Islam has two major holidays, Eid Ul-Fitr (Post-Fasting Festival) and Eid Ul-Adha.

The word Eid itself is an Arabic word, whose root connotation is 'that which comes back, time after time, and rejoicing.' Its particular usage in Islam, for the two major holidays, is because these two days are meant to be days of rejoicing.[1]

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "They are days of eating, drinking, and remembrance of God." [Reported by Bukhari in his Sahih, an authoritative collection of the sayings of the Prophet.]

In this same spirit, the Qur'an mentions:

The Islamic calendar is based on lunar months, which begin when a thin new crescent Moon is actually sighted in the western sky after sunset within a day or so after the New Moon. Hence, the month is either 29 days or 30 days.

There are 12 months in an Islamic year, which is either 354 days long or 355 days long, compared to (Gregorian) civil calendar year of 365 or 366 days. Since the Islamic Lunar year has 12 lunar months, it is on an average, 11 days shorter than the (Gregorian) civil year, the Islamic year shifts earlier in each civil year by about 11 days.

The 12 months of the Islamic calendar are:

Q: What is Islam?

A: The word "Islam" means peace and submission. Peace means to be at peace with yourself and your surroundings and submission means submission to the will of God. Islam is not just a religion but also a complete way of life. It deals with each and every aspect of life.

Muslims believe in one God and in the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets beginning with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Jacob Joseph, Job, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus. God's message was reaffirmed and finalised by the Prophet Muhammad.

Islam is a complete way of life. It is based on five basic duties which are known as the five pillars of Islam. Salah is the second pillar of Islam and the most important of all acts of worship. The other three pillars are: Zakat, Sawm and Hajj.

Salah is prayer offered to Allah using specific words and actions as taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Allah says in the Quran: “Indeed I created Jinn and human beings for no other purpose but to worship me.” [51:56]

In this first series of 'Back to Basics' we will cover the second pillar of Islam - Salah. Many of us read it without knowing the importance, the benefits and even the rulings of salah. So sit back and relax and increase your knowledge and understanding of salah.

Why pray?

The answer shouldn't be 'because my dad said so!' After believing in the shahada (declaration of faith), the most important worship and also a pillar of Islam is salah. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The link between a Muslim and disbelief, kufr, is his or her neglect of prayer." [Muslim].

By Irfan Jalil

Islamic finance is a system of monetary trade based on the Islamic principles and jurisprudence. It seeks to create wealth based on partnership and fairness with risks and profits being shared.

Islamic finance, believe it or not, is worth £250bn worldwide. So, clearly, there's a buck to be made. And it's not just about mortgages – multi-million pound global businesses based in Muslim countries increasingly want to base their trade on Islamic principles. Recently, two Kuwaiti companies bought Aston Martin using Sharia-compliant finance.

Jesus is a Christian though isn’t he?

Jesus (peace be upon him) isn’t just exclusive to Christianity. Muslims believe Jesus (called ‘Isa in Arabic) is a prophet - a messenger of Allah (swt) who was sent to mankind with a revelation from Allah (swt). In the Quran, stories about the life and teachings of Jesus (pbuh) are abundant. In fact, Jesus (pbuh) is mentioned more times in the Quran than Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Moses (Musa), Noah (Nuh), Adam, John (Yahya), David (Da’ud), and many other key figures in the Bible, (peace be upon them all) are also prophets in Islam.