ABSTRACT
Islam, meaning 'submission [to God]', was founded in the early seventh century by the Arabian prophet Muhammed (570-632) based on a series of revelations which he believed that he had received from Allah ('God'). The religion taught by the Prophet Muhammed was a doctrinally simple monotheism requiring the believer to perform five acts, known as the Five Pillars of Islam. These acts are the shahada or profession of faith ('There is only one God, and Muhammed is His Prophet'), salat or regular worship (five daily prayers and attendance at Friday communal worship), zakat or the giving of alms to the needy, saum or fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and, if possible, the making of a hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. The Islamic scripture, the Qur'an ('recital'), is seen to be the veritable word of God as revealed through Muhammed and recorded in Arabic for posterity. It is considerable to be sacred and untranslatable, although translations have been done of the scripture which are considered in effect to be commentaries on the scripture itself.
