How often do you pray? Those who practice Islam are called Muslims, and they pray five times a day! They worship Allah, one of their names for God.
Muslims honor the Biblical prophets Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. They believe Jesus Christ was a prophet, and about 600 years after He died, another prophet named Muhammed revealed a scripture called the Quran and completed the religion.
Have you ever seen a woman wearing a headscarf to cover her hair? Maybe she was Muslim, covering her head to dress modestly. Other commandments that are important to Muslims include staying away from food that is haram, or unlawful, such as tobacco and alcohol.
If you ever visit a mosque, or an Islam place of worship, you’ll probably see lots of beautiful words. Instead of painting pictures of people and events, which they believe can be a form of idol worship, Muslims use this calligraphy as a form of artwork. Their Sabbath is on Fridays.
There are five pillars of Islam that are especially important to those who are Muslim. These are declaring your faith, holding daily prayers, paying tithing, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
If you have any Muslim friends, you could ask them if anyone in their family has traveled to Mecca, and what it was like. That is a holy city in Saudi Arabia that everyone who practices Islam is supposed to try and visit at least once in their lifetime.
Did you know there’s a book published by the Church called “Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles”? And here’s a story about young women who shared hijab gifts with Muslim friends. Our prophet today, President Russell M. Nelson, has taught that respecting other religions and being “tolerant of neighbors with differences they hold sacred” is important.1
Tomorrow we’ll be learning about Hinduism, so stay tuned!
To Think About
Notes
1. From “Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Apr. 1994 general conference.
Learn more about Islam here.