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Islam Muslim Islamic Sunnah
Glossary Terminology
Islamic Calendar (Lunar Calendar)
A lunar calendar, the months
of the Islamic calendar started when the first crescent of a New Moon was sighted.
The solar year is eleven to twelve days longer than the lunar year so Ramadan,
for instance, migrates throughout the seasons.
The first day of Ramadan in 2005
is October 4th; while, the first day of Ramadan in 2006 is September 17th. Some
Muslims determine the beginning of the month by astronomical calculations; but
some Muslims insist the month only begins when there is a physical sighting of
the moon even though the Qur'an does not require one.
Kaaba (Ka'abah, Ka'ba, Ka'bah)
According to the teachings
of Islam, the Kaaba was originally built by Adam and later reconstructed by
Ibrahim and Ismail, the Kaaba was the first house of worship built for Muslims
and was the holiest place in Islam.
The Kaaba was the focal point
of Muslim prayers. All Muslims worldwide turn to this cube shaped structure
(Kaaba was Arabic for cube) based in the city of Makkah (Mecca) in their five
daily prayers. Over the years, the Kaaba has been reconstructed or renovated
several times. The Masjid al Haram mosque was build around the Kaaba.
A large masonry building fifty feet high, thirty five feet wide and forty feet long, the Kaaba was covered with the kiswa (a black silk cloth with gold-embroidered calligraphy that was replaced every year.
The interior of the Kaaba has
a marble floor, a cross beam from which lamps hung, a small table for incense
burners, green cloth covering the top part of the walls decorated with gold
embroidered Quranic verses, and marble inlaid with Quranic inscription tablets
on the lower part of the walls.
Quran (Qur'an, Koran, The Noble Qur'an)
The Quran, believed to be
the last revealed Word of God by the Muslims, was the primary source of their
practice and faith. A record of the exact words revealed by God to the Prophet
Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel, the Quran holy book was memorized by
Muhammad, recited to his Companions to memorize, and written down by scribes,
who cross-checked it during his lifetime.
The Quran was written in an early form of classical Arabic. After a short opening prayer, there are 114 suras (chapters) with thousands of ayat (verses) which were arranged by size beginning with the longest suras and ending with the shortest ones.
Noted by Muslims for its
grace and poetry, the Quran provided guidelines for doctrine, worship, law,
proper human conduct and an equitable economic system. The Fatiah, the opening
chapter of the Quran, was central to Islamic prayer...
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Read Islam Sunnah Articles
Five Pillars of Islam,
Glossary Terminology,
Islam Quran and Archangel Gabriel,
Islamic Calendar and the Black Stone,
Muslim Purification by Zakat and Swam,
Muslim Spiritual Beliefs,
Muslims Make the Pilgrimage of Hajj,
Shahadah and Muslim Salah Prayers,
Six Articles of Islamic Faith,
Sunnah Hadith Figh and Islamic Law,
The Holy Kaaba and Makkah of Islam
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Islam Muslim Islamic Sunnah Copyright © 2002-2008 Maureen Grace Burns, Blessings Cornucopia. All Rights Reserved.
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