Islam

Islam is a monotheistic abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the islamic prophet Muhammad.This man was born in the Arabian city of Mecca more than 1400 years ago in a very poor family.His father died when he was young and then he was adopted by his uncle. He married a woma called Khadija. Muhammad saw Allah in a profound cave called Hira near Mecca. In the cave, Allah (God of the Muslims) showed him a sacred book, the Qur'an and ordered him that he must preach the religion.The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God. An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits.Islam is the second largest religion of the world. People who believe in this religion are called Muslims.

Duties and practices

The Five Pillars of Islam are five practices essential to Sunni Islam. Shi'a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the Five Pillars. They are:

• Shahadah (profession of faith)
• Salah (ritual prayer)
• Zakah (alms tax)
• Sawm (fasting during Ramadan)
• Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Sunni

Are the largest group in Islam. In arabic, as-Sunnah literally means "principle" or "path". The Sunnah (the example of Muhammad's life) as recorded in the Qur'an and the hadith is the main pillar of Sunni doctrine. Sunnis believe that the first four caliphs were the rightful successors to Muhammad; since God did not specify any particular leaders to succeed him, those leaders had to be elected. Sunnis recognize four major legal traditions, or madhabs: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. All four accept the validity of the others and a Muslim might choose any one that he or she finds agreeable, but other Islamic sects are believed to have departed from the majority by introducing innovations