Way of Life

Good character (akhlaq) is central to Islam and inseparable from worship. The Quran and the Prophet ﷺ call believers to justice, honesty, kindness, forgiveness, and care for others — teaching that good character carries the greatest weight with God.

Islam classifies actions and foods as halal (permitted) or haram (forbidden). The Quran and Sunnah set out clear categories — including the prohibition of pork, intoxicants, gambling, and interest (riba) — within a general principle that what is not forbidden is permitted.

Islam affirms the spiritual equality of men and women before God and grants women rights including property, inheritance, and the honoring of mothers. Some specific roles and rulings are matters of scholarly interpretation, and cultural practices vary and are not always derived from Islamic teaching.

A mosque (masjid) is the Muslim place of worship and a center of community life. The Quran honors mosques as houses built for God's remembrance, and the three holiest are the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar of twelve months, counted from the Hijra (622 CE) and marked 'AH'. Its two great festivals are Eid al-Fitr, ending the fast of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, marking the Hajj and the Prophet Abraham's sacrifice.

Everyday Muslim speech is filled with short Arabic phrases of praise, blessing, and remembrance — many drawn directly from the Quran — used by Muslims of every language. This is a guide to the most common ones and what they mean.