Meaning of the word "Islam"

Islam:

The word Islam literally translates in English to "becoming peaceful, acceptance, submission, self-surrender". It comes from the word Salam meaning peace. Muslims believe that the ummah (global community of Muslims) are all brothers and sisters of Islam and should be treated with utmost respect.

Qur'an:

The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur'an is the sayings of God.

Islam teaches that the Qur'an was revealed by God to Muhammad with the help of an angel called Jibreel. The Qur'an teaches the Muslims to follow the right path by only doing good to please God. Muslims believe God alone decides who goes to Jannah (Heaven) and that doing good in this lifetime will bring them closer to God. The Qur'an has a total of 30 chapters. In each chapter there are many verses. Many Muslims try to memorize the entire Qur'an and ones who do are called a Hafiz or Hafez.

Other important books are the Sunnah, or biographies of Muhammad and Hadith compilations, which are collections of sayings attributed to Muhammad.

Place of worship:

Muslims pray in a place of worship called the mosque. The Muslims place of worship is properly known as a masjid in Arabic. Most masjids have at least one dome, and some have one or more towers. But a masjid does not need to have a dome or tower. Muslims take their shoes off before entering the masjid to pray. Prayer is one of the most important things that a Muslim does.

Call to prayer:

The Muslim is called to prayer five times a day. This call to prayer is called Adhan. The muezzin, a man appointed to call to prayer, uses a loudspeaker which carries the voice for the people nearby. This is often done out loud publicly in Muslim countries. Most people are called to prayer in Islamic countries as a daily part of life.