In the simplest form,
Islam is the religion of total and unconditional submission to the will of God.
It is the system by which a man is persuaded to submit to Allah in that area of
his existence in which he enjoys free will, just as he has submitted in the
area in which he has no choice but to live by his instincts. Islam is a system
of life and a code of practice that puts man at peace with Allah and with His
creation. It also signifies peace, which means man can only have peace through
complete and unconditional submission to the will of God. Islam is a system of life, according to
which the individual and the community are required to organize their lives. It
is the sum of those truths to which Allah’s messengers have invited mankind
since time immemorial. It is the religion of all the Prophets of God.
Islam is based on the following five pillars or
principles:
1.
To testify La ilaha ill-Allah wa anna Muhammad -ur-Rasul-Allah (none has
the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger)
2.
Perform Iqamat As-Salat
3.
To pay Zakat
4.
To perform Hajj
5 To observe Saum (fast) during the month
of Ramadan
Tawheed (Islamic monotheism)
Tawheed is Arabic word which means maintaining the
unity of Allah. It has three aspects:
(a)
Oneness of the Lordship of Allah;
Tawheed-ar-Rububiya: To believe that there is only one Lord for
all the universe, its Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer, and the giver of
Security, etc., and that is Allah.
The following are the evidences for the
Oneness of the Lordship of Allah; Tawheed-ar-Rububiya:
“…Hear O
Israel! The Lord our God is one” (Mark 12:29)
“…There is one God,
and there is no other but He” (Mark 12:32)
“Jesus
said unto her (Mary Magdalene)…I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to
my God and your God” (John 20:17)
“And this is the life
eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus whom you have
sent” (John 17:3)
“You shall
have no other God besides Me.” (Deuteronomy 5:7)
“I even, I
am your Lord and besides Me, there is no saviour (Isaiah 43:11)
“I am the
Lord your God who brought you out of the Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God
but me, no saviour except me “(Hosea 13:4)
Allah said:
“And your God is one God, there is none who
has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
(Holy Quran 2:163).
(b) Oneness of the worship of Allah; Tawheed-al-Uluhiyah/Ibaaadah: To believe that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah.
The following are the evidences for the
Oneness of the worship of Allah:
“Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only”(Matthew 4:10)
“Fear the
Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name “ (Deuteronomy
6:13)
“I am the Lord your God
that brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the home of bondage, thou
shall have no other God besides Me, thou shall not make any graven image of the
heaven above, beneath or in the water under the earth. Thou shall not bow down
to them or serve them.” (Exodus 20:2-5)
“O come,
let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. For we
are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His voice and He is our God”
(Psalms 95:6-7)
Allah said:
“ And your
Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him….”(Holy Quran 17:23)
© Oneness
of the Names and Qualities of Allah; Tawheed-al-Asma-Wa-Sifaat: To believe that:
(i)
We must not name or qualify
Allah except with what He or His Messenger (P.B.U.H) has named or qualified Him
(ii)
None can be named or qualified
with the Names or Qualifications of Allah e.g. Al-Karim
(iii)
We must confirm all of Allah’s
Qualifications, which Allah has stated in His Book (the Quran) or mentioned
through His messenger (Muhammad) without changing them or ignoring them
completely or twisting the meanings or giving resemblance to created things.
The following are the evidences for the
Oneness of the Names and Qualities of Allah:
“There
is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”(Holy Quran
42:11)
“And who
will you compare with God”(Isaiah 40:18)
“No one is
good but one; that is God”(Luke 18:19)
“Verily!
With Allah is the knowledge of the hour…”(Holy Quran 31:34)
“No-one knows about that day and hour; not even the Angels in
heaven but the father”(Mark 13:32)
“Allah is the Creator of all things and He
is the agent on which all depends”(Holy Quran 39:2)
“You are worthy, our Lord and God to
receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things and by your will
they were created and have their beings”(Revelation 4:11)
“He (Allah) is the first
and the last; the most High and the most Near”(Holy Quran 57:2)
“I am the first and the
last and there is no God besides me”(Isaiah 44:6)
“There is no knowledge or power but with
Allah”(Holy Quran 18:39)
“(Jesus said) By myself I can do nothing, as I hear I judge and my
judgment is just; for I seek not my own will but the will of the father that
sent me”(John 5:30)
“By the fingers of God, I cast out
Demons”(Luke 11:20)
Performance Of Daily Prayer (Iqamat As-Salat)
Muslims
worship God at five different times in a day and this includes placing the
forehead on the Ground. Christians are also required to worship in like manner
on the standard example of all the prophets of Israel including Jesus Christ.
Consider
the following please:
“And he (Jesus) went a little further and
fell on his face, and prayed…” (Matthew 26:39)
“And Joshua fell on his face to the earth
and did worship…” (Joshua 5:14)
“And he (Elijah) cast down himself upon the
earth and put his face between his knees” (Kings 18:42)
“And they (Moses and Aaron) fall upon their
faces…” (Numbers 20:6)
“And Abraham fell on his face…” (Genesis
17:3)
Beyond
the above, Nehemiah 8:4-6 contains additional and much more comprehensive
evidence, which confirms that the Christians too should worship God by
observing the like of the Muslim prayers. Most of the things that are contained
in Nehemiah 8:4-6 agrees with what Muslims do while performing any of the daily
prayers. Some of these things are:
(i)
Many people assembled
(ii)
Ezra stood on a wooden platform
(this is similar to what the Imam leading the prayer stands on while giving the
sermon before Friday special worship)
(iii)
Thirteen people lined up
besides Ezra; the first six to his right and the remaining seven lined up to
his left. This agrees with how Muslims lined up for any of the daily prayers
that are to be performed in congregation
(iv)
Ezra later glorified the Lord,
the Great God, and all the people said Amen.
