Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a

large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, safeness and peace.
In a religious context it means "voluntary submission to God". Muslim, the word
for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb of which
Islm is the infinitive. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God,
following his commands, and rejecting polytheism. The word sometimes has
distinct connotations in its various occurrences in the Qur'an. In some verses,
there is stress on the quality of Islam as an internal conviction: "Whomsoever
God desires to guide, He opens his heart to Islam.
Islam is both community, a religion, way of life, a culture and a civilization. It is a
religion of the book of Qu ran. The life of man is supposed to be a witness and a
testimony of faith in one God, Allah. The Muslims believe in faith plus good
works. The Prophet (Muhammed) taught that the following comprises the
Muslim Creed:

There is no divinity outside God.

Muhammed is Gods envoy to teach the truth.
There is a resurrection after mans death.
Divine decrees govern good and evil.
The Muslims also believe in four Prophets namely Abraham, Moses as
Musa, Jesus as Kisa. They believe in one God, who is merciful and
powerful, maker of heaven and earth, speaker to men. They submit to Gods
inscrutable decrees just as Abraham did. They reverse Jesus as Prophet
and honor Mary with devotion. Based on the Census of 1990, there are
about 5,000,000 Filipino Muslims or 4.9% of the total Philippine
population. It is possible to have a dialogue between Christians and
Muslims in the Philippines without a working acquaintance with Islamic
religion and morality. Islam was introduced in the Philippines by an Arab
Missionary named Sharif Makdum., together with traders from the Malay
Peninsula and Borneo, landed in 1380 at Sulu. Aside fom imparting
religious knowledge upon the natives, the propagators of Islam introduced
the system of law and government, taught Arabic literature and language,
and greatly assisted the natives in their multifarious activities.

Al-Qu ran (The Koran)

literally meaning "the recitation", alsoromanised Qur'an or Koran) is the

central religious tet of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation
from God (Arabic: ,Allah) Its scriptural status among a world-spanning
religious community, and its major place within world literature generally, has
led to a great deal of secondary literature on the Quran. Quranic chapters are
called suras and verses are called ayahs.

Al-Sunnah (Prophetic tradition)

The way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings
and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and interpretations of
the Quran. The word sunnah is derived from the root meaning smooth and easy
flow or direct flow path. The word literally means a clear and well trodden path.

Al-Qiyas (Analogy)

In Islamic jurisprudence, qiys is the process of deductive analogy in which the

teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in
order to apply a known injunction (nass) to a new circumstance and create a new
injunction. Here the ruling of the Sunnah and the Qur'an may be used as a means
to solve or provide a response to a new problem that may arise. This, however, is
only the case providing that the set precedent or paradigm and the new problem
that has come about will share operative causes The illah is the specific set of
circumstances that trigger a certain law into action.

Al-Ijma (Consensus)

Ijm is an Arabic term referring to the consensus or agreement of the Muslim

community basically on religious issues. Various schools of thought within
Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus to be that of the first generation
of Muslims only; or the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; or
the consensus of the jurists and scholars of the Muslim world, or scholarly
consensus; or the consensus of all the Muslim world, both scholars and laymen.
As a religion, Islam is equated wth submission to the will of God. Hence,
Muslim means Giving to God. The Islamic faith recognizes Christianity along

with Jesus Christ as of its 28 Prophets. Islam founded on the so called 5 Pillars of
Faith. These consists of the profession of faith in one God and the practice of the
four obligations which are Praying, Almsgiving, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.

Testimony
The Shahadah,[60] which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited
under oath with the specific statement or I testify that there are no deities other
than Allah alone and I testify that Muhammad is his Messenger." This testament
is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat
the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are
required to recite the creed.
Prayer
Ritual prayers, called must be performed five times a day. Salat is intended to
focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that
expresses gratitude and worship. Salat is compulsory but flexibility in the
specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in
the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Qur'an.[62] The prayers are
done with the chest in direction of the kaaba though in the early days of Islam,
they were done in direction ofJerusalem.
Alms-giving
is giving a fixed portion of accumulated wealth by those who can afford it to help
the poor or needy and for those employed to collect Zakat; also, for bringing
hearts together, freeing captives, for those in debt (or bonded labour) and for the
(stranded) traveller. It is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to
voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen
as a "trust from God's bounty". Conservative estimates of annual zakat is
estimated to be 15 times global humanitarian aid contributions. The amount of
zakat to be paid on capital assets (e.g. money) is 2.5% (1/40) per year, for people
who are not poor. The Qur'an and the hadith also urge a Muslim to give even
more as an act of voluntary alms-giving called Sadaqah.
Fasting

Fasting, from food and drink (among other things) must be performed from
dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan. The fast is to encourage a feeling
of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and
dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. Sawm is
not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden.
For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts
usually must be made up quickly.
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage, called the has to be done during the Islamic month of Dhu alHijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must
make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. Rituals of the
Hajj include: spending a day and a night in the tents in the desert plain of Mina,
then a day in the desert plain of Arafat praying and worshiping God, following the
foot steps of Abraham. Then spending a night out in the open, sleeping on the
desert sand in the desert plain of Muzdalifah, then moving to Jamarat,
symbolically stoning the Devil recounting Abraham's actions. Then going to
Makkah and walking seven times around the Kaaba which Muslims believe was
built as a place of worship by Abraham. Then walking seven times
between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah recounting the steps of Abraham's wife,
while she was looking for water for her son Ismael in the desert before Mecca
developed into a settlement.

 Is a philosophical system which strongly emphasizes mans place in nature.

Had originally commanded the respect of the powerful until Confucianism replace it as the
guardian of official values.
It appealed or spiritual life, until Buddhism displaced it from the pedestal.

It functioned as a magical system with incantations for healing disease, countering death and
awarding off evil spirits.