NATIIslam-Matt+S.

media type="custom" key="5658881"

The Islamic religion began in the holy city of Mecca and is still practiced today in the Middle East, North America and a large part of Asia. The people of the Islamic religion are called Muslims. They believe in only one god named Allah. The prophet of Allah, Muhammed founded this religion in 622. The Muslims believed that he was meditating in a cave and an angel named Gabrial appeared and ordered him to read some writings.

**Religious Leaders**
Muhammed was born during the year of 570AD in mecca which is now known as Saudia Arabia. He had died of natural causes in 622. The leaders of the Islamic religion include the head of state which is known as the Caliph. An imam is the leader of a mosque and the Mullah is an educated and religious Muslim man. Finally an Ayatollah is someone who represents a sign of god.

Places of worship
Muslims of the Islamic religion worship their god, Allah in a Mosque or Masjid. Some common places of worship in the Islamic religion are the Three places-Great Mosque which is the mosque of the prophet Muhammed, and the Masjid Al-Aqsa which is known as the Dome of rock in Jerusalem. The five pillars of Islam are the five duties that unite the Muslims into a community. These include (1) The Testimony of Faith, (2) Prayer, (3) Giving Zakat (Donating to the poor), (4) Fasting the month of Ramadan, and (5) The Pilgrimage to Makkah.



Religious Writings
= = Mainly, the Islamic religion believes in one god who's name is Allah. They believe in the prophets and messengers of Allah. The Quran contains descriptions of Allah. The Quran is the religions writings of the Islamic religion. The Muslims believe that Allah is the center of everything on earth. The Muslims of the Islamic religion also have beliefs in many other things such as Angels, god's revealed books, and they believe in the day of judgment.



**Islamic Symbols and** Festivals
The Crescent is commonly regarded as a symbol of Islam. The color green is a very popular color for Muslims and also represents a symbol of Islam. The Crescent is the symbol of the Sassanid Empire. The people of the Islamic religion celebrate many different religious festivals. The Muharram is a festival that celebrates the religious new year. Mawild Al-Nabi is the birthday of the prophet of Allah Muhammed. Eid al-Fitr is the celebration concluding Ramadan and Eid al-Adha is the celebration that concludes Haji.