The
Islamic worship starts with Allahu-Akbar (meaning God is Great). In the same
way, Ezra glorified the Lord by referring to him as “the Great God”. Fatha which must be read in every unit of each
of the daily prayer, ends with prayer for God’s Guidance and Muslims therefore
say “Amen” after completing the reading of Suratul Fatha which is the first
chapter of the Holy Quran
(v)
Ezra and the people who lined up behind him lifted their hands and later
bowed their heads. This is in line with what Muslims do in their daily prayers
(vi)
Ezra and the people worshipped
the Lord with their foreheads on the ground (i.e. they placed their foreheads
on the ground to worship God). This is
also in line with how Muslims complete their daily prayers.
Fasting
In The Month Of Ramadhan (Ninth Month)
“In
the ninth month of the fifth year of
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for
all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah”
(Jeremiah 36:9)
Allah
said:
“O you who
believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before
you. That you may become pious”(Holy QURAN 2:182)
Holy
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
In Galatia 4 Verse 25, it is stated that: “
Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of
Jerusalem….”
The mention of Arabia above shows that if
Christians want to go on pilgrimage at all, they should go to Saudi-Arabia.
Please note that Hagar is Ishmael’s mother.
Az-Zakaat (Yearly Obligatory Charity)
Az-zakaat is annual compulsory payment on
every Muslim wealth. Every wealthy Muslim is expected to give out 2.5 percent
of his wealth to the needy annually. Compare this with the law of 10 percent of
the Bible (Matthew 23:23). Which is stricter?
Ritual Bath
(A) Ablution (i.e. partial washing of certain parts of
the body like the hands, face, arm and feet before worship)
“Moses put the water –basin between the tent of meeting and altar and
filled it with water. Moses, Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hand and
feet whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar as the
Lord commanded Moses” (Exodus 40: 30-32)
Jesus washes His Disciples feet
(John 13:5-9)
Allah said:
“O you who believe! When you
intend to offer the prayer wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, rub
your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles…”(Holy Quran 5:6)
(B) Ritual bath
after sexual intercourse
“ When a man lies with a woman and there is
emission of semen, both must bathe with water” (Leviticus 15:18)
© Ritual bath after menstrual period
This bath is compulsory for every
lady at the end of every monthly period (i.e. menstruation)
Leviticus 15:19-23
Call To Prayer
This
is done before each of the five daily prayers to invite Muslims to the Mosque.
In Nehemiah 9:5-6, it is stated that eight men who were Levites made a call to worship
saying: “…stand up and praise the Lord,
your God, praise him forever and ever”
Wearing Of Turban
“Then I said ‘put a clean turban on his head
‘ so they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angels of
the Lord stood by” (Zechariah 3:5)
Hijaab
“But every woman that prayed or prophesized
with her head uncovered dishonoured her head … for if the woman be not covered
let her also be shaven. But if it be a shame for a woman to be shaven, let her
be covered. “(1 Corinthians 11:5-6)
“..So She (Rebecca) took her VEIL and She
covered herself up “(Genesis 24:62-65)
“Women are not to wear Men’s clothing and
men are not to wear Women’s clothing. The Lord your God hates people who do such things” (Deuteronomy 22:5)
“Do not use outward aids to make yourself
beautiful through the way you do your hair or the jewellery you put on or the
dresses you wear ” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Allah
said:
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters
and the women of the believers to draw their veils all over their bodies. That
will better, that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is
ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”(Holy Quran 33:59)
Female Public
Talk
“Let your Women keep silence in the Church
for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under
obedience, as also said the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask
their husbands at home. For it is a shame for Women to speak in the Church” (1
Corinthians 14:34-35)
Greeting
“When
you enter a house first say,” peace to this house”(Luke 10:5)
“While
they were still taking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to
them,”peace be
with you”(Luke 24:36)
Islamic Law
(a) Adultery
“If a man be found lying with a woman
married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay
with the woman and the woman: so shall thou put away evil from Israel”
(Deuteronomy 22:22)
(b)
Stealing
“Then said he unto me, this is the curse
that Goethe forth over the face of the whole earth: for everyone that stealth
shall be cut off as on this side according to it “(Zech 5:3)
© Drunkenness
“And they shall say unto thee
elder of this city. This son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our
voice, he is glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of this city shall stone
him with stones that he dies: so shall thou put evil way from among you and all
Israel shall hear, and fear. “(Deuteronomy 21:20-21)
(d) Usury (Interest)
“If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou
shall not be to him as an usurer, neither shall thou lay upon him usury.”
(Exodus 22:25)
“But love your enemies, do good
to them and lend to them
without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great
and you will be sons of the Most High, because, he is kind to the ungrateful
and the wicked”(Luke 6:35)
Allah said:
“O you who believe! Eat not
interest doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be
successful”(Holy Quran 3:130)
(e) Murder
“If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to
death”(Leviticus 24:22)
Conclusion
The
salvation of men lies in having believe in One God and keeping His commandments
and not shedding of innocent blood. Consider the following please:
“Now behold, one came and said to him,”Good
teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So he said
to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if
you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him,”which
ones?” Jesus said,”You shall not murder,’ You shall not steal’, you shall not
bear false witness’. Honour your father and mother…”(Matthew 19:16-19)
From this
conversation, you will observe that; according to Jesus Christ; salvation is
guaranteed when man keep the commandment of God and not in the shedding of the
blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary as the Christians claim today.
In the Light of
this, fellow Netizens
DON’T
BE AN IGRATE
DON’T
BE FOLLOW !FOLLOW!
BUT
BE A MUSLIM (with complete and unconditional submission to the will of God)