Allah is the center of Islamic faith. Allah is literally, "the God." Allah is the creator, and nothing else compares to Him. Like most other religions, Muslims believe in one God. Over 23% of the world believes in Allah, and He is the center of their universe.

     There are six traits that are common in all religions; and the two that express Islam as a religion are the sacred symbols and rituals, and the sacred stories of creation, and Muhammad's life.

      A very important symbol/sacred place, that must be known before learning about rituals is called the Kaaba. It is located in the city of Mecca.The Kaaba is a black box, built around a sacred stone that was believed to be placed by Abraham. It is located in a mosque. When Muslims pray, they pray towards the Kaaba, no matter where in the world they are.

     In the Islamic faith, there are not many symbols, but the most important symbol represents the five most important rituals of the faith. The symbol is called "The Five Pillars of Islam". The symbolism is that these five pillars hold up the entire Islamic community and religion. Altogether, the pillars are a symbol. Each separate pillar is more a ritual then a symbol.

     The first pillar is "Shahadah". The Shahadah is a Muslim statement of belief. If you were to say the statement three times with a witness

present, you would become a Muslim.

    The next ritual is not an actual pillar, but must be performed before practicing the next pillar. This ritual is called "Wudhu". This is a simple ritual, consisting of cleansing before prayer. It is mandatory to maintain hygiene when entering a place of worship.

     This next pillar is called "Salah". Salah is about prayer. After an individual has performed Wudhu, they enter the place of worship and the person faces down on the floor, in the direction of Kaaba. The person prays five times a day; in the morning,

noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night-time. Why do Muslims pray five times a day? Muhammad was told by Allah that people must pray five times a day. The people also recite parts of the Holy Books. This pillar is more than verbal, it is also an internal feeling.

     Another pillar, which must be performed yearly is called "Zakat". This pillar is about donating. Every year, Muslims must give 2.5% of their earnings to the poor. This ritual ensures that wealth is being circulated through the Islamic community.

     The next pillar is called "Sawm". This is a fast. During Ramadan, the 9th month of the Muslim Calendar, one must stay away from food, drink, sex, and alcohol from sunrise to sunset. This helps one practice self control, and the awareness of God's presence.

     The last pillar is the most important. It is called "Hajj", and it

is a pilgrimage. A Muslim is encouraged to participate in this pilgrimage at least once in their lives. The individual will go to Mecca, and participate in a ceremony in front of the Kaaba. This helps Muslims reach a better understanding of their faith. In this pilgrimage, another ritual is performed, animal sacrificing. Livestock is killed, and fed to the poor.

     In addition to the many sacred rituals that Muslims perform to help further reach understand their faith, there are many sacred stories as to how the Holy Books came to Earth, as well as creation stories and how sacred cities came to be.
     Next to Allah, Muhammad is the next most highly worshiped figure. Muhammad lived on Earth, and was chosen by Allah to be the messenger of God. He did not perform miracles, he simply preached what he was taught. Muhammad was the leader of the Islam faith. Allah recited the entire Holy Book to Muhammad, which he had memorized. Muhammad also fought for land. He had conquered almost all of Arabia for Islam.

     An important story mentioned in the Holy Book is the creation story. God took six days to create the earth. It is not mentioned how it was created or what was created, He just said, "Be" and it became.

     Being a Christian, it is more challenging to relate to Islamic faith. It is evident that both faiths are theocentric, meaning we believe in God. We also only believe in one God. But, the catholic religion does not have such outlined rituals; sure, we should attend church every Sunday, but I do not actually do that. The other thing that can be potentially related to is the creation story. All religions have creation stories, happening over a span of about a week. So in conclusion, the closest relation to Christianity and Islam is the fact that we are monotheists.

     Writing about three different religions has helped me really understand. When writing in a way that is meant for people who are starting off with absolutely no knowledge, it also allows myself to go back to the basics and understand each detail carefully. All religions have similarities.

Our creation stories are mostly the same, we mostly believe in one God or leader, and we all have prayers and special rituals. Although we may differ in small details, religion is all the same, in essence. Religion is only how we interpret it.