The Five Pillars

There are not a lot of Islamic practices but are very strong in importance. They are entitled The 5 Pillars of Islam. These five practices are essential to the Muslim faith.
The Five Pillars-
Confession of faith – Fundamental Belief: There is no god but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God
Ritual Prayer
Alms tax
Fasting during Ramadan
Pilgrimage to the Mecca

-MM

http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/practices/zakat-alms.htm

Prayer Rugs

Muslims use what is called a “prayer rug” during their prayers. They usually measure about one meter long and look like smaller versions of oriental carpets”. During Islamic prayers Muslims bow and knell in humility before god. There is one requirement, and this is that the prayers are conducted in clean areas. They are not used all over and are not required in Islam but they help to make sure the cleanliness of where they pray. They are often brightly colored and geometric or floral patterns. When it is prayer time the worshiper lays the rug down and points the top towards Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

-MM

http://islam.about.com/od/prayer/f/prayer_rugs.htm

Rights

Birth Rights
There are two rituals at a child’s birth:
1) The “Call to Prayer” which is whispered into the newborns ear as the first sound it hears. This marks as the bringing awareness of Allah at the first moments of life.
2) A few days after the birth a naming ceremony is held. In front of family and friends the child is formally given a name. The naming ceremony also serves as an entrance for those who convert to Islam later in life.

Marriage Rights
Adult Muslims are all expected to wed, which means traditionally parents will set up marriages. Marriage is very serious for Muslims, although divorce is permitted; there are strong moral beliefs against it. Islamic law states that there must be a bilateral contract set up between not only the husband and wife but also both coinciding families.
-MM


http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/Religionet/er/islam/Islife.htm

Holidays

Muharrum (The Islamic New Year)-The Islamic year begins at the start of the month of Muharrum. The New Year is celebrated peacefully with prayer and reflections.

Mawlid al-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday)- This Islamic Holiday celebrates the birth of the found of Islam, Muhammad. It is on the 12th day of the month of Rabi.

Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal)Ramedan- Ramadan, is the month of fasting, and ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr. This means the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”. This is one of the two most important Islamic holidays. At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their nicest clothes, ornament their homes with decorations, give treats to children, and visit with their friends and family. Charity is always looked high upon in the Islamic Religion but espcailly around Ramadan time. As the month ends, Muslims are compelled to share their blessings by feeding the poor and contributing to mosques.

Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah)- HajjEid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, It honors the Prophet Abraham's willingness to obey Allah by sacrificing his son Ishmael. It lasts for three days at the end of the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The festival is celebrated by sacrificing a lamb or other animals and sharing the meat with relatives, friends, and the poor. The sacrifice symbolizes obedience to Allah.
-MM

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/islamicholidays.html

The Holy Book

The teachings can be found in the Qur’an, which is believed to be the word of God received by Muhammad, spoken by the angel Gabriel. In the time of Muhammad the Qur’an was only in oral form. It was first written by Abu Bakr and is made up of 114 surahs (chapters) arranged from longest to shortest. Another influential document is the Hadith where saying of Muhammad are complied. Other books are studied however are less important because they are thought to have been corrupted, they include the Torat of Moses, the psalms of David Zabur, the book of prophets Suhuf, and the gospel of Jesus Injil.
-CH

McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today's Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983. Twelfth printing, June 1992.

The Two Branches

There are two main branches of Islam teaching, the Tawhid is one and it defines what everyone should believe and the other is Shari’a, which tells everything a believer should do. In both there is no priesthood or sacraments. Instruction is passed on by those who are considered to have complete knowledge in the theology. Muhammad was the first of these leaders and is believed to be the last and most perfect of God’s seven prophets. Huda. "Islam".
-CH

http://islam.about.com/. Accessed

Sunni's vs Shiite's

The Sunni and Shiite dispute started over who should have become the leader of the Muslim world after Mohammed died over 1,400 years ago. However, the dispute is still going on today. The Sunni’s thought that the best person to take over as leader was Abu Bakr, a friend of Mohammad. However, the Shiite’s thought that the best option for a new leader was Ali, Mohammed’s son-in-law and cousin. Today the Shiite’s are mostly in India, Pakistan, and the Persian Golf countries. Not only are the Sunni’s and the Shiite’s different in who they think should have become leader but they also differ in the way they pray as well as their beliefs on marriage. During prayer the Sunni’s believe that ones arms should be crossed while the Shiite’s believe that they should be straight. Shiite’s also allow temporary marriage while Sunni’s would never allow that.
-JW

Shiite-Sunni strife has deep roots, but so does coexistance
By Jefferey Gettleman