimes even parents who are not practicing islamic teaching they still refuse that their daughter date,and pre-marital sex is not accepted,one should guard their chasity and save him/herself to their spouce in marriage.
