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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 Fatiah, the opening chapter of the Quran, was central to Islamic prayer. A Shahadah is a simple formula which all the faithful declare, "There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God. There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is his prophet." This statement of faith was made when a person made a choice to convert to Islam and testified to the certainty that there was no other deity and that Muhammad was his messenger.
By making this
declaration, the believer announced his or her faith in all of God's messengers
and the scriptures revealed to them. In most Islamic traditional schools, the
sincere and honest recitation in Arabic of the Shahadah before two Muslim
witnesses was all that was required for a person to become a Muslim.
Salah are obligatory prayers containing verses from the Quran are performed five times daily at Fajr (dawn), Zuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), Magrib (sunset), and Isha'a (evening). A learned person chosen from the congregation leads the prayers in Arabic, the language of the Revelation. Central to the Muslim way of life, prayers link the worshipper directly to God. Salah must be recited from memory in the Arabic language even if the person does not speak or understand Arabic.
Performed with vocal
recitation, mental concentration, verbal communication, and physical movement,
prayers help Muslims attain spiritual upliftment, peace, and harmony. Personal
supplication can be offered in one's own language.
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