ABSTRACT
Related group bonds tie individuals in any society together. Families have the strongest societal bonds and are the foundation of all human societies, including Muslims. Roughly one out of five individual across the globe is Muslim and belongs to a family (Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and Affairs, 2013), but even in this age of global interconnection with extensive technological advances connecting all societies together most Westerners with Christian upbringings know little about Islam and Muslim families. This chapter will discuss basic principles of the religion of Islam to familiarize mental health professionals mostly from Western cultural backgrounds with the central Muslim beliefs. It is important to note that while many Muslims may not practice their religion, culturally they may operate their daily lives based on these principles either consciously or consciously.
