Hammet’s religion
It is early morning in the city of Oran, in Algeria. The sun is not up
yet, and most people are asleep. But from tall towers, called minarets,
come the voices of men known as “callers.” They shout this chant:
“God is great! God is great!
I say there is no god but the One God.
I say that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer, come to salvation, prayer is better than sleep.”
Soon, Hammet and his father are hurrying to pray
at their place of worship, a building called a mosque. Hammet’s mother
stays at home to pray.
Hammet and his father carry little rugs called prayer mats. After
washing themselves at a fountain, they put their mats down on the mosque
floor. They pray by kneeling on their mats and bending over to touch
their foreheads to the floor. They pray this way five times a day, no
matter where they are—at home, in the street, even out in the desert.
When they pray they always face toward the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi
Arabia.
Hammet believes that there is one great God who made all things. He
believes that about 1,300 years ago God showed a man named Muhammad the
way He wanted people to live and worship. Muhammad said that God wanted
people to be good, to help others, and to honor and obey God. God’s
words were written in a book called the Koran.
Hammet is a Muslim. He belongs to the religion of Islam. Islam means
“submission” or “to obey God.” Hammet knows that if he does the things
God wants, he will go to heaven when he dies.
