Islam
Islam is the acceptance of and the obedience to the teachings of God which He revealed to His last Prophet Muhamad. Those who do that are called Muslims. Islam is not only a religion, but a complete way of life.
God
The Creator of everything is Allah. He is Almighty. He has no partner. He is infinite, he has no beginning and has no end, unlike creation which is always finite. He has no wife or children as he was not born and does not have children. He is unique like no other. He knows everything, sees everything and hears everything. There is nothing in the entire universe that is worthy of worship except the Creator. There is no greater sin that Shirk, which means to associate partners with Allah and believe that they can give us benefit or cause us harm, or worship others besides Him.
Allah has beautiful names which indicate His attributes. He is Kind and Loving. He is Gracious and Merciful. He is Forgiving. The Creator has told us many of His beautiful names, the most preferred being Allah.
سُوۡرَةُ الإخلاص
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
(قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (١) ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ (٢) لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ (٣
(وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ ڪُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (٤
(translation of the meaning)
Surah Al-Ikhlas
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say (O Muhammad (SAW)): “He is Allâh, (the) One. (1) “Allâh-us-Samad
(السيد الذي يصمد إليه في الحاجات) [Allâh the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)]. (2) “He begets not, nor was He begotten; (3) “And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” (4)
Muhammad
Allah selected certain righteous humans to deliver His message to mankind. These people were called prophets or messengers. They received revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel. All the prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, all commanded mankind to worship Allah alone with no partner.
Muhamad was the last Prophet. Allah chose him to reveal His Last Message. The Prophet Muhamad received the Noble Quran from Allah through the Angel Gabriel. A Muslim must believe in all the prophets from Adam to Muhammed (Peace be upon them all). Those who obey Allah and follow the teachings of His Prophet Muhammad shall be rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter
سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
(يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ شَـٰهِدً۬ا وَمُبَشِّرً۬ا وَنَذِيرً۬ا (٤٥
(وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦ وَسِرَاجً۬ا مُّنِيرً۬ا (٤٦
(translation of the meaning)
Surah Al-Ahzab
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner (45) And as one who invites to Allâh [Islâmic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allâh (Alone)] by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through your instructions from the Qur’ân and the Sunnah the legal ways of the Prophet SAW). (46)
Worship in Islam
Islam is based upon five pillars;
- Pillar 1: The declaration of faith which one utters to become a Muslim. This is to firmly believe and say;‘I bear witness that there in no other god except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammed is Allah’s Messenger.’
People cannot be forced to become Muslim. The Belief in Allah requires certainty with complete understanding that nothing else deserves worship or reverence except Him and that mankind is dependent on Him alone for all their needs and wants. - Pillar 2: Prayer five times daily. In order to keep in constant state of devotion and direct communication with the Creator a muslim must pray five times a day. It is the distinguishing feature of Islam. A person abandons prayer at risk of going out of Islam. Prayer is a means of remembering Allah. In prayer, a person leaves everything and devotes himself to the worship of Allah. Prayer is indeed a means of bringing mankind closer to Allah. Before performing prayer, a person must make sure that his body, clothes and place of worship are clean.
- Pillar 3: Zakat. It is a way of doing our duty to other Muslims less fortunate by giving a small part of their money away as charity called Zakat. Zakat is an act of worship. It is also a way of showing sympathy to those who are less fortunate. It is meant to take away from our hearts greed and the love of money. It is also to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Zakat purifies ones wealth. Wealth on which Zakat has not been paid will be a source of punishment for its owner.
- Pillar 4:Fasting, which is to keep away from eating, drinking and sexual relationship between spouses from dawn to sunset, is the fourth Pillar of Islam. Fasting is compulsory for every Muslim during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calender. Fasting is both a spiritual and a physical exercise. It also teaches a person to discipline his behaviour.
سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا
(كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣
(translation of the meaning)
Surah Al-Baqara
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting)[] is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious – see V.2:2). (183)
- Pillar 5: Hajj, the Pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca at least once in a lifetime. It is compulsary upon Muslims who can afford the expenses and is physically able to undertake the journey. Hajj was first performed by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. The Hajj rituals stress upon sacrifice, tolerance and equality. It is the largest annual gathering of Muslims, who come from all over the world to assemble in the Mecca and exchange good wishes.
سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
فِيهِ ءَايَـٰتُۢ بَيِّنَـٰتٌ۬ مَّقَامُ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ ۥ
كَانَ ءَامِنً۬اۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ مَنِ
(ٱسۡتَطَاعَ إِلَيۡهِ سَبِيلاً۬ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٩٧
(translation of the meaning)
Surah Al-E-Imran
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allâh], then Allâh stands not in need of any of the ‘Alamîn (mankind and jinn and all that exsists). (97)
Muslim Manners
Islam is more than just a religion that entails ritual acts for a spiritual purpose. Islam requires its adherents to care for all living beings and the environment. These values and ethics are prescribed in the Shari’ah. It regulates the way an individual conducts himself (or herself) in private and in public and how the individual interacts with society, including economic transactions. Children must obey their parents, be kind to them and show them respect. A muslim must respect all those who are elder than him. A person should treat all those who are younger than him with kindness and affection. One must also try to help others, and wronging others and treating them badly. Allah loves those who are clean so a Muslim should always try to be clean and tidy. He should keep his heart free from any grudge or ill feeling towards another person.
The Sources of Law in Islam
The Muslim’s belief, worship and way of life is all derived from the laws that were given to the final prophet Muhammad sent by Allah to the whole of mankind with the final revelation the Quran. It has been preserved both through oral and written tradition since its revelation and is the same today as it was when first revealed over 1400 years ago. This, along with the authentically transmitted practices and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Hadith, form the primary sources of Islamic law. Furthermore the prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) received revelation by concept which he explained in his own words. This is called the Sunnah and forms the second source of Islamic legislation. This was exemplified by the honourable companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). People are not at will to prefer their own rational views over the confirmed textual views and Muslims must stick to following the Quran and Sunnah as understood by the earlier generations, the companions and their followers.
How to become Muslim?
A Muslim is a person who believes that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammed is the last messenger of Allah sent to mankind and submits to the commands of Allah. Therefore anyone who believes in this, needs to only testify their belief with the testification of faith. Once this is done, Allah forgives all previous sins and the person has a new start to do good and shun evil and sin.