In the Name of Allâh,
the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
1. What is Islaam?
The word "Islaam" is an Arabic word that means
"submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God". The word
comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means
peace. Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and
Christianity, the name for the religion of Islaam was both revealed by God and
carries a deep spritual meaning - only by submitting one's will to Almighty God
can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter. Islaam
teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message - which
was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him
alone. For this reason, Islaam is not a new religion but is the same divinely
revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah,
Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
2. Who are Muslims?
The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone
who submits to the will of God". The message of Islaam is meant for the
entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim. Some people
mistakenly believe that Islaam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could
be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims
are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are
Christians, Jews and atheists. If one just takes a look at the various peoples
who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to
Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different
races, ethnic groups and nationalities. From the very beginning, Islaam had a
universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the
early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also
Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete
acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God. A Muslim
is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the
will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don't see it as much today,
the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This
label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer
ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were
taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same
way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim
is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.
3. Who is Allaah?
Very often one will here the Arabic word "Allaah"
being used in regards to Islaam. The word "Allaah" is simply the
Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking
Christians and Jews. If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible,
one would see the word "Allaah" being use where the word
"God" is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty God,
"Allaah", is quite similar to the word for God in other Semitic
languages - for example, the Hebrew word for God is "Elah". For
various reasons, some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a
different God than the God of Moses and Abraham and Jesus. This is certainly
not the case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islaam calls all people to the
worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the other prophets.
4. Who is Muhammad?
The last and final prophet that God sent to humanity was the
Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of
Islaam. The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons,
but mainly because the results of his mission have brought more people into the
pure belief in One God than any other prophet. Even though other religious
communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their
beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God.
Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestations of God, "God
Incarnate" or the "Son of God". All of these false ideas lead to
the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the
idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through
intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet
Muhammad always emphasised that he was only a human-being tasked with the
preaching of God's message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as "the
Messenger of God and His Slave". To Muslims, Muhammad is the supreme
example for all people - he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military
leader, ruler, teacher, neighbour, husband, father and friend. Unlike other
prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of
history. Muslims don't need to have "faith" that he existed and that
his teachings are preserved - they know it to be a fact. Even when his
followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had
be sent as a mercy to all of mankind. Because people had distorted or forgotten
God's messages, God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to
Muhammad. This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger
after him. Since all of God's messengers have preached the message of Islaam -
i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone - Muhammad is
actually the last prophet of Islaam, not the first.
5. What are the Teachings of Islaam?
The foundation of the Islaamic faith is belief in the Unity of
God. This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of
everything in the Universe, and that nothing is divine or worthy of being
worshipped except for Him. Truly believing in the Unity of God means much more
than simply believing that there is "One God" - as opposed to two,
three or four. There are a number of religions that claim belief in "One
God" and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer
of the Universe. Islaam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects
using such words as "Lord" and "Saviour" for anyone besides
Almighty God. Islaam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and
Man, and insists that people approach God directly and reserve all worship for
Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and
Merciful.
The essence of falsehood is the claim that God cannot deal with
and forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasising the burden of sin, as
well as claiming that God cannot forgive you directly, false religions seek to
get people to despair of the Mercy of God. Once they are convinced that they
cannot approach God directly, people can be mislead into turning to false gods
for help. These "false gods" can take various forms, such as saints,
angels, or someone who is believed to be the "Son of God" or
"God Incarnate". In almost all cases, people who worship, pray to or
seek help from a false god don't consider it to be, or call it, a
"god". They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that they pray
to and worship others beside God only to get closer to Him. In Islaam, there is
a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. There is no ambiguity
in divinity - anything that is created is not deserving of worship and only the
Creator is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God
has become part of His creation, and this has led people to believe that they
can worship something created in order to reach their Creator.
