What does it mean to be Muslim?

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A Muslim is a follower of the religion known as Islam. It is one of the major religions of the world. Muslims believe in one god, who is called “Allah.” They believe that Allah’s words and messages were given to a very special man named “Muhammad.” Muhammad was considered a prophet. He shared Allah’s messages with his followers and taught them to other people.

Like many religions, Islam has a holy book. It is called the “Quran.”  Muslims believe the Quran contains Muhammad’s teachings, which are the laws and wisdom of Allah. It is a very important book for Muslims. It guides them in living their lives every day.

Muslims follow certain rituals or activities that they need to participate in. At certain times Muslims are required to state their beliefs in Allah and Muhammad, pray, pay taxes to help those in need, fast (not eat), and make a trip to the holy city of Mecca. These are all considered to be the rules of Allah, so Muslims take them very seriously.

Like most religions, Muslims have places where they gather to worship.  These special buildings are called mosques. Muslims also have a long history of beautiful art and architecture. One example of this is the famous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.

What year is it?

On the Islamic Calendar, it’s the year 1430 AH (from December 28, 2008 – December 17, 2009 on the Gregorian calendar.) Many Muslims do use the Gregorian calendar because it is accepted in most places around the world, but they also use a separate Islamic calendar that starts in the year of the Hijra.

The Hijra is the name given the event where the Prophet Muhammad moved with his followers to the city of Medina to escape persecution for their beliefs.

The calendar is important to Muslims because it lets them know when religious holidays will happen.  

In the year 1430 AD on the Gregorian calendar, the United States was still almost 350 years from existing! Columbus hadn’t even sailed to the Americas. He wasn’t even born yet!