Central to Islam are the Six Articles of Faith and the Five Pillars of Practice.
The Six Articles of Faith
1. a belief in one God;
2. a belief in Angels;
3. a belief in all prophets; a partial list includes Adam, Abraham, Ihmael, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, Muhummad;
4. a belief that the scriptures were revealed to the prophets;
5. a belief in the Day of Judgement and the afterlife;
6. a belief in the devine decree, or predestination.
The Five Pillars of Practice
1. a declaration of faith in the one God and that Muhammad is the last Prophet; شحادة
2. formal prayer five times per day; صلاح
3. fasting during the month of Ramadan; الزكاة
4. giving alms of 2.5 percent of one's earnings for the poor; التطوع
5. a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime, if possible. الحج
For additional Information consult the following:
General Muslim Customs and Traditions
This is a section of a more comprehensive site aimed to provide information and guidance about practices and behaviors in Islam.
Islamic Culture from Wikipedia
A series of short but informative description of many aspects of Islamic culture.
This link will take you to an in-depth description of the dates, months and years in the Islamic lunar calendar. If you just want a calendar, there are several apps available.
About.com includes several short but informative entries on Islamic traditions: General Information | Beliefs and Worship | Islamic Holidays | Islamic Living
About Muslim Traditions and Customs
E-How says every person quick to denigrate Islam should take a moment to learn at least a little something about Muslim traditions and customs. The link takes you a page of short but informative paragragh about aspects of Muslim life.
Also see E-How: Respecting Muslim Culture and Beliefs | Muslim Rules on Dating | Muslim Laws of Marriage. Each of these articles has links to additional sites that might be of interest.
A discussion of customs and traditions adopted in various countries including dress, food, wedding traditions, and other rites of passage. The site gives an expanded description of customs in about a dozen Muslim countries.
Births, weddings and funerary practices are an important part of every culture and knowing the customs is helpful for those not of the faith. See this page on About.com for an explanation of funeral customs.
Islamic Traditions and the Feminist Movement: Confrontation or Cooperation
This article, by Dr. Lois Lamya' al Faruqi, on the Website 'Islam101' presents a discussion of family life, the individual, and aspects of women's lives within Muslim organization.
The Washington Post: Muslims Try to Balance Traditions, U.S. Culture on Path to Marriage / by Michelle Boorstein, May 27, 2008
