The Meaning of
Islam
ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root
"SALEMA": peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious
sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.
Everything and every phenomenon in the
world, other than man is administered TOTALLY by God-made laws i.e. they are
obedient to God and submissive to His laws i.e. they are in the STATE OF ISLAM.
Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice, thus he is invited to
submit to the good will of God and obey His law ie. become a Muslim. Submission
to the good will of God, together with obedience to His beneficial law, i.e.
becoming a Muslim is the best safeguard for man's peace and harmony.
Islam dates back to the edge of Adam and its
message has been conveyed to man by God's Prophets and Messengers including
Abrahim, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Islam's message has been restored and
enforced in the last stage of the religious evolution by God's last Prophet and
Messenger Muhammad.
The word Allah in the Arabic language means
God, or more accurately The One and Only Eternal God, Creator of theUniverse,
Lord of all lords, King of all kings, MostCompassionate, Most Merciful. The
word Allah to mean God is also used by Arabic speaking Jews and Christians.
Articles of Faith
Allah,
the One and Only God
A muslim believes in ONE GOD, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty,
Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. God has no father nor mother,
no sons nor was He fathered. None equal to Him. He is God of all mankind, not
of a special tribe or race.
God
is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He
answers their prayers and help them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives
their sins. He gives them peace, happiness, knowledge and success. God is the
Loving and the Provider, the Generous, and the Benevolent, the Rich and the
Independent the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative,
the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. God's attributes are
mentioned in the Quran.
God
creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and
righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane. If we try to
count His favours upon us, we cannot, because they are countless. In return for
all the great favours and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because He
is Needless and Independent. God asks us to know Him, to love Him and to
enforce His law for our benefit and our own benefit and our own good.
Messengers
and Prophets of God
A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any
discrimination. All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine
revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the
names of 25 messengers and prophets and states that there are others. These
include Noah, Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Their message
is the same and it is Islam and it came from One and the Same Source; God, and
it is to submit to His will and to obey His law; i.e., to become a Muslim.
Revelations
and the Quran
A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were
complete and in their original versions. Allah, the Creator, has not left man
without guidance for the conduct of his life. Revelations were given to guide
the people to the right path of Allah and sent down to selected people, the
prophet and messengers, to convey it to their fellow men.
The
message of all the prophet and messengers is the same. They all asked the
people of their time to obey and worship Allah and none other. Abrahim, Moses,
David, Jesus and Muhammad who were revealed their own book of Allah, were sent
at different times to bring back straying human being from deviation to Right
Course.
The
Quran is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last book of guidance from
Allah, sent down to Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the angel Jibraeel
(Gabriel). Every word of it is the word of Allah. It was revealed over a period
of 23 years in the Arabic language. It contains 114 Surahs (chapters) and over
6000 verses.
The
Quran deals with man and his ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all
areas of this life and the life after death. It contains principles, doctrines
and directions for every sphere of human life. The theme of the Quran broadly
consists of three fundamental ideas: Oneness of Allah, Prophethood and life
after death. The success of human beings on this earth and in the life
hereafter depends on obedience to the Quranic teaching.
The
Quran is unrivalled in its recording and prservation. The astonishing fact
about this book of Allah is that it has remained unchanged even to a dot over
the past fourteen hundred years. No scholar has questioned the fact that the
Quran today is the same as it was revealed. Muslims till today memorize the
Quran word by word as a whole or in part. Today, the Quran is the only
authentic and complete book of Allah. Allah is protecting it from being lost,
corrupted or concealed.
The
Angels of Allah
There are purely spiritual and splendid beings created by Allah. They require
no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires nor material needs.
Angels spend their time in the service of Allah. Each charged with a certain
duty. Angle cannot be seen by the naked eyes. Knowledge and the truth are not
entirely confined to sensory knowledge or sensory perception alone.
The
Day of Judgement
A Muslim believe in the Day of the Judgement. This world as we know it will
come to an end and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial.
On that day, all men and women from Adam to the last person will be resurrected
from the state of death for judgement.Everything we do, say, make, intend and
think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on
the Day of Judgement.
One
who believe in life after death is not expected to behave against the Will of
Allah. He will always bear in mind that Allah is watching all his actions and
the angles are recording them.
People
with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to Allah's
Heaven. People with bad records will be fairly punished and cast into Hell. The
real nature of Heaven and Hell are known to Allah only, but they are described
by Allah in man's familiar terms in the Quran.
