The proper pronunciation is with a soft "s", like Isslaam, not Izlam, and Musslim, not Muzlim or Mozlem.
The general meaning of the word "islam" means submission, and implies submission to God.
The specific meaning, Islam, means submission to God, and includes following the way of the Prophet Muhammad.
For Muslims, Abraham is the model of submission. When God asked him, in his old age, to sacrifice his only son Ishmael, he did not make excuses or procrastinate, he submitted to God's command.
The commandments of Moses, are to be submitted to, not just wall decorations or stone monuments.
Jesus, taught in the Lord's Prayer "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven", which is submission to the will of God. So technically, those Christians who believe in the Lord's Prayer are muslims in the general sense, "those who submit to God", even if they do not know it.
Submits to God
Follows the way of the Prophet Muhammad
Holds seven beliefs
Observes five practices
There is no God but Allah. Allah is the God of Abraham, who is One, as in the First Commandment, and has no partners
Muhammad is the servant and messenger of God
Belief in all the true prophets of God, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
Belief in the Scriptures, the word of God, that were revelations to the prophets, including the Torah, Gospel and Quran
Belief that the angels carry out God's commands
Belief that the life of the world is a test, for which will be reward or punishment in the Hereafter
Belief that God has decreed for us some things in life, time of birth and death
Public declaration of the first two beliefs
Salat is formal worship, glorifying God, five times a day, in congregation in a mosque, if possible, otherwise in any clean place. It is not prayer in the sense of "God give me more money" etc., that you can do separately.
Is five times a day is excessive? The most important relationship in your life is not your boss, or spouse, or children or parents, or friends, or someone you are in love with. It is the relationship with your Creator. If you had a close friend or someone you were in love with, would you not visit them and talk to them several times a day?
Or if your boss told you to report every hour, would you not report every hour?
God is the one whom we should love more than anyone else, and He has more power over us than any boss?
So five times a day, we remember God, we glorify and worship God, we call on Him for help and guidance. We purify ourselves by washing, and we recite the first chapter of the Quran, the Fatiha, and other verses as part of the worship.
We adopt different positions during worship, standing, bowing, sitting, and prostration, or sujood, with our head on the floor. This is a humble position, and this is how Moses at the burning bush humbled himself before God
Jesus in Gethsemane, fell with his face to the ground before God, Matt. 26:39, humbling himself before God.
That face to the ground position, that is the way Muslims humble themselves before God five times a day.
We are to pay 2.5%, one fortieth of our wealth, not income, in charity. This is fairer for those who have greater responsibilities and expenses, compared to an income tax.
During the month of Ramadan, every healthy adult Muslim is to abstain from food and water from daybreak till sunset, and also abstain from bad behavior and immorality. Married persons are also to refrain from marital relations during the fast.
This make us grateful for the food, which is by the Grace of God, and sensitive to the suffering of the poor.
It also raises awareness of the presence of God, if we keep away from food and drink knowing that God alone is watching us, then if that awareness stays for the rest of the year, would one not be a different person, aware of God's presence at all times?
The pilgrimage is required once in a lifetime, if one can afford it.
The Hajj is an incomparable experience. Two to three million Muslim men and women from all over the world are there at the same time from all over the world: Indonesia, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Bosnia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, United States and others.
The men are dressed in two unstitched pieces of white cloth. We are like beggars – with nothing – begging for mercy and forgiveness and grace from God. In the midst of all those people, one feels close to God, as if it is just you and God. People stand next to each other in worship, equal in the sight of God. It is truly the brotherhood of mankind, with respect and love for all, different but equal.