What is Islam?
What Do Muslims Believe In?
What Are The Five Pillars Of
Islam?
What Do Muslims Think About Jesus?
How Does Islam Elevate The Status
Of Women?
Is Islam Tolerant Of Other Beliefs?
What Does Islam Say About War?
How Do Muslims View The Elderly,
Death, And The Afterlife?
Based on its linguistic origin, the Arabic word Islam' means to achieve peace--peace with God, peace within oneself, and peace with the creations of God through submission to God and commitment to His guidance.
Islam is not a new religion but the final culmination and fulfillment of the same basic truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is not just a personal religion but a complete way of living.
Over a billion people from all races, nationalities and cultures across the globe are Muslim--from the rice farms of Indonesia to the deserts in the heart of Africa; from the skyscrapers of New York to the Bedouin tents in Arabia.
Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world; a fifth are found in Sub-Saharan Africa; and the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. Substantial parts of Asia are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Central Asian republics, India, China, North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe.
Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God--the Sole Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher of the Universe; in the Angels created by Him; in the Prophets through whom His revelations were brought to humankind; in the Day of Judgment and in individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over destiny, be it good or bad; and in life after death.
Muslims believe that God sent his messengers and prophets to all people beginning with Adam (Adam) and including Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Lot (Lut), Ishmael (Isma'il), Isaac (Ishaq), Jacob (Ya'qub), Joseph (Yusuf), Job (Ayb), Moses (Musa), Aaron (Harun), David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulayman), Elias (Ilyas), Jonah (Yunus), John the Baptist (Yahya), and Jesus ('Isa); peace be upon them all.
God's final message to humanity, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing up of all that has gone before, was revealed to the Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the Archangel Gabriel.
One becomes a Muslim by believing and proclaiming that "There is none worthy of worship except God, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the Scriptures (in their pristine original form) that these messengers brought.
What Are The Five Pillars Of Islam?
The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life:
Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad; Establishment of the daily prayers; Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; Self-purification through fasting; and The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
"There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This declaration of faith is called the shahadah, a simple formula that all the faithful pronounce. The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Muhammad.
What Do Muslims Think About Jesus?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus. They consider him one of the greatest of God's prophets and messengers to humankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as "Jesus", but always adds the phrase "upon him be peace." The Qur'an confirms his virgin birth, and a special surah of the Qur'an is entitled "Mary." The Qur'an describes the Annunciation as follows:
"'Behold (O Mary!)' 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 Anointed (Masih or Messiah), Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and in the hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.'
"She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: 'Even so; God creates what He wills. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is.'" (Qur'an 3:42-7)
Jesus was born miraculously through the same power
that had brought Adam into being without a 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." (Qur'an
3:59)
During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. The Qur'an tells us that he said: "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, a 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." (Qur'an 3:49)
Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the
basic doctrine of the belief in One God, brought by earlier prophets, but
to confirm and renew it. In the Qur'an, Jesus 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 to you; I have come
to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me." (Qur'an 3:50)
The Prophet Muhammad said: "Whoever believes that there is none worthy of worship but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit proceeding from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven." (A Hadith from the collections of al Bukhari)
How Does Islam Elevate The Status Of Women?
According to the Qur'an, men and women are equal before God; women are not blamed for violating the "forbidden tree," nor is their suffering in pregnancy and childbirth a punishment for that act.
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 marital gift is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she may keep her own family name rather than adopting her husband's. Roles of men and women are complementary and collaborative. Rights and responsibilities of both sexes are equitable and balanced in their totality.
Both men and women are expected to dress in a way that is simple, modest and dignified; specific traditions of female dress found in some Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs rather than religious principle. Likewise, treatment of women in some areas of the Muslim world sometimes reflects cultural practices which may be inconsistent, if not contrary, to authentic Islamic teachings.
The messenger of God said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."
Is Islam Tolerant Of Other Beliefs?
Yes. The Qur'an states unequivocally: "There is no compulsion in religion." (Qur'an 2:256).
Protection of the rights of non-Muslims to worship is an intrinsic part of Islamic law. It is also stated in the Qur'an: "God does not forbid you, with regard to those who do not fight you for (your) faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loves those who are just." (Qur'an 60:8)
This is why non-Muslim societies and religious places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslims' tolerance towards other faiths. For instance, prior to the Spanish Inquisition, Jews and Christians lived and prosperred in Andalus (Spain) for centuries under Muslim rule.
Islamic law also permits non-Muslims to set up their own courts and implement family and personal laws administered by their chosen religious authorities.
What Does Islam Say About War?
Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat that include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock. As Muslims see it, injustice would be triumphant in the world if good people were not prepared to risk their lives in a righteous cause.
One reads in the Qur'an: "Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors." (Qur'an 2:190)
"And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for God. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers." (Qur'an 2:193)
"If they seek peace, then you seek peace. And trust in God for He is the One that hears and knows all things." (Qur'an 8:61)
War is therefore the last resort, and is subject
to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The often misunderstood
and overused term jihad literally means "struggle" and not "holy war" (a
term not found anywhere in the Qur'an). Jihad, as an Islamic concept, can
be on a personal level--inner struggle against evil within oneself; struggle
for decency and goodness on the social level;
and struggle on the battlefield, if and when
necessary.
How Do Muslims View The Elderly, Death, And The Afterlife?
Institutional homes for the elderly are virtually unknown in the Muslim world. The strain of caring for one's parents during this most difficult time of their lives is considered an honor and a blessing.
In Islam, serving one's parents is a duty second only to worshipping and it is the parents' right to expect it. It is considered despicable to express any irritation when, through no fault of their own, the old become difficult to handle.
It is written in the Qur'an: "Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'uff' to them or chide them, but speak to them in terms of honor and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, 'My Lord! Have mercy on them, for they did care for me when I was little.'" (Qur'an 17:23-4)
Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. Basic articles of faith include: the Day of Judgment, Resurrection, Heaven and Hell.
When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed, usually
by a family member, wrapped in a clean white cloth, and buried with a simple
prayer, preferably the same day. Muslims consider this one of the
final services they can do for their relatives,
and an opportunity to remember their own brief existence here on earth.