The Five Pillars of Islam and the Role of Women in Islamic History - Prof. Khalil I. Elaya, Study notes of Literature and Development

Download The Five Pillars of Islam and the Role of Women in Islamic History - Prof. Khalil I. Elaya and more Study notes Literature and Development in PDF only on Docsity! Islam is a monotheistic religion, a religion that is part of the Abrahamic tradition. The word Allah, for instance, is the Arabic word for God, the equivalent of Yahweh. The five pillars of Islam are as follows: They are (1) the shahada (creed), (2) daily prayers (salat), (3) fasting during Ramadan (sawm), (4) almsgiving (zakat), and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.[5] A big part of Islam is good works. Some similarities to Judaism: Muslims do not eat pork, and they are pledged to the single God. They share the same prophets, except that he Muslims believe Jesus and Mohamed to both be prophets. The Jews do not recognize these two officially, although some Jews of Medina did recognize the prophet, while most did not. Some similarities to Christianity: Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet and the son of the Virgin Mary; thus, they believe in the Virgin birth. Muslims believe that they are carrying on the tradition of the early Hebrews and the early Christians and that in Mohamed's time, a revival of God/monotheism was needed. Islam spread the equality of all people. It sought to rectify the evils of slavery and the wrongs done to women, especially female infanticide. Adult women also gained rights and many were educated and provided a great deal to the intellectual community during the Islamic Renaissance. Shahrazad, for instance, represents the liberated, educated Islamic woman whose self-sacrifice to liberate the women of her kingdom (and the kingdom as a whole) from the vengeful activities of a despot, not by killing the man, but by helping him see the wrongs he has done through the power of storytelling. The concept of Islam begins with the word of God imprinted on Mohamed's mind. The word or words, then, become very important in the Middle East. Language proves that it can change the world.