Primary beliefs and faith traditions: Islam is a monotheistic faith tradition (mono=one theistic=god) and its roots date back to the times of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament; the days of Abraham. The word “Islam” in Arabic means peace, purity, obedience, total submission and commitment to the one and only God and His laws. The Arabic word for God is Allah; therefore Islam describes an attitude: the attitude of total submission to the will of Allah. In essence, a Muslim is anyone who submits to the will of Allah. Islam teaches that everything in creation – plants, animals, mountains, hills, rivers, deserts, streams, oceans, and people – was created “Muslim.” Human beings have conscious choice through their ability to reason whether or not to choose to remain Muslim or to move away from their original spiritual orientation (Klass 2002, 12-14). Anyone can become a Muslim, regardless of race, nationality, social status or economic status, as long as they believe in the Shahadah. The Shahadah is the fundamental belief of Islam: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger”. Muslims must also embrace a lifestyle in accordance with Islamic principles and values. Muslims believe that throughout history many prophets were chosen by Allah, and according to the Quran, this prophetic affiliation ended with Muhammad. Their belief states that all other (biblical) prophets were spiritual brothers. Although Islam essentially began about 1450 years ago, Muslims believe that Islam is not a new religion. Muslims believe it is a continuation and reiteration of the monotheistic teachings and traditions of early Judaism (McCarthy 1992, 119-123). Islamic sacred texts The Quran: The Quran literally...... middle of the paper.. ....are free from sin and with the spiritual potential to be good Muslims. Salvation is acquired by the grace and guidance of Allah and by personal faith, good works and deeds. All humanity is born Muslim and is endowed with the spiritual and intellectual capacity to recognize Allah as God, obey His laws and submit to them. Humanity has a special place in creation as only humanity is endowed with rational faculties, spiritual aspirations, freedom of choice and power of action. Friday is the Muslim day of congregational worship in a mosque. Women can pray at home or in the mosque, but men and women pray separately. The leader of the Mosque is called Imam, or “he who leads”. The Imam is chosen due to his sincerity and dedication and leads the prayers and sermons. The Muslim calendar is lunar in terms of setting the dates of holidays; the month begins with