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Islam
A basic introduction.
Islam is the second biggest faith in the world and teaches that there is one God (called Allah) who created and controls everything. Islam was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad (‘pbuh), the last prophet of God in the Islam faith.
- Islam is more than 1,300 years old and it started in Arabia.
- Followers of Islam are called Muslims. There are two main groups of Muslims; called the Sunni Muslims and the Shi'ite Muslims.
- The word Islam means “surrender to God”. Muslims believe that everything in life should be in service to Allah (God).
- The phrase ‘pbuh is used after the name of the Prophet Muhammad (‘pbuh). This means “peace be upon him” and is a way of showing respect.
- The holy scripture or text of Islam is the Holy Qur'an.
- Muslims worship in buildings called Mosques.
- The basics of Islam faith are called the ‘five pillars of Islam'. These are Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salat (praying five times a day), Zakat (giving to charity), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (making a pilgrimage to Mecca).
In Ireland, there are around 5,000 Muslims. The very first Irish mosque was built in Dublin in 1959 and the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland was opened in 1996. There are now mosques in all four provinces in Ireland.
Halal food:
Halal food is food that has been slaughtered in as humane a way as possible, and eating only Halal meat is an important part of being Muslim. Muslims are not allowed to consume: pork, animals that are not slaughtered in the name of Allah, blood and blood products, alcohol, birds of prey, carnivorous animals, and land animals without ears.
Halal food is available in Ireland and can be purchased at the I-Barakah Halal Shop, South Circular Road, Dublin 8. There are also lots of restaurants that serve Halal food. A list of such restaurants is available from www.zabihah.com/.
Support:
There are a few Muslim organisations in Ireland such as the Islamic Foundation of Ireland and IslamIreland.