If
some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life,
they will receive full compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of
Judgement. If some people who commit sins, neglect Allah and indulge in immoral
activities, seem SUPERFICIALLY successful and prosperous in this life, absolute
justice will be done to them on the Day of Judgement. The time of the Day of
Judgement is only known to Allah and Allah alone.
Qadaa
and Qadar
A Muslim believes in Qadaa and Qadar which related to the ultimate power of
Allah. Qadaa and Qadar means the Timeless Knowledge of Allah and His power to
plan and execute His plans. Allah is not indifferent to this world nor is He
neutral to it. It implies that everything on this earth originates from the one
and only creator who is also the Sustainer and the sole source of guidance.
Allah
is Wise, Just and Loving and whatever He does must have a good motive, although
we may fail sometimes to understand it fully. We should have strong faith in
Allah and accept whatever He does because our knowledge is limited and our
thinking is based on individual consideration, whereas His knowledge is
limitless and He plans on a universal basis. Man should think, plan and make
sound choice, but if things do not happen the way he wants, he should not lose
faith and surrender himself to mental strains or shattering worries.
The
Purpose of Life
A Muslim believe that the purpose of life is to worship Allah. Worshipping
Allah does not mean we spend our entire lives in constant seclusion and
absolute meditation. To worship Allah is to live life according to His
commands, not to run away from it. To worship Allah is to know Him, to love
Him, to obey His commands, to enforce His laws in every aspect of life, to
serve His cause by doing right and shunning evil and to be just to Him, to
ourselves and to our fellow human beings.
Status
of Human Being
A Muslim believes that human being enjoys an especially high ranking status in
the hierarchy of all known creatures. Man occupies this distinguished position
because he alone is gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as
well as powers of action. Man is not a condemned race from birth to death, but
a dignified being potentially capable of good and noble achievements.
A
Muslim also believes that every person is born muslim. Every person is endowed
by Allah with spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make
him a good Muslim. Every person's birth takes place according to the will of
Allah in realization of His plans and in submission to His commands. Every
person is born FREE FROM SIN. When the person reaches the age of maturity and
if he is sane, he become accountable for all his deeds and intentions. Man is
free from sin until he commits sin. There is no inherited sin, no original sin.
Adam committed the first sin, he prayed to Allah for pardon and Allah granted
Adam pardon.
Salvation
A Muslim believes that man must work out his salvation through the guidance of
Allah. No one can act on behalf of another or intercede between him and Allah.
In order to obtain salvation, a person must combine faith and action, belief
and practice. Faith without doing good deeds is as insufficient as doing good
deeds without faith.
Also,
a Muslim believes that Allah does not hold any person responsible until he has
shown him the Right Way. If people do not know and have no way of knowing about
Islam, they will not be responsible for failing to be Muslim. Every Muslim must
preach Islam in words and action.
Acceptance
of Faith
A Muslim believes that faith is not complete when it is followed blindly or
accepted unquestioningly. Man must build his faith on well-grounded convictions
beyond any reasonable doubt and above uncertainty. Islam insures freedom to
believe and forbids compulsion in religion (one of the oldest synagogues and
one of the oldest churches in the worlds is in Muslim countries).
A
Muslim believes that the Quran is the word of Allah revealed to prophet
Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. The Quran was revealed from Allah on
various occasions to answer questions, solve problems, settle disputes and to
be man's best guide to the truth. The Quran was revealed in Arabic and it is
still in its original and complete Arabic version until today. It is memorized
by millions.
A
Muslim also believes in a clear distinction between the Quran and the
Traditions (called Hadits) of the Prophet Muhammad. Whereas, the Quran is the
word of Allah, the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (hadits i.e.: his teachings,
sayings, and actions) are the practical interpretations of the Quran. Both the
Quran and the Hadits of Prophet Muhammad are the primary sources of knowledge
in Islam.
Application of Faith
God has laid down for a Muslim four major
exercises of faith, some are daily, some weekly, some monthly, some annually
and some are required as a minimum of once in a lifetime. These exercises of
faith are to serve man's spiritual purposes, satisfy his human needs and to
mark his whole life with a Divine touch. These major exercises of faith are:
Prayer (Salah)
Praying, to the Creator on a daily basis, is the best way to cultivate in a man
a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. Allah does not need man's
prayer because He is free of all needs. Salah is for our benefit which are
immeasurable and the blessings are beyond imagination.
