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The word Islam can be translated as that peace which Muslims believe is found when we realise that nothing which happens on earth is independent of God. Muslims believe that we are totally dependent on Allah and that if we forget this and imagine we can lead independent lives we will lose our sense of peace. At the root of the word Islam is salaam, used in the traditional Muslim greeting, As-Salamu-Alaykum, peace be upon you.

Islam is, for Muslims, the way of peace and harmony. The Qur‟an describes how everything – including the moon and the stars, the hills and the oceans – obeys a law, the law of Allah. Superb harmony and perfect order are to be discerned in the system of nature: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and there has been no change to this rule; the moon and the stars shine at night, day passes and night comes. These are the signs of Allah in the natural world, as is the ordered geometry of a snowflake and the perfect ratio of the spiral of a nautilus shell.

Muslims believe that encompassing and transcending everything within creation, including time and space, is Allah. The rich diversity of animate and inanimate creation has its origin in Allah. This is Tawhid, the Muslim belief in the oneness of Allah, the sustainer of the universe and the sole source of its guidance. The effect of Tawhid on human life is that a Muslim is aware of that same direction and purpose in her/his life as is to be seen in nature. Islamic pattern, on walls, carpets, tiles or in the design of a mosque, attempts to express the infinite variety of the natural world while reflecting the order and harmony underlying it. The use of geometric patterns with their infinite permutations reflect the greatness of Allah, whom nothing can equal and no one can represent. A border confines the pattern but where does it really begin and where does it end?

Muslims believe that humans are not mere physical structures that need only physical nourishment. The essence which makes us specifically human is the soul and the soul finds life only in communication and attachment to

Allah. The worship of Allah is the daily provision and nourishment of the soul. Worship is also a divine test that

edifies humans. The Qur‟an teaches that this life is not the final destination for humans: it is a transitional period for the life of eternity. Humans have instincts, desires and a will as well as a soul which need the purification of worship. What are known as the „five pillars of Islam‟, shahadah, salah, sawm, hajj and zakat, are part of Islamic worship. They remind Muslims of their dependence on Allah, help them to communicate and remain attached to Allah, and work to purify human instincts and desires, preparing them for life after death. The shahadah, the statement of faith, expresses the unity and supremacy of Allah; through salah, prayer, a Muslim refocuses on Allah throughout the day through a ritual in which the whole body is involved; through sawm, fasting during the month of Ramadan, physical desires are controlled, the spiritual strength and faith of the Muslim is tested, and s/he enters a heightened period of spiritual awareness; hajj, pilgrimage, necessitates detachment from worldly desires and emotions and a focused attachment to Allah with an awareness of life after death; zakat, obligatory donation of 2 ½ % of wealth, is a process of purification of money and greed.

At the same time, the whole of a Muslim‟s life is worship when actions and behaviour are motivated by the

intention to please Allah. Indeed there must be this consistency and uniformity of purpose in the life of a Muslim

who is following Islam. If a person follows the commands and guidance of Allah, Islam teaches that the way will be easier for her/him, without distractions, doing more works which are beneficial to the individual and to the community.

Muslims believe that the Qur‟an is the complete book of guidance for humankind, every word being revealed by Allah. The subject matter of the Qur‟an is humanity and its ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all areas of life and it teaches about life after death. Muslims see the revelation through the Prophet Muhammad, recorded in the Qur‟an, as the final revelation but they do not claim that it is the only one. They see it as the completion of God‟s revelation which started with Adam. Adam, Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Dawud (David) and Isa (Jesus), among others, are prophets or messengers of Islam and what was revealed through them is true. Muslims regard the accuracy with which these revelations have been preserved and the way they have been interpreted as questionable.

Muslims look to the Shari‟ah, Islamic law, for the interpretation and application of the guidance of the Qur‟an to particular situations. The Shari‟ah is the code of conduct for Muslims and has been developed over the centuries as new situations, which are not specifically addressed in the Qur‟an, arise. The validity of any interpretation or application is based on whether it agrees with the Qur‟an.

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The Shari‟ah is also derived from the sunnah, the life example of the Prophet Muhammad. There are many sayings of the Prophet and examples of his actions or actions which he approved of : each one is known as a

hadith. These have been collected very carefully and compiled since his death. Each reliable hadith can be

traced through an authentic chain of transmission; there are six collections which are regarded as the most authentic.

The story of „The Woman at the Gate of Makkah‟ describes the Prophet‟s kindness and the way he considered the needs of others before his own. It also shows the impact his behaviour had on the people he came into contact with, in this case the woman at the gate of Makkah, who was about to leave the city because of negative rumours about him. However, because of the way he helps her and patiently listens to her account of these rumours she realises they are untrue and turns back to the city with his help.

Key terms and concepts: order, Allah, Tawhid, unity, revelation, Qur‟an, guidance, shahadah, salah, sawm, hajj,

zakat, spiritual nourishment

Contribution to spiritual and moral development: responses to order in the natural world, understanding of

guidance for behaviour and actions, reflection on meaning of spiritual nourishment

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Judaism

How is the home central to the continuity of Jewish traditions?