The Religion of Islam

There is one basic and central theme of the religion of Islam. That sole belief is that there is but one God. Followers of Islam refer to him as Allah. They believe that Allah is almighty and all-powerful. According to Islam individuals are here for the purpose of serving and worshiping Allah himself as well as to create and live a moral lifestyle.

Practicing Muslims must follow the five essential concepts of their faith. Those concepts are referred to as The Five Pillars of Faith. The first pillar is that all Muslims must accept that there is but only one God. This God is referred to as Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet. In the second pillar followers of the Muslim faith must pray daily five times. The prayers are done while facing in the direction of Mecca. In the third pillar all Muslims must pay a tax to the government. In the fourth pillar it states that all Muslims must fast for the holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan all Muslims must not eat, drink, or have sexual intercourse from sun rise to sun set. The fifth and last pillar states that all Muslims must at least once in their lifetime make a journey to Mecca.

Of The Five Pillars of Faith the one that would be the easiest to fulfill would be the journey or pilgrimage to Mecca. In today's advanced technological advanced society it much easier to travel by car, plane, ship, and train than it was when Islam was just beginning. Traveling to Mecca of course would be a more difficult journey for those in poor health or do not have the necessary income to make such a trip.

If I were a practicing Muslim I would find that the most difficult pillar to follow would be the month of Ramadan. Not being able to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset for an entire month would be a difficult feat to accomplish. If I were a practicing Muslim and lived in an industrialized nation just the peer pressure from my surroundings would make it difficult to achieve this pillar. By not being able to adhere to the month of fasting would be a breach of my Muslim beliefs.