In salah, every muscle of the body joins the
soul and the mind in the worship and glory of Allah. Salah is an act of
worship. It is a matchless and unprecedented formula of intellectual meditation
and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined.
Offering of salah is obligatory upon every
Muslim male and female who is sane, mature and in case of women free from
menstruation and confinement due to child birth. Requirements of salah:
performing of ablution (Wudu), purity of the whole body, clothes and ground
used for prayer, dressing properly and having (or declaring) the intention and
facing the Qiblah; the direction of the Ka'bah at Mecca.
Obligatory Salah: Five daily salahs, the
Friday's noon congregation salah and the funeral salah.
Highly recommended salah: Those accompanying
the obligatory salah and the two great festival salahs.
Optional salah: Voluntary salah during the
day and night.
Times of Obligatory Salah:
- Early Morning - after dawn and before sunrise.
- Noon - after the sun begins to decline from its zenith until it is
about midway on its course to set.
- Mid-afternoon - after the expiration of the noon salah time until
sunset.
- Sunset - immediately after sunset until the red glow in the western
horizon disappears.
- Evening - after the expiration of the sunset salah until dawn.
Salah should be offered in its due time,
unless there is a reasonable excuse. Delayed obligatory salah must be made up.
In addition to the prescribed salah, a Muslim expressed gratitude to God and
appreciation of His favours and asks for His mercy all the time. Especially at
times of, for example: childbirth, marriage, going to or rising from bed,
leaving and returning to his home, starting a journey or entering a city,
riding or driving, before or after eating or drinking, harvesting, visiting
graveyards and at time of distress and sickness.
Fasting
Fasting is abstaining completely from
eating, drinking, intimate sexual contacts and smoking from the break of dawn
till sunset. It is a matchless Islamic institution which teaches man the
principle of sincere love to God. Fasting teaches man a creative sense of hope,
devotion, patience, unselfishness, moderation, willpower, wise saving, sound
budgeting, mature adaptability, healthy survival, discipline, spirit of social
belonging, unity and brotherhood.
Obligatory fasting is done once a year for
the period of the month of Ramadan; the ninth month of the Islamic year.
Recommended fasting every Monday and Thursday of every week, three days in the
middle of each Islamic month, six days after Ramadan following the Feast Day
and a few days of the two months before Ramadan. Fasting of Ramadan is a
worship act which is obligatory on every adult Muslim, male or female if he/she
mentally and physically fit and not on a journey. Exception: women during their
period of menstruation and while nursing their child and also in case of travel
and sickness.
Charity Giving (Zakah)
Charity giving is an act of worship and
spiritual investment. The lateral meaning of Zakah is purity and it refers to the
annual amount in kind or coin which a Muslim with means must distribute among
the rightful beneficiaries. Zakah does not only purifies the property of the
contributor but also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. It also
purifies the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and
uneasiness and it fosters instead good-will and warm wishes for the
contributors.
Zakah has a deep humanitarian and
social-political value; for example, it frees society from class welfare, from
ill feelings and distrust and from corruption. Although Islam does not hinder
private enterprise or condemn private possession, it does not tolerate selfish
and greedy capitalism. Islam adopts a moderate but positive and effective
course between individual and society, between the citizen and the state,
between capitalism and socialism, between materialism and spiritualism.
Zakah is paid on the net balance after
paying personal expenses, family expenses, due credits, taxes, etc. Every
Muslim, male or female who at the end of the year is in possession of the
equivalent of 85 g of gold (approx. $1400 in 1990) or more in cash or articles
of trade, must give Zakah at minimum rate of 2.5%. Taxes paid to government do
not substitute for this religious duty. Contributor should not seek pride or
fame but if disclosing his name and his contribution is likely to encourage
others, it is acceptable to do so.
The recipient of Zakah are: the poor, the
needy, the new Muslim converts, the Muslim prisoners of war (to liberate them),
Muslim in debt. Also employees appointed to collect Zakah, Muslim in service of
research or study or propagation of Islam, wayfarers who are foreigners in need
of help.
The Pilgrimmage (Hajj)
It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once
in a lifetime and it is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is
mentally, physically and financially fit. It is the largest annual convention
of faith on earth (in 1989: 2.5 million). Peace is the dominant theme. Peace
with Allah, with one's soul, with one another, with all living creatures. To
disturb the peace of anyone or any creature in any shape or form is strictly
prohibited.
