Muslim version of a primordial faith that has been revealed before through many prophets including Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, and Jesus; that these previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time ("tahrif") and that the Qur'an is the final unaltered revelation from God (Final Testament). The religious practices of Muslims are enumerated in the Five Pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith ("shahadah"), daily prayers ("salat"), fasting during the month of Ramadan ("sawm"), almsgiving ("zakat"), and the pilgrimage to Mecca ("hajj") at least once in a lifetime. To become a Muslim and to convert to Islam, it
Engaging the Muslim World the Middle East." "The Economist" called it a "balanced and effective antidote to oversimplified Western views of Islam" and stated that it "manages to prick western misconceptions". Kirkus Reviews labeled it a "well-reasoned, useful vision for Western-Muslim relations." Vali Nasr, bestselling author of "The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future", commented that "Cole looks deep into what went wrong to show the way forward to a new engagement of the Muslim World" and he described the book as "[i]ntelligent, clear and erudite." "Library Journal" wrote that: "Publishers Weekly" gave a more critical review, stating that "For