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ISLAM
- A Brief Introduction
What is Islam?
Islam is not a new religion,
but the same truth that Allah 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 he associated with their faith through a biased media.
Who
are the Muslims?
Over one billion people
from 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 Indonesia;
substantial parts of Asia and most parts of Africa are Muslim, while significant
minorities are to be found in Russia, 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 the Day of Judgement and the
individual accountability for actions; 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, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses,
Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John and Jesus, alayhimus salam. 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 through Archangel
Gabriel.
How
does someone become a Muslim?
Simply by saying 'there
is no deity apart from Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'
What
does 'Islam' mean?
The Arabic word 'Islam'
simply means 'submission,' and derives from a word meaning 'peace.' In a religious
context it means complete submission to the will of Allah. 'Muhammadanism' is
thus a misnomer, because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than
Allah. "Allah" is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims
and Christians alike.
Why
does Islam often seem strange?
Islam may 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 the secular and the sacred.
They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'ah, 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, alayhi salam, and their three
Prophets are directly descended from his sons - Muhammad, peace be upon him,
from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac. Abraham established
the settlement, which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka'bah towards
which all Muslims turn when they pray.
What
is the Ka'bah?
The Ka'bah is the place
of worship which Allah commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand
years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what was the original site
of the sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind
to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today, they say 'At Thy service,
O Lord,' in response to Abraham's call.
Who
is Muhammad, peace be upon him?
Muhammad, peace be upon
him, was born in Makkah Al-Mukarramah 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 raised 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 as 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 meditative retreat, Muhammad, peace be upon him, received his first
revelation from Allah through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued
for twenty three years, is known as the Qur'an.
As soon as he began to recite
the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which Allah had revealed
to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which
grew so fierce that in the year 622, Allah gave them the command to emigrate.
This event, the Hijrah, 'migration,' in which they left Makkah for the city
of Madinah some 420 kilometres to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim
calendar.
After several years, the
Prophet, peace be upon him, died at the age of 63, and within a century of his
death, Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.
How
did the spread of Islam affect the world?
Among the reasons for the
rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine - Islam
calls for faith in only One God worthy of worship. It also repeatedly instructs
man to use his powers of intelligence and observation.
Within a few years, great
civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet,
peace be upon him, 'Seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim.' The
synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought
about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography,
architecture, art, literature, and history. Many crucial systems, such as algebra,
the Arabic numerals, and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement
of mathematics), were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated
instruments, which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery,
were developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational
maps.
What
is the Qur'an?
The Qur'an is a record of
the exact words revealed by Allah through the Angel Gabriel, alayhi salam, to
the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It was memorized by Muhammad, peace
be upon him, and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes,
who crosschecked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters,
Surahs, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Qur'an is in every
detail the unique and miraculous text, which was revealed to Muhammad, peace
be upon him, fourteen centuries ago.
What
is the Qur'an about?
The Qur'an, 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 Sunnah, the practice
and example of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is the second authority for Muslims.
A Hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet, peace be upon
him, said, did, or approved. Belief in the Sunnah is part of the Islamic faith.
Examples
of the Prophet's, peace be upon him, sayings:
The Prophet, peace be upon
him, said:
'Allah 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 neighbour goes without food, is not a believer.'
'The truthful and honest
businessman will be in the company of the Prophets, the truthful people, and
the martyrs on the Day of Judgement.'
'Powerful is not he who
knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of
anger.'
'Allah 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, drinking his fill and
came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud
and quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same thirst
as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled his shoe with
water and gave the dog a drink. Allah forgave his sins for this action.'
The Prophet, peace be upon
him, was asked: 'Messenger of Allah, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?'
He said: 'There is a reward for kindness to every living thing.'
(From the Hadith collections
of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi.)
[reproduced with permission
from www.albalagh.net]
Date/Time Last Modified: 6/3/2004 7:14:11 AM
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