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The majority of Turks are Muslim (about 99% of the population) of the Sunni creed. Hence, ISLAM is the principle religion in Turkey. Islam means devotion to God (Allah) & the basic belief is Allah created the world & everything shares the same roots as Christianity & Judaism except the belief about Jesus' divinity & status as a savior. Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus & Mohammed are all prophets while Mohammed is the greatest. It is believed that Mohammed is God's messenger & it was to him that God communicated his last revelation; being the last prophet. Muslims worship only God, no other. In Arabic, MUSLIM means one who has submitted to God's will. Islamic teaching is recorded in the KORAN (which has sura -114 chapters) - Kur'an-i Kerim (Holy Koran) contains God's revelations to Mohammed. Koran (being sacred) cannot be translated & exits in Arabic only. Sunna is the "rules of life" which governs the private & public behavior. (Sunna is a combination of the utterances of the prophets + The Koran) In order to be a Muslim, one needs only submit his/her heart to God's will & perform a few religious duties - Specifically 5 Pillars of Islam: 1) Profession of faith - understand & believe "There is no god but God & Muhammed is his Prophet". 2) Daily Prayer - 5 times (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, dusk & after dark). 3) Duty to give alms to the poor. 4) Fasting during Ramadan month 5) Pilgrimage to Mecca - once in his/her lifetime. Muslim prayers are set rituals. Before praying, he/she must wash hands, arms, feet, ankles, head & neck in running water. As pictured, outside the mosques, one can usually find places for the Muslims to clean themselves with running water. If no water is available, one can clean with sand instead. If no sand, motions will suffice. After this ritual, he/she must cover his/head, face Mecca & perform a series of gestures & genuflections. Leave a Comment
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