- Let's Understand
ISLAM
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- What is Islam?
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- Islam is not a new religion, but the same
truth that God (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 be associated
with their faith.
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- What does Islam mean?
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- The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means
'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In
a religious context it meant complete submission to the
will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because
it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad (pbuh) rather
than God. 'Allah;' is the Arabic name of God, which is
used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.
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- Who is Muhammad (pbuh)?
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- Muhammad (pbuh) 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 raised
by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he
grew up, he became known for his truthful-sought after
for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians
describe his as calm and meditative.
- Muhammad (pbuh) 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.
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- How did he become a Prophet and A
Messenger of Allah?
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- At the age of 40, while engaged in a
meditative retreat, Muhammad (pbuh) received his first
revelation from 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 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 (pbuh)
and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where
they forgave their enemies and established Islam
definitively. Before the Prophet (pbuh) 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 in
the West and as far East as China.
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- Who are the Muslims?
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- 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
the 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 Africa's
population is Muslim, while significant minorities are to
be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South
America, and Europe.
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- What do Muslims believe?
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- 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 Judgment and individual
accountability for actions; in God's complete authority
of 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,
Aeron, 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
summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through Angel Gabriel.
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- How does someone become a Muslim?
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- 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 of God's Messengers and the scriptures they brought.
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- Why does Islam often seem strange?
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- Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in
the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does
not dominate every day 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 Shariah, should be taken
very seriously, which is why issues related to religion
are still so important.
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- Does Islam and Christianity have
different origins?
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- No. Together with Judaism, they go back to
the Prophet Abraham, and their three Prophets are
directly descended from his sons - Muhammad (pbuh) from
the eldest Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Issac, peace
be upon them. Abraham established the settlement which
today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka'ba towards
which all Muslims turn when they pray.