Basics of Islam SERIES

[ramevic]

:detective2:
Assalamo Alikom wr wb all
hoping that everything is great with all of you :)
we will start a whole series about Islam and we shall discuss many issues .. all of your suggestions and comments are HIGHLY NEEDED !

we will start today by a very basic introduction , Here we go :
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is Islam?:
The name of the religion is Islam, which comes from an Arabic root word meaning "peace" and "submission." Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one's life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same Arabic root word gives us "Salaam alaykum," ("Peace be with you"), the universal Muslim greeting.

Who is a Muslim?:
A person who believes in and consciously follows Islam is called a Muslim, also from the same root word. So, the religion is called "Islam," and a person who believes in and follows it is a "Muslim."

Definition: A person who peacefully submits his or her self to God; a follower of the faith of Islam.
Pronunciation: moos-lim (with a strong 's' sound as in 'snake')
Alternate Spellings: Moslem -- but "Muslim" is preferred and renders a pronunciation more faithful to the Arabic word.


Who is Allah?:
Allah is the proper name for Almighty God, and is often translated merely as "God." Allah has other names that are used to describe His characteristics: the Creator, the Sustainer, the Merciful, the Compassionate, etc.
Muslims believe that since Allah alone is the Creator, it is He alone that deserves our devout love and worship. Islam holds to a strict monotheism. Any worship and prayers directed at saints, prophets, other human beings or nature is considered idolatry.

The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that "There is only One God," the Creator, the Sustainer -- known in the Arabic language and by Muslims as Allah. Allah is not a foreign god, nor an idol. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty.
The fundamental pillar of faith in Islam is to declare that "there is no deity worthy of worship except the One True Almighty God" (in Arabic: "La ilaha ill Allah").

we will discuss more about God's nature, characteristics and names in the next time in shaa' Allah !

to be continued in shaa' Allah later :)

***
Allah has made sure that the people all over the earth know there is something called "Islam." But He has also given us another chance to share the truth about what Islam actually is and what it is not. This may well be our last chance too. Maybe the Last Day is just around the corner and this is a way for us to wake up and do our job before it is too late for us

[ramevic]

:detective2:Assalamo Alikom wr wb all
hoping that everything is great with all of you :)
as we said..we started a series about Islam and we shall discuss many issues .. all of your suggestions and comments are HIGHLY NEEDED !!

today we will discuss God's nature in Islam :
In the Qur'an, we read that Allah is Compassionate and Merciful. He is Kind, Loving, and Wise. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Healer. He is the One who Guides, the One who Protects, the One who Forgives. There are traditionally ninety-nine names, or attributes, that Muslims use to describe Allah's nature.

you will find these 99 names in this link :
http://islam.about.com/od/godallah/a/asma_husna.htm (http://islam.about.com/od/godallah/a/asma_husna.htm)

The Qur'an calls upon Muslims to remember Allah, the One True Almighty God, and to call only upon Him for guidance and help. In the Qur'an, Allah describes Himself to us: the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Loving, the Just. There are dozens of such "names," or attributes, to describe the One True Almighty God in terms that we can understand. In Surah Al-Hashr (59:22-24), the Qur'an says:
"Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god.
Who knows all things, both secret and open.
He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god.
The Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith,
the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the justly Proud.
Glory to Allah! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him.

He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner.
To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.
Whatever is in the heavens and on earth declare His Praises and Glory.
And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise."

To fully understand the depth and meaning of all of these beautiful names, one really needs to ponder and think about them. For example, Allah is the All-Hearer (Al-Basir). Think about it - Allah hears everything, from the buzz of a mosquito's wings, to the rustle of the wind. Every conversation spoken, every thought that you keep to yourself. Language is no barrier, for Allah understands all. To truly ponder on the majesty of Allah makes one humble.

This is what Allah calls us to do - to understand Him through His attributes and names, realize His Omnipotence and Majesty, call upon Him, and humble ourselves to Him.


In Muslim understanding, God is beyond our sight and understanding, yet at the same time "nearer to us than our jugular vein" (Qur'an 50:16). Muslims pray directly to God, with no intermediary, and seek guidance from Him alone, because "...Allah knows well the secrets of your hearts" (Qur'an 5:7).
"When My servants ask thee concerning Me,
I am indeed close (to them).
I respond to the prayer of every suppliant
when he calls on Me.
Let them also, with a will,
Listen to My call, and believe in Me,
that they may walk in the right way."
Qur'an 2:186

In the Qur'an, people are asked to look around them for the signs of Allah in the natural world. The balance of the world, the rhythms of life, are "signs for those who would believe." The universe is in perfect order: the orbits of the planets, the cycles of life and death, the seasons of the year, the mountains and the rivers, the mysteries of the human body. This order and balance are not haphazard nor random. The world, and everything in it, has been created with a perfect plan, by the One who knows all.
Islam is a natural faith, a religion of responsibility, purpose, balance, discipline, and simplicity. To be a Muslim is to live your life remembering God and striving to follow His merciful guidance.

we will discuss more about God in Islam and Islam in general in the next time in shaa' Allah

[ramevic]

:detective2:Assalamo Alikom wr wb all
hoping that everything is great with all of you :)
as we said..we started a series about Islam and we shall discuss many issues .. all of your suggestions and comments are HIGHLY NEEDED !!

What do Muslims believe about God, prophets, the afterlife, etc.?:
The basic beliefs of Muslims fall into six main categories, which are known as the "Articles of Faith":


BUT !!
before going into these facts about islam .. we must free our minds from any unreasonable or unjustified accusation or myth about Islam .. this is very important to absorb the information and set your mind free to be able to judge and accept Islam's basics of belief.

Islam is a widely-misunderstood religion. Those who are unfamiliar with the faith often have misunderstandings about its teachings and practices. Common misconceptions include that Muslims worship a moon-god, that Islam is oppressive against women, or that Islam is a faith that promotes violence. Here we bust these myths and expose the true teachings of Islam.

1. Muslims worship a moon-god:
Some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Allah is an "Arab god," a "moon god," or some sort of idol. Allah is the proper name of the One True God, in the Arabic language. The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that "There is only One God," the Creator, the Sustainer -- known in the Arabic language and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty.

2. Muslims don't believe in Jesus
In the Qur'an, stories about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (called 'Isa in Arabic) are abundant. The Qur'an recalls his miraculous birth, his teachings, and the miracles he performed by God's permission. There is even a chapter of the Qur'an named after his mother, Mary (Miriam in Arabic). However, Muslims believe that Jesus was a fully human prophet and not in any way divine himself.

3. Most Muslims are Arabs
While Islam is often associated with Arabs, they make up only 15% of the world's Muslim population. The country with the largest population of Muslims is Indonesia. Muslims make up 1/5 of the world's population, with large numbers found in Asia (69%), Africa (27%), Europe (3%) and other parts of the world.

4. Islam oppresses women
Most of the ill-treatment that women receive in the Muslim world is based on local culture and traditions, without any basis in the faith of Islam. In fact, practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and restricted movement directly contradict Islamic law governing family behavior and personal freedom.

5. Muslims are violent, terrorist extremists
Terrorism cannot be justified under any valid interpretation of the Islamic faith. The entire Qur'an, taken as a complete text, gives a message of hope, faith, and peace to a faith community of one billion people. The overwhelming message is that peace is to be found through faith in God, and justice among fellow human beings. Muslim leaders and scholars do speak out against terrorism in all its forms, and offer explanations of misinterpreted or twisted teachings.

6. Islam is intolerant of other faiths
Throughout the Qur'an, Muslims are reminded that they are not the only ones who worship God. Jews and Christians are called "People of the Book," meaning people who have received previous revelations from the One Almighty God that we all worship. The Qur'an also commands Muslims to protect from harm not only mosques, but also monasteries, synagogues, and churches -- because "God is worshipped therein."

7. Islam promotes "jihad" to spread Islam by the sword and kill all unbelievers
The word Jihad stems from an Arabic word which means "to strive." Other related words include "effort," "labor," and "fatigue." Essentially Jihad is an effort to practice religion in the face of oppression and persecution. The effort may come in fighting the evil in your own heart, or in standing up to a dictator. Military effort is included as an option, but as a last resort and not "to spread Islam by the sword."

8. The Quran was written by Muhammad and copied from Christian and Jewish sources:
The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of two decades, calling people to worship One Almighty God and to live their lives according to this faith. The Qur'an contains stories of Biblical prophets, because these prophets also preached the message of God. Stories are not merely copied, but the oral traditions are referred to in a way that focuses on the examples and teachings that we can learn from them.

9. Islamic prayer is just a ritualized performance with no heartfelt meaning:
Prayer is a time to stand before God and express faith, give thanks for blessings, and seek guidance and forgiveness. During Islamic prayer, one is modest, submissive and respectful to God. By bowing and prostrating ourselves to the ground, we express our utmost humility before the Almighty.

10. The crescent moon is a universal symbol of Islam:
The early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Islamic caravans and armies flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years, and wasn't affiliated with Islam at all until the Ottoman Empire placed it on their flag.

--for more details about myths about Islam You can check the discussion topic "islam has no contradictions" .. !

we will go further into details about the basics of A TRUE muslim's belief in the next time in shaa' Allah !

to be continued in shaa' Allah later :)

***
Allah has made sure that the people all over the earth know there is something called "Islam." But He has also given us another chance to share the truth about what Islam actually is and what it is not. This may well be our last chance too. Maybe the Last Day is just around the corner and this is a way for us to wake up and do our job before it is too late for us

[ramevic]

:questionmark:Assalamo Alikom wr wb all
hoping that everything is great with all of you :)
as we said..we started a series about Islam and we shall discuss many issues .. all of your suggestions and comments are HIGHLY NEEDED !!

-- I am trying to give a break of 2-4 days between each message and another so as to leave a chance for all to read .. by the way I just received some replies concerning the last message which was 4 days ago .. so I am sorry for all those who asked to make the series go faster !
you can catch up with us on this link :
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=38958248586&topic=14665 (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=38958248586&topic=14665)

now we shall proceed :

How did Islam originate?

In seventh century Arabia, when society was gripped by idolatry, the divide between rich and poor was growing, and the Arab tribal system was thriving, Muhammad received a revelation that would transform society both within the Arabian peninsula and significantly in other parts of the world. Christianity and Judaism also originated in the Middle East, and the Prophet made clear that far from bringing a new message, he was in fact calling people back to the one true God and to the way of life people had left. The revelations he received corrected distortions that had crept into earlier revelation and called all to return to the ‘Straight Path’ of Islam.

What are the five pillars of Islam?

1-Belief in one God, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage. These form the foundation of faith for every Muslim.
The basic declaration of belief, or Shahada is, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." Declaring this is all that is required of a person who wishes to embrace Islam.


2-Prayer, or Salah is the performing of the five daily prayers, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sundown, and nightfall.


3-Alms, or Zakah, is obligatory on every Muslim as a tax to benefit the poor and needy. Every adult Muslim must contribute a 2.5% of his or her wealth (not income) each year.


4-Fasting, or Sawm which takes place in the month of Ramadan, involves self discipline and humility through abstention from food, drink and sex from dawn to sunset. It encourages a sense of empathy with those who go hungry around the world and to give charity. It is a time to focus on spiritual nourishment and refinement of character. It ends with the celebration of Eid-ul Fitr.


5-Pilgrimage, or Hajj, is to be performed once in a Muslim’s lifetime to the first House of God, the Kabah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims dress simply in white garments to symbolise the equality of humankind. At least two million Muslims go to perform Hajj in the final month of the Islamic calendar each year. The end of Hajj is marked by the second of two major Muslim festivals, Eid-ul Adha.


The basic beliefs of Muslims fall into six main categories, which are known as the "Articles of Faith":
Faith in the unity of God
Faith in angels
Faith in prophets
Faith in books of revelation
Faith in an afterlife
Faith in destiny/divine decree

--In the next messages we will discuss every single pillar and basic of all the previous ones

[ramevic]

:soccer_h4h:Assalamo Alikom wr wb all
hoping that everything is great with all of you :)
as we said..we started a series about Islam and we shall discuss many issues .. all of your suggestions and comments are HIGHLY NEEDED !!

-- I am trying to give a break of 2-4 days between each message and another so as to leave a chance for all to read ..

as we said before Islam has five pillars :

Belief in one God, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage

--->
The first pillar of Islam is to believe and declare the faith by saying the Shahadah (lit. 'witness'), known as the Kalimah.

La ilaha ila Allah; Muhammadur-rasul Allah. 'There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'

The meaning is better understood in English as saying that there is no deity worthy of worship throughout the creation, only the Creator is worth of any worship.

Or as we say: "Worship the Creator - Not His Creations."

---By sincerely uttering the Shahadah the Muslim acknowledges Allah as the sole Creator of all, and the Supreme Authority over everything and everyone in the universe. Consequently the Muslim closes his/her heart and mind to loyalty, devotion and obedience to, trust in, reliance on, and worship of anything or anyone other than Allah.

This rejection is not confined merely to pagan gods and goddesses of wood and stone and created by human hands and imaginations; this rejection must extend to all other conceptions, superstitions, ideologies, ways of life, and authority figures that claim supreme devotion, loyalty, trust, love, obedience or worship.

This entails, for example, the rejection of belief in such common things as astrology, palm reading, good luck charms, fortune-telling and psychic readings, in addition to praying at shrines or graves of "saints", asking the dead souls to intercede for them with Allah.

There are no intercessors in Islam, nor any class of clergy as such; a Muslim prays directly and exclusively to Allah.


---Belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) entails belief in the guidance brought by him and contained in his Sunnah (traditions of his sayings and actions), and demands of the Muslim the intention to follow his guidance faithfully.

Muhammad (pbuh) was also a human being, a man with feelings and emotions, who ate, drank and slept, and was born and died, like other men.
He had a pure and upright nature, extraordinary righteousness, and an unwavering faith in Allah and commitment to Islam,BUT HE WAS NOT DIVINE.
Muslims do not pray to him(UNLIKE MOST OF THE OTHER RELIGIONS), not even as an intercessor, and Muslims abhor the terms "Mohammedan" and "Mohammedanism"..

the facts of " the ONE and the ONLY god" are summed up in the quran chapter 112 which reads:


"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone."