What is Islam?
Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth
that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth
of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of
life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the
majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come
to be associated with their faith.
Who
are Muslims?
Islam is the second largest religion in the
world with over 1 billion followers. There are around 2 millions Muslims
in Britain, around 2.7% of the population. One billion people form a vast
range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe, from the southern
Philippines to Nigeria, are united by their common Islamic faith. About
18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia;
substantial parts of Asia and most of the Africa are Muslim, while significant
minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America,
and Europe.
What
do Muslims Believe?
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable
God' in the Angels created by Him, in the prophets through whom His revelations
were brought to mankind; in God's complete authority over human destiny
and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting
with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Jacob,
Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist
and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a
reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone
before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, through Gabriel.
How
does someone become a Muslim?
Simply by saying "There is no god apart
from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God". By this declaration
the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the
scriptures they brought. What does `Islam" mean? The Arabic word `Islam'
simply means `submission,' and drives from a word meaning `peace.'
In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God.
`Mohammedianism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship
Muhammad, peace be upon him, rather than God. `Allah' is the Arabic
name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike. Why
does Islam often seem strange? Islam my seem exotic or even extreme in the
modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday
life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in
their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe
that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which
is why issues related to religion are still so important.
Do
Islam and Christianity have different origins?
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to
the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly
descended form his son--Muhammad,
peace be upon him, from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus, peace
be upon them, from the Issac. Abraham established the settlement which today
is the holy city of Makkah, and built the Ka'ba towards which all Muslims
turn when they pray.
What
is the Ka'ba?
The Ka'ba is the place of worship which God
commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build cover four thousand years ago. The
building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original
site of a sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon
all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today they say
` At The service, O Lord', in response to Abraham's summons.
Who
is Muhammad ?
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born
in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully
established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his
mother shortly afterwards, he was raise d by his uncle from the respected
tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness,
generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability
to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him s calm and meditative.
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was of
a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his
society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave
of Hira near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the `Mountain of Light'
near Makkah.
How
did he become a prophet and a messenger of God?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative
retreat, Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first revelation
from God through the Angel Gabriel, this revelation, which continued
for twenty-three years, is known as the Quran.
As soon as he began to recite the words
he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth, which God had revealed
to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution,
which grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to
emigrate. This event, the Hijra, `migration', in which they left Makkah
for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning
of the Muslim calendar.
After several years, the prophet `peace
be upon him' and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they
forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet
`peace be upon him' died at the age of 63, the greater part of Ar abia
was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain
the West and as far East as China.
What
is the Quran?
The Quran is a record of the exact words
revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him. It was memorized by Muhammad, peace be upon him, and
then di ctated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked
it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been
changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique
and miraculous text which was re vealed to Muhammad, peace be upon
him, fourteen centuries ago.
Picture from: http://kandil.wordpress.com
What
is Quran about?
The Quran, the last revealed Word of God, is
the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all
the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship
and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.
At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human
conduct and an equitable economic system.
Are
there any other sacred sources?
Yes, the `sunna,' the practice and example
of the Prophet `peace be upon him,' is the second authority for Muslim.
A hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the prophet `peace be
upon him' said, did, or approved. Belief in the `sunna' is part of t he
Islamic faith.
Examples of the Prophet's sayings:
`God has no mercy on one who
has no mercy for others.'
`None of you truly believes until he
wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
`He who eats his fill while his neighbor
goes without food is not a believer.'
`The truthful and trusty businessman
is associated with the prophets, the saints, and the martyrs.'
`Powerful is not he who knocks the
other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.'
`God does not judge according to your
bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and looks into your
deeds.'
`A man walking along a path felt very
thirsty. Reaching a well he descended into it, drank his fill and came
up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up
mud to quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same
thirs t as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled
his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink. God forgave his sins for
this action.' The Prophet `peace be upon him,' was asked: `Messenger
of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animal s?' He said, `There
is a reward for kindness to every living thing.'
- (From the hadith collections of Bukhari,
Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi)
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What
are the `Five Pillars' of Islam?
They are the framework of the Muslim life:
faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the
pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
- Picture from:
Tutorial
– Sketching: Human Hand | Artist Dreamer theartistdreamer. wordpress
Does
Islam tolerate other beliefs?
The Quran says: "God forbids you not,
with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you
out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loves
those who are just." (Quran, 60:8)
It is one function of Islamic law to protect
the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places
of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides
many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph
Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship
to all religious communities in the city.
Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities
to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by
the minorities themselves.
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What
do Muslims think about Jesus?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus,
peace be upon him. They consider him one of the greatest of God's messengers
to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as 'Jesus', but always
adds the phrase ``peace be upon him.' The Qu ran confirms his virgin birth
(a chapter of the Quran is entitled `Mary'), and Mary is considered the
purest woman in all creation. The Quran describes the Annunciation as
follows:
"`Be hold!' the Angel said,
`God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women
of all nations. O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him,
whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this
world and the Hereaft er, and one shall speak to the people from his
cardle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.'
She said: `O my Lord! How shall
I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: `Even so; God creates
what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it
is.' (Quran, 3:42-7)
Jesus, peace be upon him, was born miraculously
through the same power which had brought Adam `peace be upon him,' into
being without father:
"Truly, the likeness of
Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and
then said to him, `Be!' and he was. (3:59)
During his prophetic mission Jesus,
peace be upon him, performed many miracles. The Quran tells us that
he said:
I have come to you with a sign
from your Lord: I make for you out of the clay, as it were, the figure
of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God's leave.
And I heal the blind and the lepers, and I raise the dead by God's
leave. (3:49)
Neither Muhammad, peace be upon him,
nor Jesus, peace be upon him, cam to change the basic doctrine of the
belief in on God, brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew
it. In the Quran Jesus, peace be upon him, is reported as saying that
he came: " To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful
to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign
form your Lord, so fear God and obey Me." (3:50)
The prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, said: "Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without
partner, that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His messenger, that
Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary
and a spirit emanating form Him, and that ~Paradise and Hell are true,
shall be received by God into Heaven. (Hadith from Bukhari)
What
about Muslim women?
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married,
as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of
her property and earnings. A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the
bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather
than taking her husband's. Both men and women are expected to dress in
a way which is modest and dignified; the traditions of female dress found
in some Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs.
The Messenger of God `peace be upon him,'
said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best
in manner and kindest to his wife."
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Is
Islamic marriage like Christian marriage?
A Muslim marriage is not a `sacrament',
but a simple, legal agreement include conditions. Marriage customs thus
vary widely from country to country. As a result, divorce is not common.,
although it is not forbidden as a last resort. According to Islam, no
Muslim girl can be forced to marry against her will: her parents will
simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.
Source: "Understanding
Islam and the Muslims," published by: The Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington
DC, 1989
Edit by:
O Nesim - 7/2014
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