Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing God, who in Arabic is known as Allah. Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. They believe that nothing can happen without Allah's permission, but humans have free will.
Belief in the Oneness of God: Muslims believe that God is the creator of all things, and that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. God has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
The five pillars – the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (salah), alms-giving (zakat), fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj) – constitute the basic norms of Islamic practice. They are accepted by Muslims globally irrespective of ethnic, regional or sectarian differences.
The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of Islam:
“Islam teaches to respect others' values and culture. As Muslims, we don't celebrate Christmas but as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, we help people attend church services, take part in food drives and try to help and play a part in the joy of those individuals who are celebrating alone.
It is a fundamental tenet of Islam that everything is permissible, except those things that have been explicitly banned. Based on this, most Muslims would agree that it is permissible to have a dog for the purpose of security, hunting, farming, or service to the disabled.
In societies that practice polygamy, the specific type is polygyny, which is having more than one wife (polyandrous unions, of having more than one husband, are much less common). Muslim societies allow for up to four wives, but not without specific rules and regulations.
Although alcohol is considered haram (prohibited or sinful) by the majority of Muslims, a significant minority drinks, and those who do often outdrink their Western counterparts. Among drinkers, Chad and a number of other Muslim-majority countries top the global ranking for alcohol consumption.
Because of the prohibition on premarital sex, older Muslims often frown upon any visible interaction between unmarried young people, no matter how innocent. This can sometimes lead to assumptions that two individuals of the opposite sex who are just hanging out have an inappropriate premarital relationship.
Traditionally, dogs are considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam as they are thought of as dirty. But while conservatives advocate complete avoidance, moderates simply say Muslims should not touch the animal's mucous membranes — such as the nose or mouth — which are considered especially impure.
“Even though there are scholars who forbid dancing, there is a long tradition of dancing in Muslim cultures,” said Vernon Schubel, a Muslim and professor of religious studies at Kenyon College in Ohio. There is no mention of dancing in the Quran, which serves as Muslims' primary source of guidance.
The actual Muslim wedding is known as a nikah. It is a simple ceremony, at which the bride does not have to be present so long as she sends two witnesses to the drawn-up agreement. Normally, the ceremony consists of reading from the Qur'an, and the exchange of vows in front of witnesses for both partners.
Divorce is not something that is forbidden in Islam. Under the Quran, a husband can leave his wife for up to four months in a trial separation. Once that four-month period has elapsed, the husband and wife are to reunite to continue their marriage or obtain a divorce.
Yes, Muslims wear wedding rings. Like other cultures, Muslim couples see wedding rings as a tangible representation of their relationship and commitment. However, there are several rules and considerations they need to keep in mind as they wear their rings.
In Islam, the Mahr is the dowry or payment a groom must provide to his bride.
Marriages in Islam are often assisted or arranged (by the two families of the bride and groom) but these can only take place with the consent of both parties. If someone was forced to marry, then the marriage would be invalid.
Fatiha. A Fatiha is a blessing for the new couple. This custom involves the reading of the first verse of the Quran in the presence of the new couple with their immediate family and sometimes extended relatives.
In Islam, there is a process called Khitbah. It's the process when man propose the woman officially to her family. The range between khitbah and marriage is not allowed to be more than 6 months to prevent fitnah..
In truth, Islam teaches us love is kind, nourishing and pure. Meeting a spouse before marriage is wholly permitted and allowed if done with the right intentions and appropriately.
“A mangetar (fiancee) is like a stranger before the nikah (marriage)...it is not lawful to talk to her on phone without a valid reason,” the fatwa issued by the seminary's Darul Ifta (department of Fatwa) recently said. The fatwa also said talking to fiancee would be un-Islamic even when the parents allowed it.
In Islam, the engagement is termed as Khitbah. According to Islamic Law, engagement is just like an agreement or mutual promise that the boy and the girl make to marry each other in the future, and that they cannot see other people and that no one else should approach them for marriage.