Experiential
There are many experiences that Muslims share, which make up the experiential dimension of Islam. Muslims experience a cleansing and growing awareness while fasting during Ramadan. Muslims also experience an incredible act of communal worship during the hajj. Furthermore, on a smaller scale, Muslim have common prayer experiences when prayer communally in Mosques on Fridays. Additionally, various sects of Islam have individualized experiences. For example, the Sufis identify the goal of their religion as al-fana, or "extinction." This means that they are trying to detach from their own sense of ego, and once this happens, the division between the self and God is extinguished, leaving a perfect union with God. Other than these common experiences of Islamic people, the experiential aspect is made up of each individual Muslim's experiences within their faith.
Material
There are several material aspects of Islam, the most prevalent being the city of Mecca. Mecca is the most important holy city in Islam as it's where where the Ka'ba lies and where Muhammad grew up. Thus, the Ka'ba is another important material aspect of Islam. The Ka'ba is the stone cubical structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque, which is believed to have been built by Abraham, and further, is the sacred center of the earth to Muslims. In addition, the Great Mosque is another material aspect, which serves to house the Ka'ba and as a place of worship for Muslims on the hajj. Furthermore, mosques in general are an important material aspect of Islam. Mosques serve as places of worship, where ritual prayer takes place. Another holy Islamic city is Medina. The city of Medina is held as holy because it's where Muhammad made a pilgrimage to avoid persecution in Mecca.
Mythic/Historical
One historical aspect of Islam is the sacred narratives of Abraham's founding of Mecca. Muslims believe Abraham to be the father of Arabs, similar to how he is the father of the Israelites. Furthermore, they believe that Abraham's son Ishmael moved to Mecca and became the ancestor of the Arabs. While Abraham forms the foundation of the Arab people, perhaps the most important historical element of Islam is the life of Muhammad. Muhammad was born in AD 570 into a tribe of Mecca. At this time, Mecca was an important center of commerce and trade. In Muhammad's early years, he was honest, dependable, and worked hard as a shepherd and later as a trader. Muhammad worked for a wealthy widow, who he later married. Between time with his family and business, he spent a lot of time contemplating religion. He would often retreat to a cave on Mount Hira to meditate. According to Muslims, during one of these visits to the cave, the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammed and revealed to him the sacred word of the Qur'an. This Muhammad's beginning as a prophet. He began to teach and spread these revealed words to the people in Mecca, but began to face serious opposition. With his life in danger, he and his followers migrated to Yathrib (Medina) in AD 622. He would later take back the city of Mecca, and by the time of his death, most of Arabia. Finally, a historical aspect that has been present in Islam since is rise to a major world religion is Islamic extremism. These Muslims interpret some passages of the Qur'an quite literally and believe they must fight violently against the western world. This belief in armed struggle is known as jihad. Furthermore, many people around the world have come to believe that Islam actually advocates for this violent terrorism; however, there are several passages in the Qur'an that state killing of the innocent is a horrible sin (6:151). Additionally, many passages that refer to jihad speak only of violence in self-defense, not in offensive terrorist attacks. Therefore, these ideas that Islam advocates for violent, offensive armed conflicts is simply a miscontrusion.
Doctrinal
The primary doctrinal elements of Islam come from the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur'an is the sacred text that was revealed to Muhammad by angel Gabriel and the Sunna refers to the life of Muhammad. The major doctrinal elements of Islam are described in the Shahada, or the profession of faith, which states, "There is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God." Thus, the Islam is monotheistic. Muslims believe strongly that Allah is the one and only God, which is emphasized in the Qur'an. The Islamic understanding of Allah is that he's transcendent and suprapersonal, but also immanent and personal; Allah is far beyond human comprehension, yet is present in each Muslim's life. Also, the Shahada reveals another doctrinal element which is that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; he received the Qur'an and was the first and most important Islamic prophet. Additionally, Muslims avoid giving any type of human qualities to Allah, since He is so far beyond the understanding of humans. The Islamic faith also has strict beliefs on human nature. Muslims believe that human nature is essentially good, but people tend to forget this. Moreover, they believe that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, it caused a state of forgetfulness to come over them, which led to sin. This forgetfulness is what leads all of us to sin according to Islam. In addition, Muslim belief in human destiny is quite similar to that of Christianity: the outcome of the struggle for goodness determines whether one goes to Paradise or to Hell. Another interesting doctrinal element of Islam refers to the Day of Judgement. They believe that the Day of Judgement will be preceded by the coming of the Mahdi (savior similar to the Jewish Messiah) who will restore Islam and bring order on earth. After the coming of the Mahdi, Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem and usher in the Day of Judgement.
