ISLAM

Islam: Definition & General Information

The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Muslims derive their identity from the message of Islam, rather than the person of Muhammad (PBUH), thus should not be called "Muhammadans".Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah". The Definition of Islam:The word "Islam" also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form. Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first Prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the Prophets sent by Allah to mankind.Peace means to be at peace with yourself and your surroundings and submission means submission to the will of God. A broader meaning of the word "Islam" is to achieve peace by submitting to the will of God. Islam enjoins faith in the oneness and sovereignty of Allah (SWT), which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the universe and of his place in it. Islam signifies a moral attitude and a way of life. The doctrines, morals, ethics, legislations, institutions, teachings and values that are preached to be adopted by the human race at all levels of the individual family, community, nation and humanity are structured to achieve peace and prosperity for all mankind.Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah (the Lord of Existence) through angel Gabriel, in the Arabic language. Islam changed the course of human history. It came in a time when life was corrupted in every aspect. As a result of ignorance, the evil known as the worship of natural phenomena was born in human society. Owing to this intellectual aberration, idolatry became a rooted feature of human civilization. So Islam (the message of Allah) was sent to humanity to change the situation, and to lead the humanity to perfection. It was sent to every nation without distinction, and also for all the time (the past and future), as for the past that was by approving all real messengers and their messages and ordered to believe in them, as well as their messages. As for the future, it means that there won't be sent any other Prophet after Muhammad (PBUH).By Islam the truth was unveiled, and now truth and untruth have become so distinct from one another that there is no thick or thin veil in between. Continuity of the Message:Islam is the true "natural religion", and it is the same eternal message revealed through the ages to all of God's prophets and messengers. Muslims believe that all of God's prophets, brought the same message of Pure Monotheism. For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad was not the founder of a new religion, as many people mistakenly think, but he was the Final Prophet of Islam. Sources of Islam:1. The Qur'an: The religion of Islam came direct from heaven. The Qur'an and all its tenets were sent down by Gabriel from God himself to Muhammad. As for the Qur'an, it is held to be of eternal origin, recorded in heaven, and lying as it does there upon the "Preserved Table" (Surah 85:22). Thus God alone is held to be the "Source" of Islam; and if so, then all effort to find a human origin for any part of it must be in vain. 2. The Hadith (Sunnah): The Sunnah is the second source of Islam. Sunnah is an Arabic word which means "Method". It was applied by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a legal term to represent what he said, did and agreed to. Its authority is derived from the text of the Qur'an, because the Qur'an says: "Nor does he (Muhammad) speak of (his own) desire." (Surah 53:3) The Qur'an and the Sunnah are complimentary. The meaning of the Qur'an is general in nature, the Sunnah makes it specific and particular. The Sunnah explains the instructions of the Qur'an. 3. Ijma and Qiyas: Ijma (that is consensus of opinion of scholars) and Qiyas (that is laws derived through analogical deduction) are the secondary or dependent sources of Islam or Shari'ah. Ijma and Qiyas derive their value or authority from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Therefore, they are called dependent sources.Fundamental Beliefs and Actions in Islam.Pillars of Iman (the main beliefs in Islam):1. Belief in Allah (the One with no partner)2. Belief in His angels3. Belief in Divine Books4. Belief in Messengers and Prophets ( all Prophets sent by Allah )5. Belief in The Last Day )the day of resurrection )6. And belief in al-Qadar (the Divine Destiny) be it good or bad.Pillars of Islam: 1. The declaration of faith: To bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His messenger to all human beings till the Day of Judgement.2. Prayers: Daily prayers are offered five times a day as a duty towards Allah. 3. Fasting the month of Ramadan: The Muslims during the month of Ramadan not only abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset, but also from evil intentions and desires. 4. Zakat: To pay annually 2.5% of one's net saving on which a year has passed as a religious duty and purifying sum to be spent on poorer sections of the community.5. Pilgrimage to Makkah: It is to be performed once in a lifetime, if one can afford it financially and physically.Aqeedah & Shari'ah in Islam:Islam is built in two parts, Aqeedah (Islamic Belief) and Shari'ah (Islamic Law), 'Aqeedah is the foundation of Islam and the Islamic nation is firm in its awareness. It is known with evidences of the Shari'ah from the Book & Sunnah that man's saying and actions are only authentic and acceptable to Allah, when their 'Aqeedah is authentic, if however the 'Aqeedah is not authentic then their sayings and actions are invalid. Aqeedah is the Islamic belief (belief in Allah's oneness, Lordship and Attributes. Belief in His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and Fate whether good or bad).The second part of Islam is Shari'ah (Islamic Law ), the true embodiment of justice. The Shari'ah is fully complete. It is the Way which encompasses the totality of man's life.It contains all that man needs to achieve a whole and sound life in this world . The completion and the perfection of the Shari'ah means that it is above, and free from, contradiction and inconsistency. Allah says, "Do they not ponder on the Qur'an? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely find therein much discrepancy." (Surah 4:82)The Differences between Islam & Other Religions and Sects:Since the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah. Even Jesus did not tell his followers to worship him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'an states: "And behold Allah will say: 'O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah'. He will say: "Glory to You I could never say what I had no right (to say)'." (Soorah 5:116)The basic message of Islam is that Allah and His creations are distinctly different entities. God's religion in essence is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form.The Message of False Religions:There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central object of worship to which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regards to Allah. They either claim that all men are gods or that specific men were gods or that nature is God or that God is a figment of man's imagination.Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that Allah may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religion invites man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, Prophet Jesus invited his followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was God or the son of God! Allah (SWT) says : "He has commanded that you only worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand. " (Soorah 12:40)The intellect doesn't accept there can be contradictions between the messages of Allah (SWT), since the source is one, i.e. (Allah). Why then are there so many contradictions between them?! Islam in essence is the same religion that was revealed to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, but it is in the final and complete form. In fact, Islam actually opposes these corrupted religions, because they are simply made by people. So present Christianity and Judaism are definitely forms of disbelief. The Jews have been described as those who have earned Allah's wrath. That is because they knew the truth and chose to go against it. The Christians have been described as those who have gone astray.Allah has declared that Jews and Christians are disbelievers in His Book. Allah has said, "And the Jews say, 'Ezra is the son of Allah,' and the Christians say, 'The Messiah is the son of Allah.' This is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah's curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth. They took their rabbis and their monks as lords besides Allah and [they also took as lord] the Messiah, son of Mary. But they were commanded only to worship none but One God. Praise and Glory be to Him, [far above is He] from having the partners they associate with Him. ." [Soorah 9:30-31] "Surely, disbelievers are those who said, 'Allah is the third of the three [in a Trinity]." [Soorah 5:73] "Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary." [Soorah 5:87] Jesus, son of Mary, gave glad tidings for the Prophet Muhammad. Jesus said, as His Lord states in the Qur'an, "O Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah for you confirming the Torah (which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad [one of the names of the Prophet Muhammad]. But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, 'This is clear magic.'" [Soorah 61:6] Islam the Religion of Freedom:Islam has given to mankind freedom of thought, speech, and action but within a correct and reasonable framework, (i.e. whereby one does not harm others or oneself), so that certain foods and drinks, which are very harmful, are not permissible because of the harm they cause to oneself. Likewise slander and assault and the like are not permissible because of the harm they cause to others. Islam takes care of human beings in every aspect of their life (spiritually, emotionally and physically), because the man is created of both soul and body.Islam Is the Solution of Terrorism not its Source:Islam has been the most opposed religion over the time, because it calls to truth, and always has been fought by its enemies. They always try to disfigure it, and attach to it misconceptions to mislead people.Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it in another way, the targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime is, in the eyes of terrorists, to represent "the other". This is an act bereft of any moral justification. This, as in the case of murders committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crime committed against "mankind". The Qur'an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in it, God commands man to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. "You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you." (Soorah 2:208)The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and preventing the "dissemination of mischief". As God says, "God does not love mischief makers." (Sorah 28:77) All these verses reveal that organizing acts of terror against innocent people is against Islam. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for stopping these people, removing "mischief on earth" and bringing peace and security to all people all over the world. Islam is by no means the source of any injustice and the injustice has no place in