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Table of Contents
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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?
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. 'Allaah' 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. T hey 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 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 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 Arabia 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 dictated 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
revealed to Muhammad,
peace be upon him, fourteen centuries ago.
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. More on the Holy Quran.
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:
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'God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for
others.' |
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'None of you truly believes until he wishes for
his brother what he wishes for himself."
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'He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes
without food is not a believer.'
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'The truthful and trusty businessman is
associated with the prophets, the saints, and
the martyrs.' |
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'Powerful is not he who knocks the other down,
indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a
fit of anger.' |
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'God does not judge according to your bodies and
appearances but He scans your hearts and looks
into your deeds.'
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'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 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.
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:
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Faith |
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Prayer |
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Concern for the needy |
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Self-purification |
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And the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are
able |
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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 he city.
Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities
to set up their own courts, which implement
family laws drawn up by the minorities
themselves.
What do Muslims think about Jesus?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus, peace be upon him, and await his Second Coming.
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 Quran 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
Hereafter, and one shall speak to the people
from his cradle and in maturity, and shall
be of the righteous.'
She said: 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)
(See also Christ In Islam)
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 na me 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."
(See also Women in Islam)
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
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