Ethical
Most of the ethical aspects of Islam find their origin in the Five Pillars of Islamic faith. The first pillar that pertains to ethics is prayer. According to Islam, a person ought to live their life in prayer. Muslims must pray five times each day: during the early morning, at noon, during the midafternoon, at sunset, and in the evening. Additionally, there are usually public prayers done in the mosque on Fridays. The next pillar that pertains to how one ought to live their life is fasting. Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan, which takes place during the ninth month of the Muslim year, in order to live ethically. Muslim are to avoid eating, drinking, smoking, and sex each day from dawn until sunset for this entire month. Furthermore, fasting is believed to have many benefits. It's believed to give awareness of the situations of those who are poor. Fasting is also believed to five insight into morality and focus the persons attention on religious and moral issues, rather than material goods and sensual pleasures. Some other ethical aspects include dress and diet. The general principle of Islam is that the clothes people wear should not be overly seductive or extravagant; however, different cultures apply this practice differently. In some areas, women must be completely covered except for their eyes, but in others, women must only veil their hair (called a hijab). In most cultures, men just wear normal clothes. Next, there are some dietary restrictions for Muslims as well. Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and drinking alcohol. There are many passages in the Qur'an forbidden the consumption of wine and other intoxicants, as well as pork. Therefore, a Muslim ought to do all these things in order to live an ethical life.
Ritual
There are many ritual actions involved with being Muslim, especially during prayer. As previously stated, Muslims are required to pray five times a day, but they are also required to perform several ritualistic actions during prayer. First of all, the prayer itself is a ritual called salat, during which Muslims say a formal prayer to themselves and assume several positions including standing, bowing, and and sitting on their knees. Additionally, before prayer, each Muslim must ritually wash their hands and face, since the body is to be kept clean. Muslims also must face the holy city of Mecca whenever they pray. Islamic prayers are also performed on a prayer rug for sanitary as well as ritual purposes. Another aspect of Islam that is full of rituals in the hajj. The hajj is the fifth pillar of islam and entails a pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim is to go on the hajj once in their life if the can afford it and are physically able. Muslim people perform many rituals while on the hajj including the circling and praying around the Ka'ba, the stoning of the devil during which they through rocks at pillars that symbolize satan, the hurried walking between mountains, the ritual slaughter of animals, and many more. In addition, Male pilgrims wear plain white clothing to signify equality and purity; women wear simple yet colorful clothing typical of their homelands, which identifies Islam as a worldwide religion bound together in unity of the Umma. The hajj is perhaps the most ritualistic aspect of the Islamic faith.
Social
The main component of the social dimension of Islam is the Umma. The Umma is simply the community of all Muslims. The diverse population of Muslims are bound together in the unity of the Umma. This is best displayed by the hajj, where Muslims from all parts of the world gather in faith. Additionally, the imam, or leader, is an important social aspect of Islam. The imam is the director of Friday prayers and delivers a sermon during them. Moreover, in the case of Sufism, the community is divided into orders and each order is led by a shaykh. The shaykh is a master and a teacher who leads his disciples to unity with God. Various Islamic communities are ordered differently; however, almost all have a central leader like an imam or shaykh.
True and Holy
There are several aspects of Islam that are true and holy, the first of which being God. This is probably the most obvious true and holy aspect of Islam. The Islamic people believe in the same God as Christians, they just don't believe that Jesus is God incarnate. Other true and holy aspect of Islam is the daily prayer is each Muslim is required to do. The Islamic people form their day around prayer, rather than trying to fit prayer in between activities of the day. This is something that many Christians struggle with and is something that we can take away from the Islamic faith. Centering our day on prayer rather than trying to fit it in our day would definitely help us to strengthen our relationship with Christ.