Muslim from all walks of life, from every
corner of the globe assemble in Mecca in response to the call of Allah. There
is no royalty but loyalty of all to Allah, the Creator. It is to commemorate
the Divine rituals observed by the Prophet Abrahim and his son Ishmael, who are
the first pilgrim to the house of Allah on earth; the Ka'bah. It is also to
remember the grad assembly of the Day of Judgement when people will stand equal
before Allah.
Muslims go to Mecca in glory of Allah, not
to worship a man. The visit to the tomb of Prophet Muhammad at Madena is highly
recommended but not essential in making the Hajj valid and complete.
Islam is a Code of Life
It is a Muslim belief that Muhammad's
mission was for the whole world and for all the time; because:
- Its universality has been clearly confirmed by the Quran (Surah 7:
verse 158, 6:19, 34:28, 81:27).
- It is a logical consequences of the finality of his prophethood. He
had to be the guide and the leader for all men and for all ages.
- Allah has provided, through him, a complete code which is to be
followed, and this in itself supports the concept of finality, because
without completeness, the need for other prophets would remain.
- It is a fact that during the last 1400 years no man has arisen
whose life and works bear even the slightest resemblance to that of a
prophet. Nor has anyone presented a book which could be remotely
considered a divine communication. Still less has there been a man to
claim legitimate authority as a law-giver fro mankind.
The mission of Muhammad, as well as of other
prophets who brought the universal message of Islam, does not end with the
announcement of the message. He has to guide the people by explaining to them
the implications of the Islamic creed, the morale code, the divine injunctions
and commandment, and the form of worship that sustains the whole system. He has
to exemplify the faith so others can pattern their participation in the
evolution of Islamic culture and civilization. The believers must grow under
his guidance into an organized community so that Allah's word will prevail over
all other words.
1. Spiritual Life: prayer (salah), fasting,
charity giving (zakah), pilgrimage (hajj), love for Allah and His Messenger,
love for truth and humanity for the sake of Allah, hope and trust in Allah at
all times and doing good for the sake of Allah.
2. Intellectual Life: True knowledge based
on clear proof and indisputable evidence acquired by experience or experiment
or by both. The Quran points to the rich sources of knowledge in the whole
universe. Islam demands faith in Allah on the basis of knowledge and research
and leaves wide open all field of thought before the intellect to penetrate as
far it can reach.
3. Personal Life: purity and cleanliness, a
healthy diet, proper clothing, proper behaviour, and good healthy sexual
relations within marriage.
4. Family Life: A family is a human social
group whose members are bound together by the bond of blood ties and/or marital
relationship and nothing else (adoption, mutual alliance, common law, trial
marriage...etc.). Marriage is a religious duty on all who are capable of
meeting its responsibilities. Each member of the family has rights and
obligations.
5. Social Life: Man is ordained by Allah to
extend his utmost help and kindness to other family members, relations,
servants and neighbours. No superiority on account of class, colour, origin or wealth.
Humanity represents one family springing from the one and the same father and
mother. The unity of the humanity is not only in its origin but also in its
ultimate aims.
6. Economical Life: Earning one's living
through decent labour is not only a duty but a great virtue as well. Earning is
man's private possession. The individual is responsible for the prosperity of
the state and the state is responsible for the security of the individual. The
Islamic economic system is not based on arithmetical calculations alne but also
on moral and principles. Man comes to this world empty-handed and departs
empty-handed. The real owner of things is Allah alone. Man is simply a trustee.
7. Political Life: The sovereignty in the
Islamic State belongs to Allah; the people exercise it by trust from Him to
enforce His laws. The ruler is only an acting executive chosen by the people to
serve them according to Allah's law. The State is to administer justice and
provide security for all citizens. Rulers and administrators must be chosen
from the best qualified citizens. If an administration betrays the trust of
Allah and the people, it has to be replaced. Non-Muslim can administer their
personal life of marriage, divorce, foods and inheritance according to the
Islamic law or to their own religious teachings. They may pay Zakah or a
different tax tributes "Jizyah". They are entitled to full protection
and security of the State including freedom of religion.
8. International Life: Man has a common
origin, human status and aim. Other people's interests and right to life,
honour and property are respected as long as the right of Muslim are in tact.
Transgression is forbidden. War is only justified if the state security is
endangered. During war, destruction of crops, animals and homes, killing
non-fighting women, children and aged people are forbidden.