The Five Pillar of Faith of Islam

1.Shahadah= there is only one God
Shahadah is a statement professing monotheism and accepting Muhammad as God's messenger.
2.Ṣalāt= he requirement to pray five times a day at fixed times during the day. The times of day to pray are at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and before you go to bed. Each salah is performed facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on Allah; it is seen as a personal communication with Allah, expressing gratitude and worship. According to the Qur'an, the benefit of prayer “restrains [one] from shameful and evil deeds”.
3.Zakat or alms-giving=is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all who are able to do so. It is considered to be a personal responsibility for Muslims to ease economic hardship for others and eliminate inequality. Zakat consists of spending 2.5% of one's wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy, including slaves, debtors and travellers. A Muslim may also donate more as an act of voluntary charity (sadaqah), in order to achieve additional divine reward. There are two main types of Zakah. First, there is the kajj, which is a fixed amount based on the cost of food that is paid during the month of Ramadan by the head of a family for himself and his dependents. Second, there is the Zakat on wealth, which covers money made in business, savings, income, and so on. In current usage Zakat is treated as a 2.5% collections on most valuables and savings held for a full lunar year, as long as the total value is more than a basic minimum known as nisab (three ounces or 87.48g of gold). As of 20 September 2008, nisab is approximately $2,640 or an equivalent amount in any other currency.
4.Sawm also known as Siyam= Three types of fasting (Sawm) are recognized by the Qur'an: Ritual fasting, fasting as compensation or repentance, and ascetic fasting. Ritual fasting is an obligatory act during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk during this month, and are to be especially mindful of other sins.
The fast is meant to allow Muslims to seek nearness to Allah, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, to atone for their past sins, and to remind them of the needy.During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, profane language, gossip and to try to get along with fellow Muslims better. In addition, all obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided.
5.Hajj= The Hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah to the holy city of Mecca, and derives from an ancient Arab practice. Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if he or she can afford it. When the pilgrim is around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Mekkah, he must dress in Ihram clothing, which consists of two white sheets. Both men and women are required to make the pilgrimage to Mekkah. After a Muslim makes the trip to Mecca, he/she is known as a hajj/hajja (one who made the pilgrimage to Mekkah).[25] The main rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, travelling seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina.
The pilgrim, or the haji, is honoured in their community. For some, this is an incentive to perform the Hajj. Islamic teachers say that the Hajj should be an expression of devotion to Allah, not a means to gain social standing. The believer should be self-aware and examine their intentions in performing the pilgrimage. This should lead to constant striving for self-improvement. A pilgrimage made at any time other than the Hajj season is called an Umrah, and while not mandatory is strongly encouraged.

About Islam

*What do Muslims believe? Islamic teachings about God (Allah), prophets, books of revelation, angels, heaven and hell, destiny and free will, and the creation of earth.
*Islamic living*
*Islam is often called a "way of life." The faith offers guidance and structure in all aspects of daily life, from birth and death rites, to courtship and marriage relationships, and in education and business dealings.
Birth Rites
Courtship
Marriage
Conversion
Education
Eating and Drinking
Modest Dress
Business
Health
Fasting during Ramadan is obligatory, but is forbidden for several groups for whom it would be very dangerous and excessively problematic. These include pre-pubescent children, those with a medical condition such as diabetes, elderly people, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Observing fasts is not permitted for menstruating women. Other individuals for whom it is considered acceptable not to fast are those who are ill or traveling. Missing fasts usually must be made up for soon afterward, although the exact requirements vary according to circumstance.

Ramadan

What is Ramadan?
Fasting in Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars are:

1. Faith - Faith entails believing we should only worship the Creator of the Universe and not worship human beings, animals, statues, our desires, or anything else. Faith also entails belief that our Creator sent guidance of right and wrong via messengers such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad. His message served to purify the guidance of the previous messengers from alterations made by mankind over the centuries. His message also provided a comprehensive set of divine laws for humankind, applicable to all situations for all times to come.
2. Prayer - Establishing prayer five times a day, serving as a reminder through out the day of our purpose in life: to worship our Creator.
3. Zakat - Mandatory charity given once a year by those who have the means. Voluntary charity is also heavily emphasized in Islam.
4. Fasting - Abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations during the month of Ramadan, thereby developing characteristics of patience, self-restraint, and God consciousness.
5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to the city of Mecca for those who are financially and physically able. It is a spiritual quest of submission to God and purification of the heart.

chocolate

January 16, 2010, Saturday. Around 3 pm, my sister gave me chocolate. While I am eating, I read a magazine about Fungi Infect Cocoa Plants; Scientist Find Cure. all of us knew that chocolate came from a cocoa plants. I found out that some diseases are threatening to rip through cocoa farms by infecting the very plants that grow the precious beans. One such disease is the witches broom, a deadly white fungus that deforms the trees. It nearly wiped out the entire Brazilian chocolate industry in the early 90's. These days the South American country imports more chocolates that it exports.
Another fatal fungus is the phytophthora, which brings about the most lethal damaging of all diseases the black pot rot. That is why scientist fro region where cocoa is harvested (tropical countries in west Africa, Asia and Latin America), teamed up with their counterparts in the united state to rescue the "seeds of love".
Panama-based scientist Eduard Allen Herre of the Smithsonian Tropical research Institute found that certain fungi serve as natural protection and may be used in place of potentially harmful and costly chemical fungicides. "When we have been finding," said Herre "is that cocoa and tress produce the chocolate that we all love are naturally shot through with fungi. The natural fungi, michroflora, the communities of tiny little fungi, that inhabit this plants and actually live inside the tisues contribute to the defense of this things.

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