This is the ka'ba, a shrine assumed to be built by Abraham. Millions of Muslims come to pray here every year. It is the qibla, the direction Muslims pray towards. It is located in Mecca. http://mosthdwallpapers.com/khana-kaba-desktop-backgrounds/
Religous Beliefs
Islam's most important belief is that there is only one God. This God is Allah, who is both outside the human realm and able to be personal. The founder of Islam is Muhammad, who was chosen as a prophet to convey the Quran to the world. Muslims believe there were many prophets who walked the earth delivering messages, by there were several whose revelations changed humankind's relationship with Allah, such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. For Islam, the belief is that your decisions and actions determine if you are to be sent to Paradise or Hell by Allah on the Day of Judgment.
Muslims believe that humans are by nature good, but they have a tendency to forget that they are and sin. Muslims regard the world around us as a precious and good thing to be revered, as it is made by Allah.
There are two major sects of Islam, and one that is big but not distinct enough to be a real sect. These two are Sunnism and Shi'ism, and the other one is Sufism. Sunnism is the most commonly practiced type of Islam. Shi'ism can be identified through it's belief in Imams. An Imam, though not a prophet, is a person who walks the earth with special spiritual insight. There are twelve Imams, and they are all descended from Muhammad. Sufis are considered the spiritualists of Islam. They take the belief there is no God but Allah, and say there is nothing but Allah. They're teachings focus on connecting to Allah and becoming one with Allah. Islams most important text is the Quran, but teachings are also taken from Muhammad's work, called the Sunna.
Muslims believe that humans are by nature good, but they have a tendency to forget that they are and sin. Muslims regard the world around us as a precious and good thing to be revered, as it is made by Allah.
There are two major sects of Islam, and one that is big but not distinct enough to be a real sect. These two are Sunnism and Shi'ism, and the other one is Sufism. Sunnism is the most commonly practiced type of Islam. Shi'ism can be identified through it's belief in Imams. An Imam, though not a prophet, is a person who walks the earth with special spiritual insight. There are twelve Imams, and they are all descended from Muhammad. Sufis are considered the spiritualists of Islam. They take the belief there is no God but Allah, and say there is nothing but Allah. They're teachings focus on connecting to Allah and becoming one with Allah. Islams most important text is the Quran, but teachings are also taken from Muhammad's work, called the Sunna.
Medina, the second holiest in Islam. The city Muhammad originally fled to from Mecca, and where he got his first followers. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QY6eIDxSVQU
Religous Practice
Muslims practice their faith primarily through the Five Pillars of Islam. The first pillar is the confession of faith, known as the Shahada. It is a declaration that there is no God but Allah. The second pillar is prayer. All Muslims must pray five times a day; morning, noon, mid afternoon, sunset, and the evening. The third pillar calls for fasting. In the month of Ramadan, all Muslims, except those sick, on hard journeys, or breastfeeding, avoid eating, drinking, smoking, and sensual desires from sunup to sunset. They can partake after dark. The fourth pillar is wealth sharing. Islam requires 2.5 percent of the value of the families possessions must go to the public treasury. Poor people are exempt, and actually recurve some of the money, along with it going to public concerns. The fifth pillar of Islam calls for pilgrimage, or hajj. If a Muslim is able to afford it and is physically able, they must journey to Mecca. The shari'a goes beyond the five pillars as divine law, and details the behaviors a good Muslim must strive to always do. Such as, taking care if you body and not eating pork.
The Dome of the Rock, a mosque in Jerusalem. It is visited by thousands of pilgramers and tourists a year. https://freeimages.red/jerusalem-islam-10584/
Social Orginization
In Islam, community is an important part of everyday life. The Islam community is called Umma, and it is a thing that transcends differences, such as race and language, and focuses solely on the religion. Muslims hold a community prayer every Friday in a mosque. If a mosque isn't nearby, a pen open field works well too. The service is led by an imam, who is chosen each week to lead the service and conduct a sermon. Anyone can be an imam if they are chosen, but the person most knowledable about Islam is usually chosen, and that person is usually someone who has gone through years of study.
Maps
Left: https://www.outsideonline.com/1822261/if-it-doesnt-kill-you-first
Middle: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Muslim_Population_Map.png
Right: http://www.dhushara.com/book/sakina/haj/hajj2.htm
Middle: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Muslim_Population_Map.png
Right: http://www.dhushara.com/book/sakina/haj/hajj2.htm
The left picture is an illustration of the activities Muslims do during the Hajj. The middle map is a map of the percentage of Muslim people in each country. The right picture is also a map detailing the activities done during Hajj, but in a clearer way. It even has the order you do them in!