Describe the basic beliefs of Islam

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Like Judaism, Islam is a religion in the Abrahamic tradition; both religions arise through sons of Abraham—Judaism through Isaac and Islam through Ishmael. Islam, whose followers are known as Muslims, is based on the teachings of its founder, Muhammad, who was born in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia) in about 570 C.E. According to Muhammad, followers must adhere to the five Pillars of Islam: (1) believing that there is no god but Allah, (2) participating in five periods of prayer each day, (3) paying taxes to help support the needy, (4) fasting during the daylight hours in the month of Ramadan, and (5) making at least one pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah in Mecca. The Islamic faith is based on the Qur'an, the holy book of the Muslims, as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel at the command of God. According to the Qur'an, it is up to God, not humans, to determine which individuals are deserving of punishment and what kinds of violence are justified under various conditions. The Islamic notion of jihad, meaning "struggle," is a core belief. The Greater Jihad is believed to be the internal struggle against sin within a person's heart, whereas the Lesser Jihad is the external struggle that takes place in the world, including violence and war. The term jihad is typically associated with religious fundamentalism. Today, more than 19 percent of the world's population considers itself to be Muslim. Most of the more than one billion adherents of this religion reside in the Middle East. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States. Recent Muslim arrivals in the United States typically have come from countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Muslims in the United States have not always felt welcome. The bombings of the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 and the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 intensified stereotypes regarding people appearing to be Muslim or from countries associated with Islam.