Muslims believe that even though God is Unique and beyond
comprehension - He has no "Son", partners or associates. According to
Muslim belief, Almighty God "does not beget nor was He begotten" -
neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically
- He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is
perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy and Forgiveness to whomever
He chooses. That is why is called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Almighty
God has created the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human
beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of the Creatorship and
Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Unity of God is not merely
a metaphysical concept. It is a dynamic belief that effects ones view of
humanity, society and all aspects of life. As a logical corollary to the
Islaamic belief in the Oneness of God, is its belief in the oneness of mankind
and humanity.
6. What is the Qur'aan?
It is the final revelation of the will of Almighty God's to all
of mankind, which was conveyed through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic, to the
Prophet Muhammad in its sounds, words and meanings. The Qur'aan, sometimes
spelled Koran, was relayed to the Prophet's companions, which they memorised
verbatim, and which has been publicly and continually recited by them and their
successors until the present day. In short, the Qur'aan is the book of guidance
from God par excellence. The Qur'aan is still memorised and taught by millions
of people. The language of the Qur'aan, Arabic, is still a living language to
millions of people, so unlike the scriptures of other religions, the Qur'aan is
still read in its original language by countless millions of people. The Qu'ran
is a living miracle in the Arabic language; and is know to be inimitable in its
style, form and spiritual impact. God's final revelation to mankind, the
Qur'aan, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. The
Qur'aan, in contrast to many other religious books, was always thought to be
the Word of God by those who believed in it, i.e. it wasn't something decreed
by a religious council many years after being written. Also, the Qu'ran was
recited publicly in front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during
the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The entire Qur'aan was also completely
written down in lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet
memorised the entire Qur'aan word-for-word as it was revealed. So unlike other
scriptures, the Qur'aan was always in the hands of the common believers, it was
always thought to be God's word and, due to wide-spread memorisation, it was
perfectly preserved. In regards to the teachings of the Qur'aan - it is a
universal scripture, and it is addressed to all of mankind, and not to a
particular tribe or "chosen people". The message that it brings is
nothing new, but the same message of all of the prophets - submit to Almighty
God and worship Him alone. As such, God's revelation in the Qur'aan focuses on
teaching human beings the importance of believing in the Unity of God and
framing their lives around the guidance which He has sent. Additionally, the
Qur'aan contains the stories of the previous prophets, such as Abraham, Noah, Moses
and Jesus; as well as many commands and prohibitions from God. In modern times
in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and
"political correctness", the Qur'aanic teachings offer solutions to
the emptiness of our lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today.
7. How Do Muslims View the Nature of Man, the Purpose of Life
and the Life Hereafter?
In the Holy Qur'aan, God teaches human beings that they were
created in order to worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is
God-consciousness. Since the teachings of Islaamic encompass all aspects of
life and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs. Islaam
makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God
alone and in accordance to His Divine Law. As such, worship in Islaam is not
limited to religious rituals. The teachings of Islaam act as a mercy and a
healing for the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience
and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islaam condemns pride and
self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human
righteousness. The Islaamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and
well-balanced. Human beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are
seen as equally capable of both good and evil. Islaam also teaches that faith
and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people free-will, and the measure of
one's faith is one's deeds and actions. However, human beings have also been
created weak and regularly fall into sin. This is the nature of the human being
as created by God in His Wisdom, and it is not inherently "corrupt"
or in need of repair. This is because the avenue of repentance of always open
to all human beings, and Almighty God loves the repentant sinner more than one
who does not sin at all. The true balance of an Islaamic life is established by
having a healthy fear of God as well as a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy.
A life without fear of God leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that
we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to
despair. In light of this, Islaam teaches that: only the misguided despair of
the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur'aan, which was revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life
hereafter and the Day of Judgement. Due to this, Muslims believe that all human
beings will ultimately be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in their
earthly lives. In judging human beings, Almighty God will be both Merciful and
Just, and people will only be judged for what they were capable of. Suffice it
to say that Islaam teaches that life is a test, and that all human beings will
be accountable before God. A sincere belief in the life hereafter is key to
leading a well-balanced life and moral. Otherwise, life is viewed as an end in
itself, which causes human beings to become more selfish, materialistic and
immoral.
Courtesy Of: Islamic Awareness
Source:
