SEVEN
QUESTION ABOUT ISLAMSEVEN
QUESTION ABOUT ISLAM1. What is Islam?
The word "Islam" 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 Islam
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
thelife hereafter.
Islam 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, Islam 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 Islam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts
this
message becomes a Muslim. Some people mistakenly believe that Islam 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, Islam
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 willful 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 Allah?
Very often one will here the Arabic word "Allah" being used in regards
to Islam.
The word "Allah" 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 "Allah" being use
where
the word "God" is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty
God,
"Allah", is quite similiar 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
Jews
and Christians. This is certainly not the case, since the Pure Monotheism
of Islam
calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
and
all of the other prophets.However, even though Jews, Christians and Muslims
worship the same God — since there is only one God — their concepts concerning
Him differ in some significant ways.
4. Who is Muhammad?
The last and final prophet that God sent to humanity was the Prophet
Mohammed.Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islam.
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 manifestions 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 emphasized 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,
neighbor 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 Islam — i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone
—
Muhammad is actually the last prophet of Islam, not the first.
5. What are the Teachings of Islam?
The foundation of the Islamic 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. Islam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects using
such words
as "Lord" and "Savior" for anyone besides Almighty God. Islam 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-emphasizing
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 Islam, 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 Islamic belief in
the Oneness of God,
is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity.
6. What is the Qur'an?
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’an, sometimes spelled Koran, was relayed to
the Prophet's
companions, which they memorized verbatim, and which has been publicly
and continually
recited by them and their successors until the present day.In short, the
Qur'an is the book
of guidance from God par excellence. The Qur'an is still memorized and
taught by millions
of people. The language of the Qur'an, Arabic, is still a living language
to millions of people,
so unlike the scriptures of other religions, the Qur'an 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'an, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period
of 23 years.
The Qur'an, 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'an was also completely written down in lifetime of the Prophet,
and numerous
companions of the Prophet memorized the entire Qur'an word-for-word as
it was revealed.
So unlike other scriptures, the Qur'an was always in the hands of the common
believers,
it was always thought to be God's word and, due to wide-spread memorization,
it was
perfectly preserved. In regards to the teachings of the Qur'an - 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'an 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'an
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'anic 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'an, 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
Islamic encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is
encouraged in all
human affairs. Islam 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
Islam is not limited
to religious rituals. The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing
for the human soul,
and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly
encouraged.
Additionally, Islam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Almighty
God is the only
judge of human righteousness. The Islamic 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. Islam 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 Islamic 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, Islam teaches that:
only the misguided despair
of the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur'an,which was revealed
to the Prophet
Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life hereafter and
the Day of
Judgment. 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 Islam 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.
