The Religion
The state religion of Islam is followed by about 85% of the population, of which about 70% are Shi'ite. The Sunni minority includes the royal family. Islam was founded in the early 7th century by the Prophet Mohammed who was born around 570 AD in the city of Mecca. At the age of 40 Mohammed began to receive revelations from the archangel Gabriel containing the words of God (Allah). The revelations continued for the rest of Mohammed's life and they were written down in the Quran (from the Arabic word for recitation) in a series of suras (verses). Unlike the Torah and Bible, which are interpretative work of many individuals, the Quran is said to be the direct word of Allah. Since its transcription by Mohammed, not one dot of the book has been altered
As well as designating the religion itself Islam connotes three fundamental aspects of the faith; the equivalent of ibadah, or acts of worship or ritual; the Five Pillars and the shari'ah.
Islam is the third and youngest of the major Semitic religions and theologically has an intimate relationship with Judaism and Christianity. The religion accepts all the Judaic Prophets as Prophets of Islam. Arabs and Jews have Abraham as a common ancestor. Jesus is also accepted as a Prophet and has an important place within Islam but is not considered Divine. Furthermore, the belief held by Moslems is that Jesus did not die on the cross and that the crucifixion was an illusion.
The Five Pillars of Islam, literally the fundaments of the religion, are accepted by all branches of Islam.
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The shahadah, which affirms that "there is no god but God (Allah) and that Muhammed is the messenger of God".
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Salah, literally prayer or worship, consisting of the ritual of five prayers at prescribed times each day. Salah is obligatory from the age of seven years and consists of a series of movements and a cycle of ritual actions known as rak'ah.
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Zakah, the giving of alms and a proportion of wealth possessed by an individual either to the poor, to travelers and to the state.
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Sawm, or fasting during the month of Ramadhan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting begins with actual sighting of the new moon. A Moslem does not eat or drink from dawn until sunset. After maghreb or evening prayer a breakfast is traditionally eaten which is then followed by suhur before dawn.
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Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Makkah which should be performed at least once in a lifetime by those able to do so physically and economically. The hajj takes place at a particular period in the Islamic calendar and consists of an elaborate series of rites taking place in the Grand Mosque in Makkah and its environs (Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat) over several days.
The Quran, literally reading
or recitation, is the holy book of Islam containing 114 chapters (or surah)
and revealed by God in a form which is now the basis of classical Arabic.
(This is taken from the Book Resident in Bahrain)
This is probably more information than you cared to read, but if you would
like further reading here are some links:
Investigate Islam from a Christian point of view
Click on the Flag to go to other Bahrain Links and to learn more about Bahrain
