Abigail

Casandra
Cazjmere
Ugonma
World Religions Group Paper
ISLAM
Islam is a hybrid mix of Judeo-Christian that follows the teachings of the god named
Allah. Muslims believe in one god, and believe that Muhammad is their prophet. Islam
encompasses a facet of a Muslims life such as, spiritual, social, economic, and intellectual.
Religion is the story of faith. It is an uninstitutionalized system of symbols and metaphors that
provides a common language with which a community of faith can share with each other their
numinous encounter with the Divine Presence (Aslan 23).
When we arrived at the mosque we met up with a gentleman and his mother whom we
had spoken to about attending their mosque. The lady guided us into the mosque and gave us
scarves to put over our heads. We were instructed to remove our shoes before entering the prayer
area and keeping our scarves on. While we were preparing to enter the prayer we were listening
to the adhan, which is the call to prayer. The Iman then started his speech on the topic of
Facebook and how they must know how to use it in a positive way not a negative one. He
explained that no foul language should be used, and that they shouldnt engage in gossip. After
the speech the prayer began which was led by the Iman. Everyone was facing the direction of the
Kaaba and repeated certain things that were said as they rose their hands, bowed, and kneeled.
We were not able to pray because we werent cleansed, so we had to sit in the back and watch.
While at the mosque we learned that the tongue is the strongest muscle of the body, especially
when used positively. The tongue is used in the Islamic religion to pray, worship and spread the
word of the Holy Quran. Before the Quran was written, there was days of ignorance where

there was no Islamic sense, believers were considered ignorant or stupid. In the text it states,
...that intriguing yet ill-defined era of paganism that muslims refer to as the Jahiliyyah- the Time
of Ignorance, (Aslan 5). We believe the tongue was a part of the lesson from the Iman
because of the time of ignorance. The tongue is not to be used in vain or negatively. One of the
six pillars of faith and other Islamic beliefs is belief in The Angels. The Angels are good forces
of nature, hologram images, or illusions. They are not divine, they are not objects to be
worshipped or prayed to, as they do not deliver our prayers to God. They all submit to God and
carry out his commands. When foul language is ignorantly used on social media towards another
person, or about the Islamic religion, The Angels are watching and report back to God. Islam
reminds us that the tongue is like a loaded weapon: the safety latch should always be on. The
power of speech has the ability to wreak havoc upon entire communities through deception,
propaganda, and instigation.
Islam is a religion where peace is celebrated and is unified by the love of one another. The
purpose of existence is said to be so that Allah is recognized for all the good that he has done.
Therefore, Muslims pray and live a fulfilling life to honor him with the hope theyll be accepted
into heaven. " According to Arab tradition, the penalty for treason was clearly defined: the men
were to be killed, the women and children sold into slavery, and their property dispersed as
booty." (Aslan 91) It is believed in the Islam religion that your actions come with a consequence
whether it be from Allah or a fellow man. They live a life that is pure and love one another like
brothers and sisters.