What is Islam?

 

The word "Islam" means peace and submission. Peace means to be at peace with yourself and yoursurroundings and submission means submission to the will of God. A broader meaning of the word "Islam" is toachieve peace by submitting to the will of God.This is a unique religion with a name which signifies a moral attitude and a way of life. Judaism takes its namefrom the tribe of Juda, Christianity from Jesus Christ, Buddhism from Goutam Buddha and Hinduism from IndusRiver. However, Muslims derive their identity from the message of Islam, rather than the person of Muhammed(Pbuh), thus should not be called "Muhammadans".

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Who is Allah?

 

Allah is the Arabic word for "one God". Allah is not God of Muslims only. He is God of all creations, because Heis their Creator and Sustainer.

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Who is a Muslim?

 

The word "Muslim" means one who submits to the will of God. This is done by declaring that "there is no godexcept one God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." In a broader sense, anyone who willinglysubmits to the will of God is a Muslim. Thus, all the prophets preceding the prophet Muhammad are consideredMuslims. The Quran specifically mentions Abraham who lived long before Moses and Christ that, "he was not aJew or a Christian but a Muslim," because, he had submitted to the will of God. Thus there are Muslims who arenot submitting at all to the will of God and there are Muslims who are doing their best to live an Islamic life. Onecannot judge Islam by looking at those individuals who have a Muslim name but in their actions, they are notliving or behaving as Muslims. The extent of being a Muslim can be according to the degree to which one issubmitting to the will of God, in his beliefs and his actions.

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Who was Muhammad?

 

In brief, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born in a noble tribe of Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 AD. His ancestry goes back to Prophet Ishmael (Pbuh), son of Prophet Abraham (Pbuh). His father died before his birth and his mother died when he was six. He did not attend a formal school since he was raised first by a nurse as it was the custom those days, and then by his grandfather and uncle. As a young man, he was known as righteous person who used to meditate in a cave. At age 40, he was given the prophet hood when the angel,Gabriel, appeared in the cave. Subsequently, the revelations came over 23 years and were compiled in the form of a book called the Quran which Muslims consider as the final and the last word of God. The Quran has been preserved, unchanged, in its original form and confirms the truth in the Torah, the psalms and the Gospel.

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Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

 

No. Muslims do not worship Muhammad(Pbuh) or any other prophets. Muslims believe in all prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad (Pbuh) was the last of the prophets. They believe that God alone is to be worshiped, not any human being.

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What do Muslims think of Jesus?

 

Muslims think highly of Jesus (Pbuh) and his worthy mother, Mary. The Quran tells us that Jesus was born of a miraculous birth without a father. "Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then He said unto him: Be and he is" (Quran 3.59). He was given many miracles as a prophet. These include speaking soon after his birth in defense of his mother's piety. God's other gifts to him included healing the blind and the sick, reviving the dead, making a bird out of clay and most importantly, the message he was carrying. These miracles were given to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to the Quran, he was not crucified but was raised into Heaven. (Quran, Chapter Maryam)

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Do Muslims have many sects?

 

Muslims have no sects. In Islam, there are two major schools of thought, the Shia and the Sunni. Both have many things in common. They follow the same book - Quran. They follow the same prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). Both offer their prayers five time a day. Both fast in the month of Ramadan. They both go for hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca. Those who follow Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), in accordance with his sayings and actions, are called Sunni and those who in addition follow the sayings and views of Ali (Muhammad's son-in- law), as the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), are called Shia. Shia means a partisan (party of Ali) and it started more as a political party to help Ali in his conflict with his political adversaries. Most Shias live in Iran and Iraq while the rest of the Muslim world is mostly Sunni. Shias comprise about 16-percent of the Muslim population.

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What are the pillars of Islam?

 

There are five major pillars of Islam which are the articles of faith. These pillars are 1) the belief (Iman) in one God and that Muhammad (Pbuh) is His messenger, 2) prayer (Salat) which are prescribed five times a day, 3)fasting (Siyam) which is required in the month of Ramadan, 4) charity (Zakat) which is the poor-due on the wealth of the rich and 5) hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if one can afford it physically and financially. All the pillars should be of equal height and strength in a building in order to give the building its due shape and proportions. It is not possible that one would do hajj without observing fasting or without practicing regular prayers. Now think of a building which has pillars only. It would not be called a building. In order to make it a building, it has to have a roof, it has to have walls, it has to have doors and windows. These things in Islam are the moral codes of Islam such as honesty, truthfulness, steadfastness and many other human moral qualities. Thus in order to be a Muslim, one should not only be practicing the pillars of Islam but should also have the highest possible attribute for being a good human being. Only then the building is completed and looks beautiful.

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Do Muslims believe in the hereafter?

 

God is Just and manifest His justice, He established the system of accountability. Those who do good will be rewarded and those who do wrong will be punished accordingly. Thus, He created Heaven and Hell and there are admission criteria for both. Muslims believe that the present life is a temporary one. It is a test and if we pass the test, we will be given a life of permanent pleasure in the company of good people in Heaven.

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Will the good actions of the non-believers be wasted?

 

No. The Quran clearly says that, "anyone who has an atom's worth of goodness will see it and anyone who has done an atom's worth of evil will also see it" (Quran 99:7-8). By that it is meant that those who are non- believers but have done good will be rewarded in this world for their good deed. On the other hand, those who do good if they are Muslims, they will be rewarded not only in this world but also in the world hereafter. However, the final Judgment is up to God himself. (Quran 2:62)
 

What are the dietary prohibitions in Islam?

 

Muslims are told in the Quran not to eat pork or pork products, meat of the animals who died before being slaughtered or the carnivorous animals (as they eat dead animals), nor drink blood or intoxicants such as wine or use any illicit drugs.

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What is Jihad?

 

The word "Jihad" means struggle, or to be specific, striving in the cause of God. Any struggle done in day-to-day life to please God can be considered Jihad. One of the highest levels of Jihad is to stand up to a tyrant and speak a word of truth. Control of the self from wrong doings is also a great Jihad. One of the forms of Jihad is to take up arms in defense of Islam or a Muslim country when Islam is attacked. This kind of Jihad has to be declared by the religious leadership or by a Muslim head of state who is following the Quran and Sunnah.

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Does Islam oppress women?

 

No. On the contrary, Islam elevated the status of women 1,400 years ago by giving them the right to divorce, the right to have financial independence and support and the right to be identified as dignified women (Hijab) when in the rest of the world, including Europe, women had no such rights. Women are equal to men in all acts of piety(Quran 33:32). Islam allows women to keep their maiden name after marriage, their earned money and spend it as they wish, and ask men to be their protector as women on the street can be molested. Prophet Muhammad(Pbuh) told Muslim men, "the best among you is the one who is best to his family." Not Islam, but some Muslim men, do oppress women today. This is because of their cultural habits or their ignorance about their religion. Female Genital Mutilations has nothing to do with Islam. It is a pre Islamic African Custom, practiced by non Muslims including coptic Christians as well

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How should Muslims treat Jews and Christians?

 

The Quran calls them "People of the Book", i.e., those who received Divine scriptures before Muhammad(Pbuh). Muslims are told to treat them with respect and justice and do not fight with them unless they initiatehostilities or ridicule their faith. The Muslims ultimate hope is that they all will join them in worshipping one Godand submit to His will."Say (O Muhammad): O people of the Book (Jews and Christians) come to an agreement between us and you,that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall take no partners with Him, and none of us shall take othersfor Lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are those who have surrendered(unto Him)." (Quran 3:64)What about Hindus, Bahai, Buddhists and members of other religions?They should also be treated with love, respect, and understanding to make them recipients of Invitations to Islam.